Audiobus: Use your music apps together.

What is Audiobus?Audiobus is an award-winning music app for iPhone and iPad which lets you use your other music apps together. Chain effects on your favourite synth, run the output of apps or Audio Units into an app like GarageBand or Loopy, or select a different audio interface output for each app. Route MIDI between apps — drive a synth from a MIDI sequencer, or add an arpeggiator to your MIDI keyboard — or sync with your external MIDI gear. And control your entire setup from a MIDI controller.

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Audiobus is the app that makes the rest of your setup better.

What is your "iPad life expectancy"

edited April 2018 in General App Discussion

Hello all,
I was wondering what the expected life of iPads is when used without hardware issue. Meaning, if an iPad doesn't break, or the battery becomes useless, how long do you expect to be able to use an iPad as apps and iOS evolve?

Are your expectations based on how long you hope Apple will support it? The length of time you are paying it off? Or maybe the number of years you can "keep it on the books" as it depreciates?

I have an original iPad that I can't do much of anything with these days. I feel like it only lived for about 2 years before the OS and apps quickly moved beyond what it could handle. My iPad mini 4 has been serving me well for a couple years, but I am guessing that it will start getting long in the tooth very soon.

I would hope to get 3-4 years from a device, but I feel 2-3 is more likely.

On the other hand, I am writing this on a 10 year old iMac that can still run some simple Ableton Live and Reason work. I don't expect it to do much now, but the fact that it is still alive and usable exceeds my expectations.

When an iPad Pro costs nearly as much as a laptop, and might only be usable for 3 years, I am just not sure how I can keep up.

What about you, are you satisfied with the life you are getting from your iPads?

(ps. The thread about an iPad Air 2 and iOS 11 was a catalyst for this post, but I didn't want to derail that one).

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Comments

  • edited April 2018

    iPad retina - 2012
    iPad Air1 - 2014 (Gadget made me get it)
    iPad - 2017 (Cubasis2 made me get it, BM3 made me love it)

    I am one year into the 2017 ipad and tickled pink... I can run BM3 with a bunch of FAC AUs, couple nice reverb aux, swapping files between apps is fast, exporting/bouncing is fast... hmmm, what will it be in two years...?

    Only thing I know is I wont pay more than 350$ unless the file system gets a major boost.

  • I just got anew iPad 2018 - but I made my previous iPad 4 last just over 6 years. It still runs great and battery lasts well too. I used it a lot right up until recently. I felt a little left out with some app releases like zeon, model 15, monopoly ... but there was still lots I could/can do on my old iPad - plus it has Alchemy! I'm sure it'll get a bit of use still

  • That must be a nice boost. :)

  • edited April 2018

    @Halftone

    6 years, well done! I hope your 2018 will last you until 2024 :smile:

  • @AudioGus said:

    That must be a nice boost. :)

    It is. Love it.

  • Started with late adoption of iPad 1, two weeks before iPad 2 was launched, doh! (End of feb 2011)
    Then up to iPad Air 1 towards the of 2013, used that up to recently, although in a much reduced capacity through mid 2017 going back to 10 year old MacBook Pro more for Ableton then Reason.
    Recently have upgraded to 2018 iPad for half the price of the Air 1. Haven’t used it for music much but the pencil is great.

  • First of all, do you buy top-of-the-line devices, and do you buy them when they’re first released? You’ll probably use them longer that way.

    The only reason I don't use my oldest iPad (I think it's at least 6 yrs old) for music is because more powerful ones came along. It still works pretty much like it did when I bought it. Nothing says I couldn't use it with the apps that are on it. I’ve had an Air 2 for over 3 years. I figure I can use it for many more years, but I already use it a lot less because of my iPad Pro, and also because there’s a lot happening on Macs. Someday soon, I may be too busy with other things to continue using the Air 2, even though it would still be as capable as ever.

    You can get more years from a device if you choose to. There's a price to pay for progress. It's up to the user to decide how long they want to stick with what they have, which was good enough last year. If progress slows down, then the temptation to upgrade will be less, and the iPads people buy will be kept in service longer. That might happen as the devices and apps mature, and the market gets more saturated with all the apps available.

  • I mostly use an Air-2 today, but both iPad 1 and 2 are still on duty. B)

  • I still have my iPad 2 which can run Lauchpad and some other stuff fine but it is noticeably slow opening apps etc.

    My main iPad is an Air2 which is generally fine although I have had more crashes and crackling issues since iOS 11.n but then again it could just that the apps have become more powerful and also AUv3 has only limited memory allocation.

    I have budgeted for a new iPad this year but I am wondering if the iPad 2018 will be enough or whether to hold out for a 2018 iPad Pro later in the year?

  • edited April 2018

    I used my iPad 2 for about three years (though it didn’t get a lot ofuse until Audiobus turned up), and then Monzo Jnr took it over for a year or two. Still going strong, so that’s earned it’s keep. Ridiculously slow though.

    I’ve had the Air 2 for about three years, and despite the battery hit it took when I updated to iOS 11, and the fact it’s struggling to run newer apps, hope to keep it going for another year. Don’t think it’s possible though - it heats up badly, and last time I used it noticed some screen glitches, so I reckon it’s on its last legs.

    We inherited a 2017 iPad this year, currently used by M Jnr, but it’s pretty slow for music use, so when the Air 2 kicks the bucket I’ll have to look for something else.

    Budget would suggest a cheap 2018 as a replacement, but I’m going to try and hang on to the Air 2 as long as possible.

    What I’ve learned with the two iPads I’ve had so far, is don’t update the iOS unless you really have to. Find a sweet spot and stay there.

  • @AlterEgo_UK said:
    I have budgeted for a new iPad this year but I am wondering if the iPad 2018 will be enough or whether to hold out for a 2018 iPad Pro later in the year?

    >

    iPad Pro, every time. The new regular model, I believe, is really meant for students.

    If you can get a Pro, with 256gb storage, and 4mb RAM, you will notice the difference in several ways. Mrs Zen has a 2017 standard iPad with 128gb storage and 2mb RAM. It does what she wants, and looks great, but whenever I use it the difference in speed and sensitivity is very apparent.

  • I´m in the same camp as @Halftone - I just got a new iPad 2018 after having used an iPad 4 for 6 years. It still runs fine and the battery is surprisingly good, too. Being left out of the 64 bit party wasn´t fun, but I had a newer iphone to play with those apps. The old iPad can still function as a bluetooth midi controller for the new iPad, running KRFT and similar apps.

    The pc evolution has taken long leaps on the GPU, and your old iMac hasn´t kept up in that department. For CPU and general use an old pc was plenty powerful for most uses; it was mature technology that didn´t need much more. Today´s iPads are not there in the development cycle, there is too much CPU vs battery vs heat development which still needs improvement. Maybe in 10 years time?

  • I went from iPad 2, to iPad 4, to Air 2 and I really think I was lucky and hit the sweet spot every time. I skipped the Air 1 because it only had 1GB of RAM, and the Air 2 is still fine for my needs. I will probably consider the next generation Pro, the main problem I have is that the 128Gb of storage I currently have is starting to feel claustrophobic and only the Pros go beyond that in terms of storage.

  • edited April 2018

    @richardyot said:

    ... the main problem I have is that the 128Gb of storage I currently have is starting to feel claustrophobic and only the Pros go beyond that in terms of storage.
    >

    FWIW, Richardyot, in just over a year of owning this iPad Pro with 256gb storage, and paying no attention whatsoever to how much space apps and content take up, I still have just short of 170gb free space!

  • edited April 2018

    Thanks for all the replies and experiences. It is interesting to see so many of you using the devices for so long. Part of the thing for me is that I work in education so am able to use my work iPad for many things, which means I have had access to devices and never had to buy again after my original iPad. The original iPad seemed to fall away so quickly (for music), but like many it was fine for the kids to continue to use.

  • I’m 4 years into my Air2. Still pretty happy with it. But I might end up getting the 2018 IPad as a second device.

  • I'm still happy with my Air 2 and feel no urgent need to upgrade. The battery is starting to degrade a bit and lasts around 5-6 hours for casual usage but it's quick enough to charge with the 12W adapter and that's needed anyway when I use the CCK3 and the UR-242...

  • I've had 3.5 years from my Mini 2, it still gets new OS upgrades for now and the battery has degraded only 8% of maximum charge. I'd expect to get at least another 2-3 years out it, though the OS upgrades may stop at some point.

    I have already bought in an iPad Pro to serve as my main pad though (needed more cpu oomph) so the Mini is going to be having slightly reduced usage but be placed is more dangerous situatons :-)

  • I'm that guy that have the economic opportunity to buy almost every new iPad that Apple is releasing...

    And, every iPad that I bought to this date is in use, even the first generation iPad...
    Many of them have gone to my partners grandchildren, and they use them almost daily!
    The almost eight year old iPad 1 still charged it's battery fine...

    And, don't forget, before the iPads going forward in my life, they have been used by me intense!

    My newest iPad Pro 12.9" 256GB/4G/2017 has been used around 1500 hours already ;-)

    Longing for a new one now... Should be nice to get a new iPad Pro 12.9" with 1TB and a smaller form factor with less weight...
    And, why not 8GB RAM?

  • I bought the iPad 2 mainly for Alchemy but the screen resolution was to low so that i returned it within 14 days.
    Later i bought the Air 1 which lasts a bit longer than a year (i had to replace it 2 times within warranty).
    But i decided to resell it when i got my macbook pro since it was all a but unstable and new apps were taxing ram and cpu.
    I considered often to buy an iPad Pro just for synths since especially for synths there is amazing stuff on iOS close in quality i have on my mac. But i guess i will wait maybe 2-3 years longer until i would buy again an iPad since the yearly updates and new apps force you often to use the latest OS and at the same time you loose some great legacy stuff (like Alchemy, NS1).
    I think it will get closer to modern notebooks which might be a bigger investment but last for many years and will get updates as well for many years.
    Maybe we need to hols old devices for legacy apps and new devices for the new tools...

  • @DYMS said:
    ... The original iPad seemed to fall away so quickly (for music), but like many it was fine for the kids to continue to use.

    not only for kids - just SamplR, iElectribe, Genome or the M3000 Mellotron are reason enough to run it as a standalone unit. An old ioDock is often 50bucks only.

  • I have been using an iPad mini for 6 years, and it's stuck on iOS 7.1, battery still good...
    I mainly use it for Alchemy, Samplr and Nanostudio.
    for newer apps I have the 2017 ipad.

  • @Telefunky said:

    @DYMS said:
    ... The original iPad seemed to fall away so quickly (for music), but like many it was fine for the kids to continue to use.

    not only for kids - just SamplR, iElectribe, Genome or the M3000 Mellotron are reason enough to run it as a standalone unit. An old ioDock is often 50bucks only.

    The original iPad only ran up to 5.1.1 - Is Samplr and the other apps you mention usable on those iOS versions? I didn't think they were. How about syncing? Maybe I should pull it out and try it :)

  • My air1 from 2015 is still going strong. Battery is top notch.
    But I mainly use my 2016 iPad Pro 12,9 Mark 1.

  • edited April 2018

    My iPad mini 2 is still ticking. A while back it developed a slight bit of screen bleed on the lower right side but it hasn’t gotten worse. Still can handle things pretty good. Hoping for a Oled screen iPad pro with a headphone jack intact. Not too keen on bluetooth or wifi headphones bombarding my brain with electromagnetic radiation while I’m trying to concentrate on music making and latency

  • edited April 2018

    @DYMS said:

    @Telefunky said:

    @DYMS said:
    ... The original iPad seemed to fall away so quickly (for music), but like many it was fine for the kids to continue to use.

    not only for kids - just SamplR, iElectribe, Genome or the M3000 Mellotron are reason enough to run it as a standalone unit. An old ioDock is often 50bucks only.

    The original iPad only ran up to 5.1.1 - Is Samplr and the other apps you mention usable on those iOS versions? I didn't think they were. How about syncing? Maybe I should pull it out and try it :)

    https://forum.audiob.us/discussion/24541/30-pin-connectors-and-general-ipad-first-gen-question
    This thread has lists of apps that still work on the iPad 1 (Original ) IOS 5.1.1

  • Thanks for the link @Iso

  • Air1 user here. Getting close to being ready to upgrade.

  • The iPad 1 and 2 still function but I rarely use them. Not happy at all with iOS 9 on the iPad 2 as every thing you do is in slow motion so I’d prefer to roll it back to iOS 8. Both of these iPads are largely limited to single app use though they work well as MIDI controllers.

    I purchased an iPad Mini 2 when it first came out and it still works fine.

    Purchased the iPad Air 2 when it came out and last fall it had swollen battery problems. Apple swapped it out for a new Air 2 for the cost of the replacement battery and I haven’t had any of the heating issues to the extent I had them with the previous Air 2. If it starts to heat up, I make sure the charger isn’t plugged in.

    Purchased a 12.9” iPad Pro and an Apple Pencil for it. It was great for graphics but the performance for music at that time was equal or worse than for my iPad Air 2 so I returned it after a week.

    I’ll see what the new iPad Pro to be released this year will be like. If it performs well for music, I’ll purchase the 12.9 and an Apple Pencil otherwise I’ll wait another year. I anticipate being able to get 4 good years out of the iPad Pro.

    While many have had issues with iOS 11, it’s been an improvement for me although the Files app can be flaky it’s still an improvement over having no iOS level file management. The rotation bug has gone away.

    You can still have IAA apps hanging around even after restarting your iPad without knowing it unless you see their MIDI ports still available in others apps. Opening and closing them fixes this issue. Due to preset savings and better stability, I use AU apps as much as possible.

    At times there can be some crackling and pops but this has only been due to pushing the processing limits of the iPad which I’d experienced in previous versions of iOS as well. Infrequent crashes versus other versions of iOS. I rarely use traditional DAWs but even loading AUM up works so long as I don’t try to have too many apps going at once.

    Really do not like Apple introducing changes that broke iFunbox and the fact that iTunes doesn’t allow you to backup apps either.

  • Will replace an iPad 2 with an iPad 2018. First one will be sold for €50.-

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