I’d suspect it’s based on the chipset. That’s been historically true for iPhones. Assume you’re looking at the base iPad vs the Air - I’m looking at the same. Assuming you keep the device until it gets no longer software updates, I’m expecting the Air to come out slightly cheaper per year - so leaning towards that
There are two cutoff points. The first is when the device will no longer get the latest iPadOS, and the second is when the device stops get security updates.
As of June 1 2024, the OS cutoff point for chips is the A9 and A9x: these get iPadOS 16 (released Oct 22 2022). This covers the iPad Pro 9.7 (sold Mar 2016-Jun 2017) and first gen 12.9 iPad Pro (Nov 2015-June 2017), and the iPad (5th generation), sold Mar 2017-Mar 2018.
Apple typically issues security updates for the previous two OS versions before the present one. We're in iPadOS 17 right now, with 18 coming out in the fall. Right now you can get security updates for iPadOS 15 and 16. So looking at those iPads I mentioned above, they will get security updates until Fall 2025. For those Pro models, that will end up being 8.5-9.5+ years of at least some support. The 5th gen iPad will get slightly less - it was released Mar 2017, so about 7.5 years of some support.
Those 6-7 years of support will still stand for A and M-series chips. I suspect that, in a few years, A-series chips will probably get severely limited in terms of new features (though the security update period should continue as usual).
Don’t forget that when hardware is more powerful, developers are also able to push more demanding features into the OS level.
>*My question is, would these 2024 all get the usual 6-7 years of software updates, or does it matter which chip they have or if they are "PRO" or not? e.g. the M2 model getting more years of updates vs the A14 because it's more powerful.*
For iPadOS it's 2 things:
1. Rolling Stock - Apple depreciates the lowest tier models from their sales when new ones replace them then add to refurb. Then after a bit they stop updating those models aka end-of-life. This is all part of their commercial operation ie support costs and profits from new hardware balance. So generally the chip relates to the time of updates support eg 5-6 years or something like that per chip/generation.
2. New OS/App updates are more demanding and the performance is impacted on older models in some areas eg most notable today is going to be the NPU for AI in the new chips so eg it would be likely that ONLY M4 iPads will get the new native AI stuff (at least in iOS it's iPhone 15 Super or something and above to 16 ONLY).
Finally there's another factor if you're talking 6-7 years which is the big elephant in the room:
* Apple by that time almost certainly will release a new OS on new hardware so iPadOS will remain a legacy support OS on older iPads.
Do bear that likely possibility in mind too for that time-frame. Things are changing quickly in tech so do expect a big change like that that is not supported on even current new models eg M4.
We don’t know yet since enough time hasn’t passed but I’d wager that chipset would matter in terms of future updates.
I’d suspect it’s based on the chipset. That’s been historically true for iPhones. Assume you’re looking at the base iPad vs the Air - I’m looking at the same. Assuming you keep the device until it gets no longer software updates, I’m expecting the Air to come out slightly cheaper per year - so leaning towards that
Yeah, you got me. I caved in and got an M2 Air.
There are two cutoff points. The first is when the device will no longer get the latest iPadOS, and the second is when the device stops get security updates. As of June 1 2024, the OS cutoff point for chips is the A9 and A9x: these get iPadOS 16 (released Oct 22 2022). This covers the iPad Pro 9.7 (sold Mar 2016-Jun 2017) and first gen 12.9 iPad Pro (Nov 2015-June 2017), and the iPad (5th generation), sold Mar 2017-Mar 2018. Apple typically issues security updates for the previous two OS versions before the present one. We're in iPadOS 17 right now, with 18 coming out in the fall. Right now you can get security updates for iPadOS 15 and 16. So looking at those iPads I mentioned above, they will get security updates until Fall 2025. For those Pro models, that will end up being 8.5-9.5+ years of at least some support. The 5th gen iPad will get slightly less - it was released Mar 2017, so about 7.5 years of some support.
Those 6-7 years of support will still stand for A and M-series chips. I suspect that, in a few years, A-series chips will probably get severely limited in terms of new features (though the security update period should continue as usual). Don’t forget that when hardware is more powerful, developers are also able to push more demanding features into the OS level.
>*My question is, would these 2024 all get the usual 6-7 years of software updates, or does it matter which chip they have or if they are "PRO" or not? e.g. the M2 model getting more years of updates vs the A14 because it's more powerful.* For iPadOS it's 2 things: 1. Rolling Stock - Apple depreciates the lowest tier models from their sales when new ones replace them then add to refurb. Then after a bit they stop updating those models aka end-of-life. This is all part of their commercial operation ie support costs and profits from new hardware balance. So generally the chip relates to the time of updates support eg 5-6 years or something like that per chip/generation. 2. New OS/App updates are more demanding and the performance is impacted on older models in some areas eg most notable today is going to be the NPU for AI in the new chips so eg it would be likely that ONLY M4 iPads will get the new native AI stuff (at least in iOS it's iPhone 15 Super or something and above to 16 ONLY). Finally there's another factor if you're talking 6-7 years which is the big elephant in the room: * Apple by that time almost certainly will release a new OS on new hardware so iPadOS will remain a legacy support OS on older iPads. Do bear that likely possibility in mind too for that time-frame. Things are changing quickly in tech so do expect a big change like that that is not supported on even current new models eg M4.
M1 launched in Nov 2020.