Of what use is an obsolete iPad?

gd · Post by gd » Mon Aug 17, 2020 8:49 am

I'm trying to decide whether to trade in an iPad 3, cellular. Works fine, replaced with newer. It can't upgrade past iOS 9, so won't run lots of apps. Apple offers $30, and a check of eBay shows about $100. I'm not going to sell privately, too much trouble, so it's $30 or put it on my shelf for reasons I can't fathom. The question: do obsolete iPads have any utility worth $30? Why does someone pay $30-100 for an obsolete iPad that literally won't run many apps nowadays? What do they use it for?

livesoft · Post by **livesoft** » Mon Aug 17, 2020 8:52 am

Use it as a cutting board: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5aEVGkkgVo

anoop · Post by **anoop** » Mon Aug 17, 2020 8:54 am

Take the $30, or sell to local buyer for more on Craigslist if that is an option. If you hold on longer it will become worthless.

Companies that buy it can used it for parts. Many people just want a cheap machine they can give their kids (who will probably break it in short order) to play games.

Kenkat · Post by **Kenkat** » Mon Aug 17, 2020 8:56 am

You could use it as a music player - basically an oversized iPod Touch.

BuddyJet · Post by **BuddyJet** » Mon Aug 17, 2020 8:57 am

I’d look at donating to school or charity for student internet access. The cellular option could be helpful.

Just be sure to wipe iPad, remove your Apple account and turn off find my iPad.

cheese_breath · Post by **cheese_breath** » Mon Aug 17, 2020 8:57 am

Rectangular frisbee?

JLJL · Post by **JLJL** » Mon Aug 17, 2020 8:59 am

gd wrote: ↑Mon Aug 17, 2020 8:49 am I'm trying to decide whether to trade in an iPad 3, cellular. Works fine, replaced with newer. It can't upgrade past iOS 9, so won't run lots of apps. Apple offers $30, and a check of eBay shows about $100. I'm not going to sell privately, too much trouble, so it's $30 or put it on my shelf for reasons I can't fathom. The question: do obsolete iPads have any utility worth $30? Why does someone pay $30-100 for an obsolete iPad that literally won't run many apps nowadays? What do they use it for?

I have an iPad 1 - literal first one that came out - that I use exclusively to run pandora via Bluetooth speaker. I can't do much else with it, sometimes the kids fight over it to play an old game where this pickup truck races up and down hills and crashes.

I would pay $50 for an iPad 3 for my kids. There's plenty they can get into on it. Right now they are using an old ipod touch to facetime their friends and play Switch while each others' cameras are pointed at each others' ceilings

Shoot me a private message if you'd be interested

sycamore · Post by **sycamore** » Mon Aug 17, 2020 8:59 am

gd wrote: ↑Mon Aug 17, 2020 8:49 am ...
Why does someone pay $30-100 for an obsolete iPad that literally won't run many apps nowadays? What do they use it for?

Use it to browse Bogleheads.org

protagonist · Post by **protagonist** » Mon Aug 17, 2020 8:59 am

I'm the wrong person to ask I suppose....I have a huge tech graveyard in the attic, partly because I never seem to go through the trouble of selling something that is worth $30. On top of which, I have an attic. That said, if you can get $100 for it on eBay, that sounds like a great option.

Or even better, donate it if possible as per a poster above. If a school or library won't take it, maybe a homeless shelter or food kitchen or some such place, or just give it to the first kid on the street that you see that looks like he/she could use an iPad. I like that idea.

JLJL · Post by **JLJL** » Mon Aug 17, 2020 8:59 am

anoop wrote: ↑Mon Aug 17, 2020 8:54 am Take the $30, or sell to local buyer for more on Craigslist if that is an option. If you hold on longer it will become worthless.

Companies that buy it can used it for parts. Many people just want a cheap machine they can give their kids (who will probably break it in short order) to play games.

haha yes

JLJL · Post by **JLJL** » Mon Aug 17, 2020 9:00 am

Kenkat wrote: ↑Mon Aug 17, 2020 8:56 am You could use it as a music player - basically an oversized iPod Touch.

haha double yes

Mr.Chlorine · Post by **Mr.Chlorine** » Mon Aug 17, 2020 9:01 am

Parents have an iPad 2 from forever ago. They use is for checking emails, online shopping, and mostly Netflix (Chromecast to dumb tv). They looked at upgrading ~5 years ago and Verizon offered them $22. I laughed and convinced them to just hold onto it.

IMO, $30 is not worth it. Would rather reset to factor settings and donate to a thrift store.

retiredjg · Post by **retiredjg** » Mon Aug 17, 2020 9:02 am

If I had an old iPad, I'd probably download pictures on it and use it for an electronic picture frame.

friar1610 · Post by **friar1610** » Mon Aug 17, 2020 9:21 am

Old I-Pad 2 here. Will be buying a new one any day now. I'm going to relegate the old one to the basement for two specific purposes:

- to play workout videos that I'm into now since I've quit the gym due to COVID. I've subscribed to a site whose routines I've been following for 5 months now and intend to continue. The old I-Pad works fine for them.

- to serve as a podcast platform when I'm doing workouts other than the videos (Nordic Track, rowing, weights) or puttering in the basement.

dbr · Post by **dbr** » Mon Aug 17, 2020 9:32 am

I have an old iPad but it does have wifi. The replacement has been an iPad mini, but the larger screen is still very useful for Facetime or Google Meet.

We have been discovering the virtues of large screens in this day of electronic socializing. Zoom, for example, pretty much needs at least a 21" monitor. It also drives me crazy when people get on with a phone and walk around jiggling the phone all over the place. My obsolete iPad also has a detachable keyboard which works as a stand.

The reason for the mini is the other one is too big and too heavy to carry around but my actual iPhone is too small. It is becoming evident that personal electronics have now been maximally deoptimized to provide a combination of the worst of all ergonomic factors. Too big, too heavy, uncomfortable to carry and hold, screens too small to see, and touch screen too small and ergonomically horrible to manipulate. I am a Neanderthal that normally uses either a desktop with a big monitor, mouse, and keyboard or a flip-phone ever though we own a range of five classes of devices from 2"x3" in size to 25" in size. A major annoyance these days are the idiots who try to text to our landline. You would think there would be a notice back that this does not work. There is good reason why no one has our iPhone numbers.

Bobby206 · Post by **Bobby206** » Mon Aug 17, 2020 9:40 am

Kenkat wrote: ↑Mon Aug 17, 2020 8:56 am You could use it as a music player - basically an oversized iPod Touch.

This is what we do with one of our old ones.

StormShadow · Post by **StormShadow** » Mon Aug 17, 2020 9:43 am

gd wrote: ↑Mon Aug 17, 2020 8:49 am I'm trying to decide whether to trade in an iPad 3, cellular. Works fine, replaced with newer. It can't upgrade past iOS 9, so won't run lots of apps. Apple offers $30, and a check of eBay shows about $100. I'm not going to sell privately, too much trouble, so it's $30 or put it on my shelf for reasons I can't fathom. The question: do obsolete iPads have any utility worth $30? Why does someone pay $30-100 for an obsolete iPad that literally won't run many apps nowadays? What do they use it for?

Last year, DW found an iPad 1 at a yard sale. Was dirt cheap.

We download cartoons and other kids shows for our 5 year old daughter to watch. Comes in handy for long trips.

Short battery life is the biggest problem, basically has to be plugged in constantly.

Jags4186 · Post by **Jags4186** » Mon Aug 17, 2020 9:53 am

Sell it on eBay. You’ll get $75 or so after selling fees and shipping if they are going for $100.

There is no utility IMO. An obsolete iPad/iPhone becomes a single use device (music player, remote control, etc) and single use devices are worthless to me. Why would I have a special Pandora iDevice when I can use my iPhone that’s in my pocket and always with me?

Nowizard · Post by **Nowizard** » Mon Aug 17, 2020 10:05 am

Good item to introduce children to technology.

Tim

crefwatch · Post by **crefwatch** » Mon Aug 17, 2020 10:14 am

I bought a generic wall-mount, and it displays our merged calendars in the kitchen. But someone who trades in an Ipad 3 probably has a refrigerator with a video screen and connectivity!

softwaregeek · Post by **softwaregeek** » Mon Aug 17, 2020 10:18 am

Businesses can use them as touchscreen control panels for videoconferencing. Usually encased in a stand and running one simple app.

mmcmonster · Post by **mmcmonster** » Mon Aug 17, 2020 10:21 am

I had a first general iPad, 64GB with cellular connectivity. (Even the web browser wasn't that good!) I used it as a Kindle and comic book reader, and to play mp3s.

My wife had me put an older Sudoku game on it and gave it to her mother. She still uses it.

I got an iPad Pro as a replacement. Which I still use as a Kindle, comic book reader, and to play mp3s.

bob60014 · Post by **bob60014** » Mon Aug 17, 2020 10:34 am

Along the same lines, we use obsolete Androids as music players and in the kitchen for recipes. Using it for recipes has eliminated most of the books and various scraps of paper, so that's a bonus!

Coburn · Post by **Coburn** » Mon Aug 17, 2020 10:38 am

Even old ipads have use...

- ereader using iBooks/Kindle/etc...keep it by your bedside
- smart picture frame
- group calendar display
- music player (Pandora/Spotify/etc)

many more uses if you put your mind to it.

My iPad2 from 2011 is still marching along...made sure to leave it on ios7 for best performance. The iPad3 was underpowered for its time though...worst iPad imo. My sister didn't listen to me about staying on ios7 for her iPad3 and paid the price.

queso · Post by **queso** » Mon Aug 17, 2020 12:14 pm

I have an old one that is getting excruciatingly slow to use for anything we do with the newer ones and a current gen Kindle Fire and I am thinking about dedicating the old one to garage duty. I'm constantly getting my phone greasy looking up newton meter to ft lbs. conversions, googling part numbers, zooming in on schematics, etc. in the middle of working on something so am thinking an old throwaway iPad would fit the bill nicely. As a plus, I could pair it to a bluetooth speaker and listen to music while working.

Bogle7 · Post by **Bogle7** » Mon Aug 17, 2020 1:46 pm

Freecycle it on NextDoor.
That is what I do.
I leave it on our doorstep and first come, first served.

Post by **Flyer24** » Mon Aug 17, 2020 1:51 pm

There is a trick to being able to use newer apps even though the Ipad is old. My daughter uses her original Ipad to watch Netflix and Dish. We set it up as a wall mount in her room.

Ramjet · Post by **Ramjet** » Mon Aug 17, 2020 1:56 pm

We connect ours to wifi and turn the radio on for our dog as background noise when we are out of the house

nullisland · Post by **nullisland** » Mon Aug 17, 2020 2:00 pm

I wouldn't recommend using anything that connects to the internet if it can't receive security updates anymore. I'd erase all the data and take what Apple is offering.

GerryL · Post by **GerryL** » Mon Aug 17, 2020 3:05 pm

Kenkat wrote: ↑Mon Aug 17, 2020 8:56 am You could use it as a music player - basically an oversized iPod Touch.

This is essentially how I use my old iPhone 5c. I set it in a docking station and stream podcasts and foreign radio stations. (Although I also use it as a "container" for my French SIM and take it to Europe in non-Covid years.) I also use it to play a favorite game that has never been updated to work on newer a O/S.

I have a couple of old tablets that I use for playing (mindless) games.

illumination · Post by **illumination** » Mon Aug 17, 2020 3:36 pm

We have older iPads and one use is simply as a reader for eBooks, you can have a pretty ancient one and get by just fine.

You can also just browse the web (which is probably what 90% of the use is anyway for most people, just slower) or use music services like Pandora or iTunes, etc. We have an old one we use for the bluetooth to run our in-house music.

THY4373 · Post by **THY4373** » Mon Aug 17, 2020 3:58 pm

I use an old Android tablet I have as a digital frame. I have an app on it that loads images off my file server.

nisiprius · Post by **nisiprius** » Mon Aug 17, 2020 4:04 pm

Wipe it, turn every possible parental control, load it with suitable software for children, and give it to a suitable child.

Of course sophisticated children aged nine or so will be aware of model numbers, but a young child might well be thrilled by "an iPad."

Strummer · Post by **Strummer** » Mon Aug 17, 2020 5:59 pm

Lots of good suggestions here. I just wanted to add that Costco also has a trade-in program for Macs, iPads, and Apple Watches that give you Costco credit in exchange for your device. Might be useful if you shop there more than you do with Apple.

Xrayman69 · Post by **Xrayman69** » Mon Aug 17, 2020 7:02 pm

We have about 30 “classic” movies that we love and have downloaded. We use it when we travel for the movies (when traveling was common in the non COVID19 era)

gd · Post by gd » Tue Aug 18, 2020 6:01 am

OP here. Thanks, some interesting suggestions, got me motivated to reconsider as a reader or maybe music player, although my interest in music has diminished with age. Got an old Logitech squeezebox wifi radio I use for pandora, maybe I can use iPad as server like PC for my own mp3s... nope. No interest in spending money for bluetooth speaker to replace that which already works nicely (and with very good sound). So music player out. Key to actually being a *useful* book/pdf reader/exercise bike video player/bedtime wrist exerciser is easy transfer between several iPads, PC, and internet downloads. Already discovered that emailing big pdfs from old iPad is problematic, some files it just... doesn't work. Maybe because some of my email providers don't have apps that run on old iPads. Discovered the first week of owning an iPad years ago that the idea of transferring with, say, USB drives or iTunes is a mean-spirited practical joke by Steve Jobs. Cloud transfers? iCloud.... nope, app won't run. OneDrive? nope, app won't run. Dropbox? nope, app won't run. Google Drive? nope, app won't run.

I already have enough cutting boards.

wander · Post by **wander** » Tue Aug 18, 2020 6:06 am

Use it for digital photo display.

LifeIsGood · Post by **LifeIsGood** » Tue Aug 18, 2020 6:07 am

Since it's a cellular iPad, you could use it as a pretty decent large screen GPS. If you're on a long trip it beats looking at a tiny phone screen. Just be sure to download the maps needed for your trip before you leave (or tether it to your phone for data connectivity).

Chip · Post by **Chip** » Tue Aug 18, 2020 6:21 am

We also have an iPad 3 cellular. I use it in a few of the ways mentioned. It's my preferred Kindle device and that's the only use it gets at home. When traveling I also use it for some email and some browsing.

For many years I had music and photos on it, enduring the incredibly painful process of trying to get them on the iPad from a Windows computer using iTunes. I finally gave up on that and just have them on my Android phone.

bostonboglehead123 · Post by **bostonboglehead123** » Tue Aug 18, 2020 6:40 am

I use em as single purpose devices - get some sticky command strips and attach them wherever (fridge, shoe rack etc) and get them to do one thing well.

Have an old iPhone attached to the fridge that has spotify pinned on it. I can pick music and cast it to our smart speaker.

Have an old iPad stuck to the wall near our shoe stand and it shows when the next train arrives at our stop along with service warnings, Uber pool price etc.

I'm sure you can find a bunch of other uses along these lines.

tennisplyr · Post by **tennisplyr** » Tue Aug 18, 2020 6:41 am

Wipe it clean and donate to a charity.

Nearly A Moose · Post by **Nearly A Moose** » Tue Aug 18, 2020 7:42 am

crefwatch wrote: ↑Mon Aug 17, 2020 10:14 am I bought a generic wall-mount, and it displays our merged calendars in the kitchen. But someone who trades in an Ipad 3 probably has a refrigerator with a video screen and connectivity!

Do you have any special setup, or do you just run basic apple calendar and unlock it when you need to see it? I’d be considering doing something like this.

shunkman · Post by **shunkman** » Tue Aug 18, 2020 7:50 am

I use my old iPad mini as a dedicated device for flying my drone. It connects to the drone controller. Perfect setup.