Wondering if there is a way to update my iPad from 12.5.5 to 15 it seems ridiculous that I would need to buy a new iPad. It says under software update that I have the latest software.
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Update iPad from 12.5.5 to 15
- Thread starter Merrill
- Start date
Depends on what gen of iPad you have. See Maximum iOS Version for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch: Everyi.com. If you can't tell, see Identify your iPad model. Also, (at least on iOS 14), if you go to Settings > General > About then tap on the model #, you'll get a model number that begins with A. My iPhone 8 says model A1863. You can then cross reference that w/the Apple article or just Google for the model #.
FWIW, Apple is far better about supporting their devices for a long time than Android device makers. Look at Learn when you'll get software updates on Google Pixel phones - Nexus Help under Pixel phone, for instance.
I have a work issued Pixel 3 that began shipping in Oct 2018 per Pixel 3 - Wikipedia and it recently hit end of Android and security updates a few months ago (Oct 2021 per Learn when you'll get Android updates on Google Pixel phones & Nexus devices - Nexus Help). Fortunately, work covers getting our phones upgraded and I got a Pixel 6, which came out a few months ago and at least will be supported much longer than the Pixel 3 was...
The lesson is don't buy too old a generation of any iOS or Android device unless you want it to hit end of updates sooner than you'd want. So, at this point, if being able to have iOS updates for a long time is important, don't buy anything older than anything in the 2021 list at iPod, iPhone & iPad Specs - By Year Introduced: Everyi.com.
Be on the lookout for deals at places like iPad Price Guide | Best Deals, Lowest iPad Pro, mini, Air Prices and Today's Cheap iPad Deals on New and Closeout Models. Sometimes Refurbished iPad has some deals (I don't see any good deals for a cheap refurb iPad right now) but the stock comes and goes. Make sure you research thoroughly which model and gen you're getting (e.g. what year it came out) so you can get a rough idea of when it'll be dead-ended.
I've bought a ton of refurbished iOS devices for work before.
FWIW, Apple is far better about supporting their devices for a long time than Android device makers. Look at Learn when you'll get software updates on Google Pixel phones - Nexus Help under Pixel phone, for instance.
I have a work issued Pixel 3 that began shipping in Oct 2018 per Pixel 3 - Wikipedia and it recently hit end of Android and security updates a few months ago (Oct 2021 per Learn when you'll get Android updates on Google Pixel phones & Nexus devices - Nexus Help). Fortunately, work covers getting our phones upgraded and I got a Pixel 6, which came out a few months ago and at least will be supported much longer than the Pixel 3 was...
The lesson is don't buy too old a generation of any iOS or Android device unless you want it to hit end of updates sooner than you'd want. So, at this point, if being able to have iOS updates for a long time is important, don't buy anything older than anything in the 2021 list at iPod, iPhone & iPad Specs - By Year Introduced: Everyi.com.
Be on the lookout for deals at places like iPad Price Guide | Best Deals, Lowest iPad Pro, mini, Air Prices and Today's Cheap iPad Deals on New and Closeout Models. Sometimes Refurbished iPad has some deals (I don't see any good deals for a cheap refurb iPad right now) but the stock comes and goes. Make sure you research thoroughly which model and gen you're getting (e.g. what year it came out) so you can get a rough idea of when it'll be dead-ended.
I've bought a ton of refurbished iOS devices for work before.
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Yeah, for sure that is way old and dead-ended long ago: Lookup Mac Specs By Serial Number, Order, Model & EMC Number, Model ID @ EveryMac.com.
iPad mini 2 and mini 3 are in the same boat. iOS 13 - Wikipedia which you can't go to came out in Sept 2019.
iPad mini 2 and mini 3 are in the same boat. iOS 13 - Wikipedia which you can't go to came out in Sept 2019.
swaltner
Active Member
I always use MacTracker (on either macOS, iOS, or iPadOS) to get the device specs like the web pages that were included above. Same result, but I seem to use it often enough to make it worthwhile just having a local app with that info instead of pulling up details on a web site over the Internet. I originally started using this program to get memory specs on hardware (how many DIMM slots, max RAM supported), but now, it seems like my primary use is figuring out what's the latest OS release that runs on a specific piece of hardware.
The A1474 is the original iPad Air. It was sold by Apple from Oct 2013 through Mar 2016. It originally came with iOS 7.0.3 and tops out at iOS 12.5.5 like you noticed. The OS that dropped support for this model was iPadOS 13, which was released in Sep 2019, which was three years after the last sale date for this model. This is actually a little on the short side for Apple. There were some significant changes to the multitasking between iOS 12 and iPadOS 13, which may be the excuse/reason for dropping support on that generation of hardware.
Myself, I tend to keep my Apple products until the next generation of OS doesn't support my current hardware. Sell the current hardware on eBay and buy a replacement.
If it were me, I'd sell your current iPad Air on eBay - going prices for 1st gen iPad Air look to be $80-100. After the eBay fees, call it $65-80. If you have kids that could "benefit" from an old iPad, toss one of those foam cases on the old iPad instead of trying to sell it. I have a iPad 9th gen getting delivered tomorrow which was $329 from B&H (no sales tax using their store credit card). According to Geekbench, the A13 Bionic processor in the current iPad is about 5 times the speed of the A7 processor in the 1st gen iPad Air and about 6 times faster on GPU processing.
While Apple doesn't support all the latest features on the legacy hardware, they do at least support them for critical security fixes. The iOS 12.5.5 update came out on Sep 23, 2021. That's 3 years after that version of iOS originally shipped. This was to address a zero-day exploit that was supposedly being used in the wild, and possibly by the Pegasus spyware software.
And yes, I also get frustrated when I think my hardware should be supported for longer than it actually gets supported.
The A1474 is the original iPad Air. It was sold by Apple from Oct 2013 through Mar 2016. It originally came with iOS 7.0.3 and tops out at iOS 12.5.5 like you noticed. The OS that dropped support for this model was iPadOS 13, which was released in Sep 2019, which was three years after the last sale date for this model. This is actually a little on the short side for Apple. There were some significant changes to the multitasking between iOS 12 and iPadOS 13, which may be the excuse/reason for dropping support on that generation of hardware.
Myself, I tend to keep my Apple products until the next generation of OS doesn't support my current hardware. Sell the current hardware on eBay and buy a replacement.
If it were me, I'd sell your current iPad Air on eBay - going prices for 1st gen iPad Air look to be $80-100. After the eBay fees, call it $65-80. If you have kids that could "benefit" from an old iPad, toss one of those foam cases on the old iPad instead of trying to sell it. I have a iPad 9th gen getting delivered tomorrow which was $329 from B&H (no sales tax using their store credit card). According to Geekbench, the A13 Bionic processor in the current iPad is about 5 times the speed of the A7 processor in the 1st gen iPad Air and about 6 times faster on GPU processing.
While Apple doesn't support all the latest features on the legacy hardware, they do at least support them for critical security fixes. The iOS 12.5.5 update came out on Sep 23, 2021. That's 3 years after that version of iOS originally shipped. This was to address a zero-day exploit that was supposedly being used in the wild, and possibly by the Pegasus spyware software.
And yes, I also get frustrated when I think my hardware should be supported for longer than it actually gets supported.
I also like the MacTracker app, but usually just check everyi.com (sometimes via Google search) for info on iOS devices.
Indeed Apple does backport some security fixes to dead-ended iOSes (Apple security updates) but it seems very hit or miss. It's not clear that all of vulnerabilities that exist in recent iOSes like 14/15 do/don't exist in parked ones (like iOS 9.x, 10.x and 12.x). And, if they do, it's not clear what their criteria are for backporting them. Yes, some are critical, really serious, being exploited in the wild and maybe some are 0-click exploitable but I'm not sure Apple's backporting fixes for them all. And, how far back are they willing to go?
I personally (except for testing at work) stop using and sell iOS devices if they're stuck and can't go to the latest major iOS version.
Indeed Apple does backport some security fixes to dead-ended iOSes (Apple security updates) but it seems very hit or miss. It's not clear that all of vulnerabilities that exist in recent iOSes like 14/15 do/don't exist in parked ones (like iOS 9.x, 10.x and 12.x). And, if they do, it's not clear what their criteria are for backporting them. Yes, some are critical, really serious, being exploited in the wild and maybe some are 0-click exploitable but I'm not sure Apple's backporting fixes for them all. And, how far back are they willing to go?
I personally (except for testing at work) stop using and sell iOS devices if they're stuck and can't go to the latest major iOS version.
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I find that computers and devices continue to serve my needs long after they are able to download the latest OS versions. They still do exactly what they did before. Some apps will no longer update, but the old versions continue to do exactly what they did. I don't have the latest bells and whistles, but I usually don't like the new bells and whistles.
Once in a while a new application turns up that I want, or an app that's been around but that I didn't have starts to appeal to me. Then it's time to upgrade my device. I upgraded from a flip phone to a smartphone when I decided that I wanted Google Maps for navigation, to replace my heavy stand-alone GPS with its outdated maps. That was almost 6 years ago. My desktop computer still runs El Capitan, which is the latest OS version it will run, but it does everything I need, and I know I would not like the latest MaxOS.
The only reason I need the latest software is for some of my apps, they no longer work with the old software.
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