Apple's iOS 12 saved my old iPad mini
Until yesterday, I was thinking of turning my old iPad mini 2 into a digital photo frame. The tablet worked, but it was painfully slow. Launching an app always had an unacceptable lag, and any serious multitasking was near-impossible.
Then I updated it from iOS 11 to iOS 12, and suddenly the little guy was nearly as good as new.
SEE ALSO:Here's how to update your iPhone or iPad to iOS 12I did not expect this, despite Apple's claims that iOS 12 increases performance on its devices. The company says the same thing for every major release, but the differences have historically been negligible. In some cases, the iPad got slower after updating — but not this time.
I also updated my iPhone X to the iOS 12 beta a few weeks ago, and I haven't seen any major performance improvements. But the iPhone X, which came out last year, was fast to begin with; the iPad mini 2 is five years old.
Don't get me wrong: My iPad mini 2 isn't nearly as fast or fluid as a brand new iPad, especially the Pro. And not everything is perfect; firing up my favorite writing app Ulysses takes more than 10 seconds on the first go (it was considerably faster the second time around, but still slower than I would've liked).
But at least my iPad mini doesn't stutter as I swipe on the main screen. At least I don't have to constantly fear my apps are going to crash. Because that's been the case for the past year or so.
Perhaps all these improvements were only in my head -- or specific to my particular iPad. But judging by what I've heard from friends and colleagues who updated their old iPhones and iPads to iOS 12, as well as this quick Twitter poll (below), most people feel the same.
Tweet may have been deleted
For some hard data on performance improvements between an iPad mini 2 and older iPhones on iOS 11.4.1 and iOS 12, check out Ars Technica's excellent comparison. I'm not sure those figures tell the whole story, though. More important, to me, is my overall experience while using the device, and it has simply been a lot better -- more fluid, more responsive, far less stuttering.
I also have to commend Apple for even including the iPad mini 2 in this update. In fact, iOS 12 is available for all devices that run iOS 11; not one of them was left behind. The iPhone 5S and the iPad mini 2 came out in 2013. Five years of support (and counting) is the type of commitment that's expected for premium gadgets like these, and Apple delivered.
All the iOS 11-compatible devices can run iOS 12.Credit: Apple, Stan SchroederThis has not always been the case. Apple launched iOS 10 in 2016, and the original iPad mini -- then a four-year-old device -- was not supported. And from my experience, none of the major iOS updates significantly improved performance on iPhones, iPad or iPods, new or old.
The official release of iOS 12 is, thus, a big step in the right direction. It doesn't bring a ton of flashy new features, but, perhaps for the first time, it improves old iOS devices by a significant margin, and this is something a lot of users will appreciate.
Featured Video For You
You can own a fully functional vintage Apple-1 computer — but it'll cost you
-
“新丰味”喜获中国首届县域品牌擂台赛十大营销创新品牌Mbappe on target in PSG win5 essential Zoom hacks to improve your virtual hangoutsOpposition party apologizes over incorrect campaign accusations夏凤俭与四川建安工业有限责任公司董事长耿海波座谈Apple WWDC 2017: What to expectMoon's envoys arrive in Pyongyang; talks with N. Korean officials under wayThe FBI says now is a great time to download its home fitness appGoogle is bringing AI summaries to ‘Files’ so you can find your docs quicker别让液化气罐变成炸弹
下一篇:Apple finally sends out payments for MacBook's butterfly keyboard settlement
- ·The Techies Who Lunch
- ·‘The referee did well’: Ancelotti slams decisions
- ·Man Utd say 'big goodbye' to Bobby Charlton
- ·8 things Trump said about the Paris Climate Agreement that are total BS
- ·9 Festive Holiday Treats and Where to Find Them
- ·Elon Musk is apparently obsessed with Nathan Fielder and the 'Rick and Morty' guys
- ·宝兴县“快乐英语学堂”开班啦!
- ·Clampdown on E
- ·Keurig K Mini deal — get $30 off at Target
- ·North Korea goes all out to boost tourism
- ·Tim Cook: 'Climate change is real and we all share a responsibility to fight it'
- ·Volkswagen converted its iconic 1960s bus into an electric concept car to distract us all
- ·Webb scientists haven't found a rocky world with air. But now they have a plan.
- ·How an ancient methane 'blow
- ·快评丨“去谁家过年”不该成为夫妻感情的绊脚石
- ·Elon Musk is apparently obsessed with Nathan Fielder and the 'Rick and Morty' guys
- ·South Korean lawmakers brace for US election as Harris, Trump diverge on North Korea
- ·'Siri, how do I know if I have the coronavirus?' Apple launches tools for COVID
- ·Bruce Willis did not sign rights for deepfakes to replace him in future films and advertisements
- ·'Siri, how do I know if I have the coronavirus?' Apple launches tools for COVID
- ·Against All Odds: How Netflix Made It
- ·Mbappe on target in PSG win
- ·听取两院工作情况通报
- ·Chloë Grace Moretz 'appalled' by new movie's fat
- ·The Measurers
- ·Mbappe on target in PSG win
- ·10 Big Misconceptions About Computer Hardware
- ·Brooksby banned for 18 months
- ·Chloë Grace Moretz 'appalled' by new movie's fat
- ·殚精竭虑破命案 千里缉凶凯旋归
- ·NASA's new plan keeps Starliner astronauts in space until 2025
- ·N. Korea smuggles tobacco products
- ·Fifty wins ‘incredible’: Verstappen
- ·雅安预团圆满完成“2011—铁拳行动”战备演练
- ·The Weird, Wonderful World of Water Towers
- ·Putin hopes for early summit with Kim: Pyongyang media