The experiment is over. Now the actual, everyday use has begun.

As I’m sure you remember, one month ago I received a very nice gift from David: a first-generation iPad. After ten days spent customising it, downloading old versions of apps I had already purchased to see which still worked, and even looking for new ones that had been on the App Store long enough to have an old version still running under iOS 5, I wrote an extended overview and report about my experience.

If you don’t want to read it in full — though I suggest you take a gander at least at the screenshots and at the section titled Interface considerations — the gist of it is more or less this paragraph towards the conclusion:

In short — this iPad 1 has turned out to be more useful than anticipated, also thanks to the careful app setup I’ve assembled. On a personal level, the fact that I can go back and enjoy certain apps I had been missing (such as Posts, the WordPress client) makes the iPad 1 possibly more useful than my iPad 3 in certain areas.

When I say I love to put older devices to good use, I mean it. It typically isn’t the kind of short-lived experiment of other ‘throwback reviews’ or ‘retro reviews’ we’ve all happened to read or watch on YouTube. When I do a similar experiment — especially if I have the luck of getting a device that fascinates me for some reason — I tend to spend more time with the device, trying to make it work at its best, putting it through its paces to evaluate its behaviour under regular, daily usage (which I find a better indicator of a device’s usefulness than its pure performance measured in benchmark scores). 

And again, I’ve been definitely impressed by the iPad 1’s overall performance — or rather, usefulness — as I brought it with me out and about these past weeks. My early findings have been repeatedly confirmed when using the iPad 1 as my daily driver. It is indeed more responsive than my third-generation iPad with iOS 9.3.5. Animations, transitions, going in and out of apps, even the banal orientation change from portrait to landscape and vice-versa was smoother than on the iPad 3. When typing inside an app with either the virtual keyboard or the external keyboard, I didn’t generally notice any significant lag. There was lag, here and there, mind you, but it was nothing compared to the frequency and the degree of annoyance it has been happening on the iPad 3 under iOS 9, and as iOS apps have become more optimised for faster devices.

When I started using the iPad 1 after it arrived, I assumed that I would be disappointed by four main factors:

1. CPU — I don’t own many faster iOS devices to make a comparison. The fastest for now is my iPhone 5, with a dual-core A6 chip at 1.3 GHz. The iPad 1 has a single-core A4 at 1 GHz, two generations older. I thought: It’s going to be slow.
2. Memory — The iPad 1 has only 256 MB of RAM. I thought that it would cause the iPad to choke often, with apps shutting down, and with a laughable multitasking experience.
3. Non-retina display — I remember wanting an iPad since the day it was introduced, but patiently waiting two generations before getting one because I wanted a retina display. The iPhone 4 made such a positive impact on my eyesight when I upgraded from an iPhone 3G, that I honestly didn’t want anything to do with non-retina displays from that moment on, as far as iOS devices were concerned.
4. Another non-trivial thing was the software. Eight years and six iOS releases have passed since what an iPad 1 can offer. I was pretty sure the software landscape would be a graveyard.

As I said in my original article, after a few days of use I was rather astonished to realise that those fears were unfounded. CPU performance has been great so far. The iPad 1 has handled every task I’ve thrown at it. Only in a couple of situations I’ve noticed I was pushing a bit, but the iPad 1 handled difficulty more gracefully than my more recent iPad 3, whose favourite sport in similar circumstances is self-rebooting. Same with the RAM. Sure, when switching from an app to another and back, apps have to reload content basically all the time; but, as I explained previously:

[G]iven the small amount of RAM, when switching from an app to another the iPad 1 had to reload more content than the iPad 2 and iPad 3, but somehow it was also faster at doing so; while my iPad 3 was quicker at presenting me an app’s state when returning to it, I also had to wait a bit before the app was actually ready to accept taps and interactions. This creates a frustratingly stuttering pace when multitasking. On the iPad 1, such transition felt more organic and homogeneous, for lack of a better term.

Again, I expected to be more bothered by the non-retina display, but as I said in my previous piece, this too ended up being a non-issue. And I’m quite sure the æsthetics of the pre-iOS 7 user interface help a lot in making the low-density 1024×768 iPad 1 display feel more tolerable. iOS 5’s UI elements and typography are clearly optimised for non-retina displays, while anything past iOS 7 on the iPad 2 with the same display clearly isn’t.

As for software, well, you can take a look at the extensive list I’ve assembled in my other article. It definitely helps having started early in the iOS ecosystem, because you may be able to install certain apps that have been later removed from the App Store and that now only live in your iTunes library (I’m on iTunes 12.6.3, so I can still use it to manage iOS apps, of course). Another trick I’ve discovered recently is this:

If you are attempting to download the app for the first time, the App Store will not offer the download of an older version. You must already own the app for the older version to be offered (see [below] for iOS devices if you don’t). 

NOTE: The following will only work in iTunes versions prior to 12.7, as later versions do not have an iOS App Store section. To check your version, go to File > About iTunes (Windows) or iTunes > About iTunes (Mac).

If you do not already own the app, one workaround is to purchase/download the app from the iTunes Store on a Mac or PC using the same Apple ID you are using on your iOS device. The app will then be associated with your account and you should then be offered an older version if you attempt to download the app again on the iOS device. Do not try to install the copy downloaded in iTunes, as it is the newer, incompatible version. That step is only necessary to attain ownership of the app. You will need to access the App Store on your iOS device to be offered a compatible version.

[Source]

And if you can’t use iTunes on your computer, an alternative is to purchase/download the app on a more recent iOS device first, then go to the App Store app on the older device, enter the Purchased section, and install the app from there. If all goes well, you should be offered to install an older version.

Assembling a good and extensive-enough set of apps on my iPad 1 took some time and a bit of patience, required by the trial-and-error process, but the end result was not disappointing. Naturally, you have to expect a certain lack of variety in some departments (for example, I searched in vain for a third-party email client that could work under iOS 5, but Apple’s Mail works well after all), but at the moment my iPad 1 has a total of 77 third-party working apps installed, and it’s still a surprisingly capable tool for several tasks. Browsing the Web, managing email, editing photos, exchanging documents (thankfully Dropbox, Box, CloudApp, and Simplenote’s sync services still work — iCloud too, of course), viewing and editing PDFs, listening to music in Spotify, listening to podcasts and Internet radio stations, watching videos, checking the weather, writing (including publishing blog posts directly), drawing and painting, taking handwritten notes, managing calendars and to-do lists, reading my RSS feeds and the news, using the iPad as a remote trackpad/keyboard (so glad I still had an older version of Edovia’s TouchPad) or to connect via SSH to another computer or server, playing some casual games, making music (and using it in combination with the iPad 3 has been quite fun — with Propellerhead’s Figure open on one iPad, and GarageBand on the other)… 

My iPad 3 has still the advantage of the retina display, and the selection of working/available apps is much wider. If I want to edit and retouch photos, on the iPad 3 I have an entire screen of apps to choose from (and more). But as crazy as it may sound, I’m finding the iPad 1 more appealing simply because iOS 5 runs better on it than iOS 9 does on the iPad 3. I know I said it a few times already, but it’s really the case where you can see how a well-designed operating system software can make the hardware shine — and this is iOS 5 on the iPad 1 — or can make the hardware show its limits and age at every turn — and this is iOS 9 on the iPad 2 and iPad 3. I noticed this in the responsiveness and memory departments, especially. Using apps under iOS 5 on the iPad 1 I often thought, Wow, it’s amazing how well it’s handling everything considering the iPad has only 256 MB of RAM. While lately, using apps under iOS 9 on the iPad 3, I often feel as if the 1 GB of onboard RAM is never enough.

Full disclosure: some apps on the iPad 1 did seem to use all the RAM they could, and when switching to other apps, I noticed a brief moment when the iPad was getting its bearings, so to speak; but the occasional procedure to free up RAM (press and hold the power button until the Slide to Power Off screen appears, then press and hold the Home button until such screen is dismissed) seemed to work its magic. And again, emphasis on ‘occasional’.

An aside on planned obsolescence

When you’re trying to use an older device today, especially one whose app ecosystem updates at a breakneck pace like iOS, you soon realise that in certain cases it’s not the hardware what really makes the device obsolete, but the software. In Ten days with the first-generation iPad, I wrote:

This iPad 1 is definitely slower and can’t keep up where processor-intensive operations are required, no doubt, but the biggest blow to its usefulness today comes more from the dropped software and services support.

Now, I can understand dropping support of older hardware or older OS versions when there are objective, technical reasons to do so. A service may need higher system requirements to keep running securely and protect your data in transit, for example. An app may have been updated to provide new functionalities that only a better processor or graphics chip can handle. You get the idea. What I don’t understand is making an app cease to function from one day to another for no real reason. The device is clearly capable of running that app; then one day the developer or the service provider decide to make the app stop working with just a vague message along the lines of, You’re using an older version of the app. You need to upgrade. Why, exactly?

I’m looking at you, YouTube, eBay, and iMDB. These have all one thing in common: they are essentially containers. They fetch the same content you can access through their websites using a browser. The advantage is that the native app usually offers a more comfortable experience where everything is at your fingertips and you can perform searches and other actions more quickly and efficiently. I’m not aware of recent major changes in how these providers deliver their content, and yet this is what’s happening and my related observations: 

• The eBay app has stopped working under iOS 7 and earlier. When you launch it, a modal dialog appears that says: Update required. This version has expired. Please update your app now. The only choices are Exit and Update. If you tap Update, you’re directed to the App Store, but you can’t update, of course, because you’re running the last compatible version of the app on your iOS 7 or iOS 6 (or earlier) device.
• The iMDB app doesn’t work anymore under iOS 6 and earlier. When you launch it, you only see a skeleton of the various sections, but no content at all. When you try to search something, a dialog appears: Network Error. We couldn’t connect to iMDB right now. Please try again. The only choices are OK and Retry. Retrying, of course, does nothing. I know what you’re thinking because that’s what I thought at first — iMDB has changed something in the connection between app and service. Maybe there are different internal servers, and older versions of the app simply can’t know how to find them and just ping the old addresses. But then why does the iMDB app still work under iOS 7? Sure, iOS 7 is running a newer version of the app, but the point is: the iMDB app has been running fine on both iOS 6 and 7 until sometime recently. Then it stopped working under iOS 6 and there hasn’t been an update released for iOS 7 to make the app keep working.
• The YouTube official client was working fine under iOS 5 until a few days ago. Then, overnight, stopped working. Again, one wonders why an app that’s still perfectly capable of playing videos suddenly cannot play them anymore. When I vented my frustration on Twitter, Angelo came to my aid suggesting a smart little hack you can perform to make the app work again. It basically involves spoofing the app version number from 1.3.x to something greater than or equal to 9.x.x. It would appear that the app version number is checked at launch, and if it’s too old, then the app doesn’t work. And in fact, as soon as I was done with the hack, the app got back to working exactly like before.

My suspicion is that there’s a similar app version check involved with eBay and iMDB as well. That older versions of an app are simply considered obsolete and are made to stop working, even without a real technical reason. It’s simply absurd that my fourth-generation iPod touch — which runs on the same processor as my iPhone 4 — can’t display iMDB content in the app just because it’s running iOS 6.1.6 instead of iOS 7.1.2, but the same content can be accessed and viewed in the browser on the same iPod. And as for eBay — funny how the app can’t be launched or used anymore on iOS 6 and iOS 7, but its push notifications still work perfectly.

It’s planned obsolescence, pure and simple. What drives me crazy about these particular examples is the arbitrariness of it all. The iPad 1 is still absolutely capable of handling YouTube videos, and yet YouTube doesn’t want you to use the site through the app if you’re doing it with an older device. And the excuse of not delivering the best experience is misplaced. You’re using an old iPad: you know you’re not looking at the best experience — but if that’s all you have, you’d like to keep that experience, however limited, rather than suddenly finding yourself with a non-functional app. 

Closing thoughts

Hopefully I’ll soon purchase a 6th-generation iPad, so I’ll have a more up-to-date, and certainly much more powerful and responsive iPad. In the meantime I’m truly enjoying taking this iPad 1 out and about as a ‘road warrior’. I’ve even managed to find a couple of nice accessories for it. The first, as you can see in the opening photo, is a Bluetooth keyboard. Specifically, it’s the Logitech iPad Keyboard and Stand Combo (you can see it in more detail on Amazon). I was looking for solutions that weren’t tied to a particular iPad model but that were also compatible with the iPad 1 (I had read somewhere that not all Bluetooth keyboards would work with the iPad 1). This Logitech came out when the iPad 1 was in production, so it’s of the appropriate vintage; it’s elegant and rugged enough; it’s pleasant to type on; it has a few nice dedicated keys (Home, Search, media keys, even a key to lock the screen without reaching for the power/sleep/wake button on the iPad); and it can be used, together with its accompanying stand, with other iOS devices as well. I got it new-in-box on eBay for $20 plus shipping. Not bad.

The other accessory was, surprisingly, harder to find than expected. At least locally. As a general rule, I give precedence to local, brick-and-mortar shops when I want to buy something. Sometimes it’s cheaper online, but once you add the shipping costs, what started as a bargain isn’t anymore. I wanted to get a protective sleeve for the iPad 1. You know, a simple neoprene zippered affair not dissimilar from what you’d buy for a MacBook. And it was nowhere to be found. Granted, I didn’t roam the city for days trying every possible shop, but went to the usual places that had never let me down before, which typically provide a lot of variety with this kind of accessories. Apparently, the trend today in iPad cases is either the case with integrated keyboard or a type of case derived from Apple’s Smart Cover, with one side enveloping the iPad, and the cover folding onto itself so that it acts like a stand. It’s a practical design, but not what I was looking for.

So I first checked old product reviews in tech magazines I translated back in 2011–2012, and that’s when I remembered that Booq used to make nice bags and cases to carry tech devices around. Sadly, when it comes to protective cases and sleeves, it seems that today Booq is more focused on covering laptop computers; but after being directed to their European site and checking the Sales section, I found what I was looking for: the Taipan Spacesuit XS, selling at a discounted price of €10 instead of €30. I quickly placed an order for the red variant, and after a few days it arrived. It’s really beautiful and well made:

Like the Logitech keyboard, this sleeve was originally made when the iPad 1 was in production, so it safely accommodates its thicker size. I’m glad I could find accessories that were specifically designed for the iPad 1 without having to resort to used products. And without having to spend a lot of money.

You may find my fascination with this ‘old’ iPad a bit silly. And I’ve noticed how it’s somewhat okay to be into vintage Macs but being into older iOS devices makes people smile that kind of condescending “Dude, what’s the point?” smile. People obsessed with the latest and greatest often forget that just because a device stops receiving OS or app updates, it doesn’t mean it stops working or being useful. 

The eye-opening aspect of going back to this first-generation iPad has been this: given a set of still-functioning apps, this iPad can still carry out all the tasks it was created for, with surprising responsiveness. Of course a current iPad is better, and if you’re a fan of the flat design introduced with iOS 7, a current iPad will also have better-looking software, not to mention more system features, et cetera. But this iPad 1 really turned out to be less slow and sluggish than anticipated; again, thanks to its tight integration between iOS 5 and the iPad’s hardware. I remember many people being upset back then when iOS 6 came out and Apple decided the iPad 1 couldn’t go past iOS 5.1.1. With hindsight, it was probably a good decision. Because if anything, during the past month the iPad 1 has shown me how slow and sluggish my iPad 3 actually is, in comparison, and how demanding iOS 9 is for both the iPad 2 and iPad 3.

Finally, I’m grateful to all those iOS developers who haven’t retired older versions of their apps from the App Store, and to those who haven’t removed their old apps even when it’s clear their development stopped years ago. Kudos also to those developers who, after introducing a paid update to their apps, have decided to keep the old version around as a separate ‘legacy’ app. I wish more developers did this — they’d certainly make owners of older devices very happy.

A useful approach to carry out my extensive search for older, compatible apps, has been to read old app reviews (thanks again, appstorm.net!) and it’s been a bit sad to realise just how many good apps have vanished from the App Store. In a few cases, I even managed to contact the developer and ask whether it was possible for them to send me the old .ipa file, but apparently it’s not that easy.

Anyway, this is getting much too verbose. I reiterate every word I wrote when wrapping up my previous piece: setting up this iPad 1 to work as a daily driver today, eight years after its introduction, has been a fun and oddly rewarding experience. Despite its obvious limitations and dated hardware specs, the iPad 1 has demonstrated a degree of usefulness that exceeded all my expectations. And once again I’ve been reminded that, sometimes, obsolete is just a label that is slapped on a product out of convenience, and it doesn’t mean that such product has suddenly stopped being useful.