People are keeping iPads for longer than ever, report shows

If you're picking up a new M4 iPad Pro or a new M2 iPad Air, the chances are good that you intend to keep it for at least three years. That's what we're learning after a new report was published on the amount of time people like to keep their tablets.

The CIRP report looked at how often people choose to upgrade their iPad and the figures suggest that people are now keeping their tablets for longer than ever. The stats show that the largest group of people, around 40% of them, said that they hold on to their iPads for three years or more which is a notable increase over previous years. The group that keeps their iPad for between two and three years has also increased and is not 25%.

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Finally, the future for those who keep an iPad for just one or two years is now also 25% while only 10% of people keep an iPad for less than a single year, as you might expect.

The report also suggests that people tend to keep their tablets until they break or their battery no longer holds a sufficient charge. A need for more storage is also seen as a key upgrade driver for iPad owners, the CIRP report suggests.

As for why people are choosing to keep their tablets for longer, it's difficult to say. One potential reason is that iPads are now lasting for longer periods before they need to be replaced. They're more durable and the chips used in modern iPads are so fast it's unlikely that users will need to upgrade due to a lack of performance. One other potential reason is that Apple no longer updates the iPad all that often. There were no new iPads at all in 2023, a first for the company, while some tablets can go years between updates regardless. The iPad mini, last updated in 2021, isn't expected to be refreshed until the end of 2024 at the earliest. If you're an iPad mini owner who likes that form factor, there is no reason to upgrade your tablet until that new model arrives.

Apple will of course hope that the new, larger 13-inch iPad Air will give people a reason to choose to upgrade their tablet soon, while the OLED iPad Pro with a superfast M4 chip will also offer professionals a good reason to upgrade their tablet to the new model, too. Both the new iPad Pro and iPad Air are both available as of today.