App updates for Retina Display - waste of disk space/memory for iPad 1?

[BobMcFish]

Hi

I've got an iPad 1 and most of my apps are advertising updates which mainly seem to be to support the retina display on the new iPad. Since they don't provide new functionality I tend to ignore them, but if they also provide bug fixes or additional functionality I want to update them. I wonder though, are they going to fill up my disk space with retina display stuff I can't use/don't need?

Cheers
Bob

 

[Midranger4]

Unfortunately neither the app store nor their many vendors have a mechanism in place to segregate retina specific updates from all other updates released by the vendor. This results in ipad1 and ipad2 owners being forced to take updates that in many cases are of no benefit to them while having to surrender the local storage space retina updates consume. Retina updates tend to increase the app size substantially primarily because it is the image files that have been regenerated in higher resolution so to utilize the retina display capabilities.

Micromanaging updates in an attempt to isolate retina only updates is probably going to become very cumbersome and eventually impossible when a vendor releases an update that improves functionality, addresses a bug, or adds content along with retina changes.

I understand your frustration considering local storage on the iPad (especially 16GB models) is so valuable. The only suggestion I could offer is to remove an app or two that is using a large amount of disk space from your iPad. You can always reinstall any app you previously purchased then subsequently deleted right from the app store or from performing a selective sync if all apps updates are current in your iTunes library on your PC that you attach your iPad to.

Yes it is inconvenient and I agree Apple should have implemented a way for retina updates to only target retina ready iPads.

 

[BobMcFish]

Hi Midranger


What a brilliantly succinct response. Thanks for taking the time to reply. You've confirmed my belief that the retina component of any update is going to have an unfavourable impact on my iPad's available space. I think that your advice to be selective regarding my apps is great advice indeed and I will follow that because it is really the only option I have left to me. Eventually I want to upgrade to a later iPad and as with all technology, obsolescence will eventually force that. Unfortunately, Apple's rate of innovation and evolution accelerate that more rapidly than most

Thanks again for your help
Cheers
Bob

 

[Midranger4]

Hi Midranger

What a brilliantly succinct response. Thanks for taking the time to reply. You've confirmed my belief that the retina component of any update is going to have an unfavourable impact on my iPad's available space. I think that your advice to be selective regarding my apps is great advice indeed and I will follow that because it is really the only option I have left to me. Eventually I want to upgrade to a later iPad and as with all technology, obsolescence will eventually force that. Unfortunately, Apple's rate of innovation and evolution accelerate that more rapidly than most

Thanks again for your help
Cheers
Bob

I believe the failure to segregate retina updates to retina ready iPads also leaves ipad1 and ipad2 users little choice but to evaluate their current and future storage needs. This in a fair number of cases will result in what you elude to which is an upgrade to the new iPad. One of the many benefits of a proprietary hardware and software environment. Apple stands to lose nothing and gain additional sales from owners of ipad1 and ipad2 models they initially had no desire to upgrade.

Personally I had planned to make the jump from first generation to current so wasn't bit by this. However I did go from 64GB on my ipad1 to 32GB on my new iPad and I have around a hundred or so apps, many of which are games that doubled in size when the retina updates were pushed out. I'm sitting at about sixty percent utilized so I'm comfortable with the amount of open storage I have available. Fortunately I've learned to leverage home sharing and iCloud to reduce my storage needs on my new iPad. I used to keep a copy of my entire music library on my iPad....no more though.

Have a good one.

 

[Tuttle]

I just bought a new iPad and still have my original iPad. A side-by-side comparison shows the new one to be much faster. Granted, that might be due to the faster processor, but I had been noticing a slowing down of the performance with each os upgrade.

Bottom line: I intend to be very cautious about updating the os in the future. As long as my iPad does the things I bought it for, why change. Of course, the newer apps always seduce one away from this position!

 

[Maryannewatson]

Hi

I've got an iPad 1 and most of my apps are advertising updates which mainly seem to be to support the retina display on the new iPad. Since they don't provide new functionality I tend to ignore them, but if they also provide bug fixes or additional functionality I want to update them. I wonder though, are they going to fill up my disk space with retina display stuff I can't use/don't need?

Cheers
Bob

Sent from my iPad using iPF