Connect with us

Apple

iOS 7.0.6 for iPad Air Review

Published

on

The iOS 7.0.6 update for iPhone and iPad has been out for about a week now which means that it’s time to revisit Apple’s latest iOS 7 update, the update that surprised a lot of people when it arrived ahead of the highly anticipated iOS 7.1 release.

Back in November, Apple pushed out iOS 7.0.4, an update that received mixed reviews amongst iPhone and iPad owners. On one side you had iPhone and iPad owners like myself who didn’t experience any major issues with Apple’s fourth iOS 7 update. I did experience some lag with my iPad 3 but the software performed well on my iPad Air.

On the other side, you had iPhone and iPad owners dealing with a number of issues including broken Wi-Fi and in the case of my colleague Warner Crocker, random reboots.

Those experiencing issues in iOS 7.0.6 unsurprisingly took to social media and Apple forums to express their frustration and plead with Apple for an upgrade to iOS 7.1.

iOS 7.1 entered Apple’s beta program right around the time iOS 7.0.4 touched down and many believed that it would be the next update for the iPhone and iPad. Unfortunately, iOS 7.1 and its many enhancements and bug fixes remains in the beta process, with a public release rumored for next month.

iPad Air

Instead of iOS 7.1, iPhone and iPad users are now on iOS 7.0.6, a brand new update that patches up a major security hole inside the iOS operating system.

I installed the update immediately after its arrival late last week and have been using it every day on my iPhone and iPad Air. I’ve already revisited iOS 7.0.6 on the iPhone and now it’s time to take another look at how the iOS 7.0.6 update is performing on the iPad Air, a week after its release for iPhones and iPad across the globe.

iOS 7.1 Performance

For those reading one of these reviews for the first time, here’s how I do it. These incremental iOS updates are small which means that there typically aren’t any big additions. They fix bugs and often times, bring bugs of their own. That said, I tend to focus on five key areas when reviewing an update like iOS 7.0.6. Here are the big questions I ask of these updates:

  • Do my apps work?
  • How is my battery life?
  • Are there any major bugs?
  • How’s Wi-Fi, 4G LTE and 4G?
  • And finally, is my phone still fast?

Here are my answers to those questions.

Apps

The lifeblood of the iPad is its software. iOS, yes, but also the applications that populate it. I use a number of iPad applications on a daily basis but because this is meant to be a wide sweeping review, I’ll focus on some of the more popular ones.

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google Chrome, Spotify, YouTube, and Netflix. Those are some of my most used applications and they are applications that other iPad Air owners probably use on a regular basis as well. All of them, fortunately, are working well inside of iOS 7.0.6.

As I noted in my iOS 7 experience on the iPad 3, I ran into some issues with Netflix after installing the update back in September. Things gradually improved over time but the experience still wasn’t stable. On the iPad Air, I haven’t seen any of the locking up or the freezing. It’s an extremely smooth experience.

iPad-Air-Review-13-620x413

I’m seeing similar inside of iOS 7.0.6. For my core third-party applications, it’s business as usual. Apple’s applications also seem to be performing as intended. I tend to use Maps, Photos, and Mail the most and all three of them have been performing admirably.

My hope is that developers can offer the same kind of experience inside iOS 7.1. I dread these larger updates because they often break applications but I think the beta process should make for a pretty smooth transition. Only time will tell.

iOS 7.0.6 Battery Life

One of my favorite iPad features is its battery life. One of the things I hate about my smartphone is that I am constantly looking at the battery. I never have to do that with the iPad. I play games, watch a flick, write some email, and browse the web and I never find myself looking at the battery meter. Apple has instilled that confidence in me.

Of course I, like many others, am always leery of incremental iOS updates. I’ve heard and see the complaints and I know that these updates can often wreck havoc on the battery life of iPhones and iPads.

I believe I’ve come out unscathed after iOS 7.0.6. The iPad Air isn’t showing any signs of abnormal battery drain and it’s able to hold down its usual charge. I even made sure that the device is still charging as fast as it does normally.

Those who are dealing with battery drain or another problem probably want to take a look at our iOS 7 battery life tips and tricks. Often times, a setting change can make a world of difference.

Bugs

Every time Apple updates iOS, iPhone and iPad owners run into problems. It’s a fact of life. After the arrival of iOS 7.0.6, my inbox immediately saw an influx of complaints about the new software and over the past week, I’ve heard from a number of iPhone and iPad owners about a wide range of issues.

iPad Air Review -  2

Most recently, an iPad owner wrote into tell me that he is no longer to close applications through the multitasking screen. Double tapping the home button apparently doesn’t work for him anymore. That’s a pretty serious issue and there is, at the moment, no way to fix it. A hard reset could work but that’s a last resort.

Point is, there seem to be some bugs inside iOS 7.0.6. But if there are, I haven’t seen any. That goes for smaller issues and hero level bugs that require immediate fixes. I haven’t seen anything out of the ordinary and iOS 7.0.6 seems to be extremely stable on the iPad Air.

Connectivity

I don’t own a 4G LTE version of the iPad Air so I can’t speak to cellular connectivity. However, I can say that my Wi-Fi connectivity has been par for the course after installing Apple’s latest iOS 7 update.

I’ve heard from a number of iPhone and iPad owners who say that their Wi-Fi simply stopped working after installing iOS 7. It appears that iOS 7.0.6 has had the same effect on some people as well. These people probably aren’t lying but I’m not either. I’ve been getting fantastic download and upload speeds and I don’t expect that to change.

Speed

While I had major lag issues with iOS 7 on the iPad 3, the update is a lot better on the iPad Air. To be expected given that the iPad Air is equipped with the latest hardware including a 64-bit processor.

That said, I’m always nervous about these incremental updates because there is no telling how they might impact the overall speed of the software. One of the final iOS 6 updates for my iPhone 3GS basically turned it into a giant paperweight. It was that sluggish.

iPad Air Review -  11

iOS 7.0.6 for the iPad Air is not sluggish. It’s fast, fluid and dependable. Opening apps is quick and opening folders isn’t clunky. iOS 7.1 is bringing performance enhancements along with it so it will be interesting to see how it impacts performance. It’s hard to imagine it being any faster than it already is but I suppose there is always room for improvement.

Why You Should Install iOS 7.0.6 Right Now

After spending a week with iOS 7.0.6, I’ve answered all five of my usual questions. Yes, apps are working properly. Yes, battery life is stable. No, I haven’t discovered any hero level bugs. Yes, connectivity is solid. And yes, the software on my iPad Air is extremely fast.

I understand that’s probably not going to be enough to convince some iPad owners, especially those that have been burned by incremental updates in the past. This, on the other hand, should convince just about everyone to install it.

Remember the security vulnerability that Apple nonchalantly mentioned in the iOS 7.0.6 change log? Yeah, it’s a major issue and one that puts iPad and iPhone owners at risk.

Those who use public Wi-Fi networks and don’t want their passwords and credit card information stolen probably want to install iOS 7.0.6 right now. It’s the smart thing to do.

9 Comments

9 Comments

  1. Kristen Hilty

    03/01/2014 at 8:18 am

    After my iPad air automatically installed the update (I had chosen not to update, but it did it anyway!), my air went back to factory state. I lost everything! And now it’s downloaded the 7.0.6 update again and is asking me to install again! I’ve now turned off automatic download of updates, but I’m not sure how to disable the download that is lurking now. How do I ensure it doesn’t install on its own like last time?

  2. Karen

    03/01/2014 at 10:10 am

    Last Sunday I was prompted to update software t o 7.0.6 and it completely crashed my ipad air couldn’t turn it on. Black screen. I’ve now got a replacement ipad as it was only a month old and am being prompted again to download it. What should I do?

  3. Andy

    03/01/2014 at 10:23 am

    Go ahead and download. It does not seem like very many folks have had problems with this download.

  4. Rich

    03/01/2014 at 1:06 pm

    I also have had connectivity problems. My accounts stopped working and now I cannot get my mail over wifi. Gmail does not work.

  5. J. W.

    03/01/2014 at 4:12 pm

    To close apps on iOS 7.0.6, double-tap Home button as usual but swipe upwards on the screen ABOVE each icon – not the icon itself) to close them all.

  6. Garrett C

    03/02/2014 at 8:35 am

    Reminders is completely screwed up on my ipad2, it happened when I upgraded to 7.0.6. It has one default list and won’t accept new ones. If I search it can find old lists, but I know no way to display them. Very very irritating, I use the reminders app constantly and would be enraged if that data is lost. I backed up recently, but since the interface is useless there is not much I can do. I tried a reboot, no change. Arggggggghhhhh

  7. Tee

    03/03/2014 at 10:59 am

    The last update wiped my ipad clean. I lost all photos notes everything. I do not want to lose everything agan. Too nervous to update.

  8. Cynthia

    03/14/2014 at 1:31 am

    The last update on my Ipad 2 total crashed my ipad. My ibooks and mail totally crashed. I can’t afford to loss those information. Apple should please find something to do about this.

  9. Vicki Schilling

    12/19/2015 at 2:06 pm

    Some of my iPad Air programs are not functioning correctly. Word and Evernote particularly. They will not open a new page at all. Does anyone know how to fix this?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.