[beeman]

But what makes it obsolete if this is what you use it for?

[kennywinker]

1. No more security updates means using it is deeply risky 2. A closed ecosystem and App store bitrot combine to make installing anything new on it next to impossible. So, while it may be still useful as a pdf reader, it’s no longer useful as a general purpose computing device - but it COULD be if it was supported.

Make no mistake - most of these devices won’t be used as pdf readers - they will end up in the landfill. This is part of the business model, and we + the environment pay for it.

[sneak]

Using a Mac without the App Store is simple; it’s not an iPad.

I have 7 Macs that I use to operate 3 businesses (and 2 more by way of consulting); precisely none of them use the App Store.

[Schiendelman]

What do you mean, "no more security updates"?

[thisislife2]

It's the only thing he can use it for because of planned obsolescence.

[bmacho]

Apple forbids everyone to put a newer SSL library on it, so it can't be used on networks. I think this is outrageous, to have a great piece of hardware, and not being able to use it.

[nsonha]

When I still had my iPad 2 a few year back, I could not find any app that still run on it except for a few games for my cat. After that it became his iPad.

[cubefox]

A cat with its own iPad to play games on. I guess I shouldn't be surprised.

[ricardobeat]

iPad 2 was released in 2011, "a few years back" is an entire decade. It received its last OS update in 2019, eight years later, which is not bad at all. Picture trying to use a PC from 1994 in the year 2008.