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Upgrade iPad iOS 5.1.1 to iOS 6

My iPad is the original first generation. The OS is iOS 5.1.1. How can I get it upgraded to iOS 6?

Posted on Jul 8, 2013 6:32 AM

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204 replies

Dec 12, 2013 8:00 AM in response to tytang

I have to say I do really like Apple products and my iPad 1 but that my Safari is crashing every third link bothers me quite a bit.

Today I finally tried to upgrade iOS to get a better Safari version but no luck (max 5.1 as I just learned), then I tried to get chrome (no luck needs iOS6). So now basically my iPad 1 became a brick, I cannot use new apps, I cannot not surf with it, maybe it's still a decent book reader (with a low resolution).


I'm not switching to Android but it will take me a bit before I forget this and buy the new iPad

Dec 14, 2013 10:08 PM in response to tytang

i love apple devices i have the 1gen ipad today was the first time my daughte went in to magic piano and it wont let her play till it gets up dated and it cant up date cause it uses ios 6.0 and up now but that is the only problem it has and i have had it for about 3.5 years. My wife family use to use android tablets and phones but got tired of having to replace them every year now the are apple users (cause my apples always out performed them ) the apple iphone 4 was the best phone ever i use to replace phones every year but now im going on 4 years same phone. Every electronics will have flaws and not last long, and you can not compare tablets to computer how ever minus the USB port the ipad air (which i own) is better than any computer i have ever had and apple has less viruses than any other computer now i need a mac computer but util i can aford it ill settle for my ipad air

Dec 22, 2013 2:51 PM in response to tytang

So this is Apples way of forcing us to buy the newest ipad when our old ones are working just fine except for the updates. The app developers have to keep up with Apple so its not their fault. Most of my apps on my 1st gen will not work now so it is basically useless eventhough it is in great condtion and has been taken care of. How long till my iphone 5 does the same thing? What a wastefull attitude from Apple.

I will not be forced to buy another one that wont last for more then a couple years. I'll stick with my laptop or buy a Surface.

Dec 25, 2013 9:36 AM in response to stedman1

I don't expect to play FIFA 14 on my iPad 1. However, I thought I would be able to at least surf the web and read books with it until it will eventually fall apart due to exhausted hardware parts.


The issue is that apparently web sites moved past the Safari version I can have on my iPad 1 or the Safari version is just too buggy. It dies about every 3rd link I'm trying to click on and I'm talking mainline sites like yahoo, times, etc.


So no surfing - which I could when I bought it, I have not tried iBooks recently but I fear for the worst now.


I may just have it to play the 10 games which I bought 3 years ago until I can play them without watching the screen.


Sorry, your reply really upset me a bit... maybe not your reply but Safari for iOS 5.1

Dec 27, 2013 2:39 PM in response to tytang

I've always been the "just in case" kinda gal, so I've always made copies of my iPad apps and stored them on an external drive. That way when I update an app and it doesn't work, I have the previous version to revert back to. It's been helpful in a few situations. Also, I've kept a copy of the previous iOS to be able to go back to, if/when needed.


As mentioned, Apple does let you install the latest apps that will work on your device. It's a good service. It just doesn't go back far enough sometimes. So, as mentioned above, keeping a copy of an older version of an app helps sometimes.


Someone asked why Apple and developers don't make their software and apps backwards compatible. Remember when Apple was making its iTunes for Mac backwards compatible and all the problems it had? That would happen again with iOS and it's apps. Do we really want that? The apps would be bigger too. Do we want that? Isn't it just easier to keep a copy of the apps and iOS you use until you figure out if the latest version works well?

Dec 28, 2013 11:39 AM in response to tytang

I have always wanted an Ipad, and having bought someones old Ipad i was happy being the price they are.


Rightly so he took of his personal data and left it at the bare minimum.


I started to download apps only to find that i cannot download them due the software being out of date and cannot upgrade.


After reading all the posts here I have come to the conculison I will not be buying any of apples products as they seem to be outdated in less than 3 years.


It may well be the apps companys fault on updates but apple should have a system in place where you can still download apps at the last update for any version that cannot be updated.


I think 5 years would be suffient as older versions would still be passed on then to other people.


Not being a techo geek i cannot see any difference on the main apps that are updated (i use android, because it is cheaper to buy) so to fork out £300 to £700 every 2 or years is A: a waste of money and B: I cannot afford it.

Dec 28, 2013 3:27 PM in response to stedman1

My answer is: Yes. My iPad no longer works for some of the purposes I bought it for.

I just had to cancel two e-magazine suscrptions because iOS 5.1 is no longer supported for its newest issues and its latest App update. I was having trouble downloading the latest issues so I thought of uninstalling the App and re-installing it fresh. Well, big mmistake, I can no longer download the **** thing because now it only downloads if I have iOS 6. I can no longer read my magazines which was an activity I enjoyed very much. What now?

Not cool Apple. NOT COOL. 😠

Dec 29, 2013 12:29 AM in response to Frank Neumann

I don't understand why I cannot install Kindle on my original iPad?? The forum suggests that when I try to install the current version, it will advise me that the current version is optimized for iOs 7 and offer a chance to download the last compatible version. None of that happens. I am advised that my current version of iOs 5.1.1 doesn't work with kindle and then I'm out of luck. This driver me crazy. I should be able to use my pad as an ebook reader, no Matt how old it it,...right?????? Help, please?

Dec 30, 2013 10:34 AM in response to Step4now

You'll need to first download the incompatible App version to a compatible device or a computer running iTunes so that the App is registered to your Apple ID under Purchased.


Once that is done, you can go back into the App Store in the older iPad and attempt to download it again. This should then prompt you to download the compatible version if one is available. Not all App developers have compatible versions of their Apps.

Upgrade iPad iOS 5.1.1 to iOS 6

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