i have an older ipad and need to update but it believes 5.1.1 is up to date

Your iPad is to old to upgrade:

See the chart below to determine whether you can upgrade your device and what you can upgrade to. If you do not have a Software Update option present on your iDevice, then you are trying to upgrade to iOS 5 or higher. You will have to connect your device to your computer and open iTunes in order to upgrade.

IPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad iOS Compatibility Chart

Device iOS Verson

iPhone 1 iOS 3.1.3

iPhone 3G iOS 4.2.1

iPhone 3GS iOS 6.1.x

iPhone 4 iOS 7.1.x

iPhone 4S iOS 8.x.x

iPhone 5 iOS 8.x.x

iPhone 5c iOS 8.x.x

iPhone 5s iOS 8.x.x

-------------------------------------------------------

iPod Touch 1 iOS 3.1.3

iPod Touch 2 iOS 4.2.1

iPod Touch 3 iOS 5.1.1

iPod Touch 4 iOS 6.1.x

iPod Touch 5 iOS 8.x.x

-------------------------------------------------------

iPad 1 iOS 5.1.1

iPad 2 iOS 8.x.x

iPad 3 iOS 8.x.x

iPad 4 iOS 8.x.x

iPad Mini & Mini Retina iOS 8.x.x

iPad Air iOS 8.x.x

=====================================

Select the method most appropriate for your situation.

Upgrading iOS

1. How to update your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch

2. iPhone Support

3. iPod Touch Support

4. iPad Support

a. Updating Your iOS from iOS 5

Tap Settings > General > Software Update

If an update is available there will be an active Update button. If you are current,

then you will see a gray screen with a message saying your are up to date.

b. If you are still using iOS 4 — Updating your device to iOS 5 or later.

c. Resolving update problems

1. iOS - Unable to update or restore

2. iOS- Resolving update and restore alert messages

If your iPad doesn't have a camera it's an iPad 1 and can't be updated beyond IOS 5.1.1.

Kappy and bobseufert have answered you.

I'm just curious about something ... I do not expect an answer. It's just something for you to consider.

Apple released iOS 6 in September, 2012. That was 2½ years ago. That was the first iOS version that your iPad was not capable of running.

So I wonder why it took this long for you to discover you could not update. Again, I don't expect an answer.

This questions has been asked so frequenyly that I have often wondered the same thing. My best quess is the OPs wanted to download an app that needs IOS 8.

I agree.

🙂

Easy solution, if your wife wants the March Madness app have her install it on her iPad 4, it only requires IOS 7.

If bobseufert's solution doesn't work for you, you might try to get an older version of the app for the original iPad as shown here:

Install the latest compatible version of an app on an earlier version of iOS or OS X - Apple Support