Castanet

I own several IOS devices. My iPad is several years old and I have not updated the operating system since the IOS updates for the last few years were not recommended for devices of this generation/age. I am not alone in this dilemma. Do I update my iPad and have its performance severely hobbled or do I run the risk that personal information will be stolen by hackers?

From what I have read so far the average user should not see a big hit in speed. But who knows for sure at this point.
Maybe wait and see what people say after the updates are done.

I did not updat mine for about 4 years. Finally did. Have not seen much difference. Would not bother to update it ever again

I have a 1st Gen iPad Mini and running iOS 9.3.5 with zero issues. Granted, I only use it for entertainment purposes while travelling, but its just as fast as it was when new.

Going several years without updating is ill-advised, should at least stay as up-to-date as latest patch release, especially for security fixes.

if your devices are that old, then IOS 9.3.5 is all you will ever get, so no need to worry since Apple is not patching them.

I have the iPad mini 2, and its runs the current iOS without issue. The biggest issue for me is simply that newer apps dont run as well as they should, but that's to be expected. There is no reason to not update, security fixes and new features outweigh the downsides from upgrading. The process is seamless enough. Eventually updates will simply cease to be available for your device, at which point a new device may be in order.