[throwaway8800]

Because iPads are generally limited to basic computing tasks, I think the lifecycle is even longer than a typical laptop. My iPad Air from 2013 still feels brand new to me. Still looks great and I'm sure will still be getting used in another 4 years.

Edit: By comparison, the iMac I bought at the same time as the iPad Air is starting to feel sluggish and outdated, particularly as it is not a 5K version so switching between a retina iPad and a retina MacBook and a retina iMac feels jarring when using the iMac.