I was talking with some mates recently and became curious. For all 3 iPads I've owned (iPad 2, New iPad, iPad w/ Retina Display), they've all been Wifi-Only, Black, 16GB. My friends all say that a 16GB iPad is too small a capacity, even for the lightest users. So I was wondering, regardless of which specific generation you own, what size capacity/ cellular capability iPad do you own. I just want to know what other Apple users on this site prefer.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
All iPads What iPad capacity do you have?
- Thread starter campingsk8er
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
my iPad 1 was 64GB WiFi only.
Sold that on eBay to upgrade to the iPad 2 32GB also WiFi only. Didn't feel I needed all that storage and it was about even selling the 64 to get a new 32.
But I am getting a Mini with Cellular this weekend because I am tired of using my iPhone as much when I am out. I love the weight of the Mini and feel like the screen size is just right. I was originally just thinking 16GB Verizon, but actually think I will get the 32GB. I don't like the idea of not having enough room for the Apps, Games, and content (photos and some movies as I use my iPhone for music) I want on there.
Sold that on eBay to upgrade to the iPad 2 32GB also WiFi only. Didn't feel I needed all that storage and it was about even selling the 64 to get a new 32.
But I am getting a Mini with Cellular this weekend because I am tired of using my iPhone as much when I am out. I love the weight of the Mini and feel like the screen size is just right. I was originally just thinking 16GB Verizon, but actually think I will get the 32GB. I don't like the idea of not having enough room for the Apps, Games, and content (photos and some movies as I use my iPhone for music) I want on there.
wilst i often wish i had 32 gigs or more, i know that the only difference would be id have more big games that i dont play at all, on my machine.
realistically thats the only thing that takes space.
i have itunes match so no music stored on my ipad and a bare minimum on my iphone for flying and walking to work.
i use plex so no movies stored on it. if im flying i might stick a few mind you.
books dont take up much space. i used dropbox for magazines so just load them, read them and delete them from it.
and non game apps are generally small.
so the difference between a 16 gig and 32 gig ipad is that i generally only have 3 or 4 of the big games i keep thinking ill play, Fifa, Bastion, real racing, civilisation revolutions, command and conquor, the walking dead, infinity blade, GTA (various), GTA ripoffs (various), Modern Combat 4, NOVA 3, city of secrets, battlefield 2, bards tale, lili, rage, all downloaded, all paid for, all installed at least 10 times, but apart from GTA 3 and civrev, i dont think ive spent more than 10 minutes playing any of them.
so i'd never buy a 32 gig machine.
realistically thats the only thing that takes space.
i have itunes match so no music stored on my ipad and a bare minimum on my iphone for flying and walking to work.
i use plex so no movies stored on it. if im flying i might stick a few mind you.
books dont take up much space. i used dropbox for magazines so just load them, read them and delete them from it.
and non game apps are generally small.
so the difference between a 16 gig and 32 gig ipad is that i generally only have 3 or 4 of the big games i keep thinking ill play, Fifa, Bastion, real racing, civilisation revolutions, command and conquor, the walking dead, infinity blade, GTA (various), GTA ripoffs (various), Modern Combat 4, NOVA 3, city of secrets, battlefield 2, bards tale, lili, rage, all downloaded, all paid for, all installed at least 10 times, but apart from GTA 3 and civrev, i dont think ive spent more than 10 minutes playing any of them.
so i'd never buy a 32 gig machine.
Owned a 64gb wifi only iPad 1 from launch day, opted for the space because i figured its better to be safe than sorry, and I do like to keep all my music and tv shows on it.
Got a wifi only 64gb iPad 3 recently and although it can't fit all my stuff on its a great device.
Planning on selling up and getting a 128gb iPad 5 later this year, which will be able to accommodate my entire music/photo/video library I'd have thought!
I'll always buy the highest capacity iPad available, I like to use it as a laptop replacement so I'd love a 256gb option also
Got a wifi only 64gb iPad 3 recently and although it can't fit all my stuff on its a great device.
Planning on selling up and getting a 128gb iPad 5 later this year, which will be able to accommodate my entire music/photo/video library I'd have thought!
I'll always buy the highest capacity iPad available, I like to use it as a laptop replacement so I'd love a 256gb option also
I have only one iPad, a 3rd gen, and it's a 16GB LTE version. It's been great for me and so far has served all my needs quite well.
16 GB wifi model. With a JB, I can increase my storage via USB drive and CCK to a total of 48 GB (16GB internal storage, 32GB USB drive). I use the external USB drive for video content and the internal storage for apps.
I have a iPad 3. I did buy the AT&T LTE model but never use the LTE since I tether now to my Verizon iP5. When I buy the next iPad Mini it will be a wifi 16 GB model. Just waiting for retina to come to it.
Most of my video requirements are streamed from my home computer, netflix, TWC TV app, ABC, etc... The only time I download video content is when I am traveling and will not have wifi or cellular signal (on a plane or something). The rest of the time I stream my content. I do not play many games on my idevices. Temple run, angry birds, plants vs zombies, etc.... so there is plenty of room for those on my 16 GB model. I use a lot of cloud storage apps as well such as Dropbox and Google Drive so my documents are pretty much with me as long as I have access to wifi or cell signal. Works extremely well for my school work. Download everything on my computer at home to my Google Drive folder and have access to it all on my cell or ipad while I am away from home.
The only reason I would consider getting a Verizon LTE model mini is to get a data plan and cut out my iphone completely. Use VOIP apps like Skype, Vonage or something to make/receive phone calls. Since the Mini is a nice size and extremely light I might be able to get away with it. Pair a BT headset with it or just us headphones since I hate holding my phone to my ear anyway. I usually use speaker phone or handsfree in my car.
I have a iPad 3. I did buy the AT&T LTE model but never use the LTE since I tether now to my Verizon iP5. When I buy the next iPad Mini it will be a wifi 16 GB model. Just waiting for retina to come to it.
Most of my video requirements are streamed from my home computer, netflix, TWC TV app, ABC, etc... The only time I download video content is when I am traveling and will not have wifi or cellular signal (on a plane or something). The rest of the time I stream my content. I do not play many games on my idevices. Temple run, angry birds, plants vs zombies, etc.... so there is plenty of room for those on my 16 GB model. I use a lot of cloud storage apps as well such as Dropbox and Google Drive so my documents are pretty much with me as long as I have access to wifi or cell signal. Works extremely well for my school work. Download everything on my computer at home to my Google Drive folder and have access to it all on my cell or ipad while I am away from home.
The only reason I would consider getting a Verizon LTE model mini is to get a data plan and cut out my iphone completely. Use VOIP apps like Skype, Vonage or something to make/receive phone calls. Since the Mini is a nice size and extremely light I might be able to get away with it. Pair a BT headset with it or just us headphones since I hate holding my phone to my ear anyway. I usually use speaker phone or handsfree in my car.
Last edited:
I've owned iPads 1-3 plus the mini, and I got 64GB wifi+cellular every time. If the iPad 5 comes in 128GB, I'll definitely get that. I have a bunch of music videos and video podcasts that I'd like to carry with me all the time, and currently, I can't fit them all on my iPad.
ipad 1 16GB wifi + 3G upgraded to iPad 2 32GB wifi + 3G next will be iPad 5 32GB wifi + LTE. Reason more space for more apps and picture/videos 
Last edited:
16GB iPad 4, wifi & 4G
16GB iPad mini, wifi & 4G
I buy iPads for fun and entertainment. There's nothing that warrants a larger capacity, since I have a huge library of music and other media in iTunes which resides on my server.
That allows me to load whatever I want onto each of them, without using them as storage devices.
In addition I like to buy new ones each year, so that's another reason a larger capacity would be a waste of money.
I have very distinct usage patterns for each size, therefore it's nice to have those choices as well.
16GB iPad mini, wifi & 4G
I buy iPads for fun and entertainment. There's nothing that warrants a larger capacity, since I have a huge library of music and other media in iTunes which resides on my server.
That allows me to load whatever I want onto each of them, without using them as storage devices.
In addition I like to buy new ones each year, so that's another reason a larger capacity would be a waste of money.
I have very distinct usage patterns for each size, therefore it's nice to have those choices as well.
Looks like 32GB is the sweet spot and wifi only is about 2 to 1 over Cellular except in the case of the 16GB which indicates that some people get the cheapest just to get one. One could say that at 128GB price isn't an issue between connectivity models, but with a sample size of 4 there isn't enough data to really draw a conclusion.
16gb Mini at present, though if it was retina I would've gone for a 32gb due to the increase in image sizes.
iPad 1 16GB WiFi
iPad mini 16GB WiFi
If you play a lot of games or want to store a large music library, spring from the larger capacities. I don't.
iPad mini 16GB WiFi
If you play a lot of games or want to store a large music library, spring from the larger capacities. I don't.
In my experience with both computers and iDevices, it's important to have the largest capacity available at any given time. It isn't how many apps you have on there - it's the fact all apps are getting increasingly complex. This equals more memory use per app, even the ones that WERE simple and have grown in capabilities via updates.
Not true. This only applies to graphically complex apps like games. Better graphics = bigger graphic assets. If by memory you mean app size and not RAM (which is the de facto), apps are changing all the time (increasing and decreasing). For apps that aren't graphical (like games), adding new features equates to a very small increase in app size. I'm a mobile app developer (iOS and Android) so I have first hand experience in this area. Most of the stuff I work on try to decrease app size and memory usage while improving performance.
