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iPad The secret to Apple products is withstanding the next refresh cycle.

panzer06

panzer06

macrumors 68040
Sep 23, 2006
3,282
229
Kilrath
It used to be you could sell the prior year model of any Apple product and recoup 80-90% of your original investment so upgrading was a no brainer for people who were willing to burn that 10-20% especially if it only represented a few hundred dollars, however, for many Apple products resell has diminished somewhat so that delta is a bit more and with the 2009 economic downturn making folks a bit more careful with their funds it's understandable the upgrade cycle may have slowed for some.

Even so, many, many Apple fanatics still upgrade every cycle.

Cheers,
 
Z

Zwhaler

macrumors 604
Jun 10, 2006
7,093
1,565
mully1121 said:
Heck, I'm still using my iPad 1. My mentality tends towards "how long can I keep it running and useful." I'll upgrade at some point but right now my iPad 1 still does what I need/want it to do. I kind've view it as a challenge (this is more true with computers, what can I do/tweak to keep it running?)
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It feels nice to enjoy the product you paid for instead of letting Apple or fanboys convince you it isn't good anymore!
 
N

Navdakilla

macrumors 65816
Feb 3, 2011
1,100
13
Canada
lancia832 said:
Until they find a jailbreak for ios 6 , thank you ! Apple , but no ! thank you ! , upgrading , i will keep my ipad 3 jailbroken on ios 5.1.1 till it croaks ,and even then i will try to fix it if its possible , its the perfect machine for what im doing daily with it , dont need any extra power , and tiny speck increases, and any more thinnes , please! Apple stop it with the thinnes , i sold my iphone 5 for that , one of the reasons, and kept my jailbroken iphone 4s.
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Agreed. My jail broken ipad3 is perfect.
 
Nautilus007

Nautilus007

macrumors 68030
Jul 13, 2007
2,642
1,320
U.S
Along with holding out, when you wait longer you really feel the difference in the new generation.
 
M

Macalway

macrumors 68040
Aug 7, 2013
3,857
2,369
A good way to save money no doubt

I think these minor iPhone upgrades are not worth it, but I'll take any speed boost to the iPad :)

Of course I'm not a 'phone' person
 
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iapplelove

iapplelove

Suspended
Nov 22, 2011
5,324
7,638
East Coast USA
i usually try to get 2 years out of idevices. it's good to save money and hold onto your things a little longer however after about two years i sell them get some quick cash and ready to move on.
 
thedeejay

thedeejay

macrumors 65816
Aug 16, 2012
1,338
51
Toronto, Canada.
HELL, even Apple doesn't refresh their iPad Displays. I'm sure they replace the "display" models so people can try the latest iPad but I've seen every Apple Store I've been to carry the iPad 2 as the "info tablet" the one you click on that gives you more information about the other tablets and I've also seen the kids area have iPad 2's. Interesting that they don't have the latest and greatest iPads running in these circumstances. Could be from a cost perspective but meh..

On a side note, I'm holding onto my iPhone 5 and iPad 2 as long as possible. I'm on a 3-year contract with my iPhone 5 so my next upgrade will be during the iPhone 6S. And as for my iPad...well, I just want to see how long it can go. It's on iOS 6 so far so I think I can get atleast another year out of it until it's "outdated". Right now it's only 2.2 years new!
 
s2mikey

s2mikey

Suspended
Sep 23, 2013
2,490
4,255
Upstate, NY
smooth said:
I was actually starting to think I was in a very small minority of people, specifically Apple users, who did not upgrade just for the sake of upgrading. It seems like the majority of peeps on here, upgrade every refresh or every other. I have to remember the Apple users that I know personally. No one I know who has an iPad has ever owned more than one version. And only 1 iPhone owner has ever owned more than 2 versions.
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Yeah, me too. I feel almost funny having an iPad 2 in my sig. Its like "dude, get with the program"! But, its a fine product and still works great. I used to be more of an "upgrade-itis" sufferer but not anymore. I will take a look at the 5th gen ipad to see whats up with it but I doubt Ill get one. Just not ready yet.

Most "level headed" people that arent just auto-upgraders wil simply wait until their device no longer performs the tasks THEY require. Then. they'll upgrade. Kind of like your car - you drive it until it doesnt get you to work or the store anymore. Then, you upgrade :)
 
L

Lamarak

macrumors 6502
Jun 8, 2010
344
0
I upgrade every cycle because I just don't like getting by. I can usually sell my item and recoup quite bit of the cost. I just use my Ipad too much like for school, work, and enjoyment not have the best available for me.

We all in areas of our life have guilty pleasures that you do because it adds to your life and you really don't care the cost. It can be over priced Starbuck coffee, concert tickets, or what ever.

Life is short, we all walk around with expirations date on our head and I myself want to enjoy the best that I can afford and not worry if what Im doing is cost effective. We all spend stupid money somewhere, I choose on my electronics that I use every day like my Ipad and Iphone.

But please let me add that I respect and can see why people will hold off, because they choose to spend money in other areas they deem more important to them.
 
E

elchorizo

macrumors member
Jul 9, 2012
77
13
Beaverton, OR
Lamarak said:
I upgrade every cycle because I just don't like getting by. I can usually sell my item and recoup quite bit of the cost. I just use my Ipad too much like for school, work, and enjoyment not have the best available for me.

We all in areas of our life have guilty pleasures that you do because it adds to your life and you really don't care the cost. It can be over priced Starbuck coffee, concert tickets, or what ever.

Life is short, we all walk around with expirations date on our head and I myself want to enjoy the best that I can afford and not worry if what Im doing is cost effective. We all spend stupid money somewhere, I choose on my electronics that I use every day like my Ipad and Iphone.

But please let me add that I respect and can see why people will hold off, because they choose to spend money in other areas they deem more important to them.
Click to expand...

I really like this post. I feel the same way. I don't upgrade my iPad every cycle but there are things I do spend money on maybe a little too often :D

I agree with how you see the world.
 
G

gatearray

macrumors 65816
Apr 24, 2010
1,130
232
Lamarak said:
I upgrade every cycle because I just don't like getting by. I can usually sell my item and recoup quite bit of the cost. I just use my Ipad too much like for school, work, and enjoyment not have the best available for me.

We all in areas of our life have guilty pleasures that you do because it adds to your life and you really don't care the cost. It can be over priced Starbuck coffee, concert tickets, or what ever.

Life is short, we all walk around with expirations date on our head and I myself want to enjoy the best that I can afford and not worry if what Im doing is cost effective. We all spend stupid money somewhere, I choose on my electronics that I use every day like my Ipad and Iphone.

But please let me add that I respect and can see why people will hold off, because they choose to spend money in other areas they deem more important to them.
Click to expand...

Agreed, great post!

I'll just add that if you're clever about it, you can upgrade to the latest Apple tech for relatively cheap once you "buy-in" with your first device...

Sell the original iPad you bought in March 2010 and put that cash plus around $200 towards buying the iPad 2 in March 2011, repeat. For less than $4 a week the iPad I consistently use 365 days a year for 8-10 hours per day can be twice as fast, the net usage cost is like 8 cents an hour! :)

The time saved by something as simple as Safari pages loading faster on the new device makes this a great value, let alone the performance gains running (in my case) lots of music creation apps. The iPad 4 release was a bit of a sucker punch anomaly, it's true, but I will be happily buying the iPad 5 and selling my existing iPad 3 in a couple of weeks. :)
 
B

Brittany246

macrumors 6502a
Apr 21, 2013
791
0
When I'm truly happy with my device, I never want to buy the next generation. I don't even consider it. It's usually pretty easy for me to ignore the first and second refreshes when I'm still happy with my device. When I start having problems is when I start waiting for the next refresh, which I'm sure is pretty normal. I never understood why some people always need to buy every single generation. I understand if you're really into technology and you can afford it, but I'll sometimes hear of kids who have had every single iPhone... why?
 
T

takeshi74

macrumors 601
Feb 9, 2011
4,974
68
Kendo said:
The secret to Apple products is withstanding the next refresh cycle.
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Refresh cycles really don't matter to me. It's all a matter of whether the current device meets my needs and if the newer device provide sufficient improvements. YMMV.
 
D

Donki

macrumors newbie
Sep 16, 2013
28
0
Brittany246 said:
When I'm truly happy with my device, I never want to buy the next generation. I don't even consider it. It's usually pretty easy for me to ignore the first and second refreshes when I'm still happy with my device. When I start having problems is when I start waiting for the next refresh, which I'm sure is pretty normal. I never understood why some people always need to buy every single generation. I understand if you're really into technology and you can afford it, but I'll sometimes hear of kids who have had every single iPhone... why?
Click to expand...

Marketing lol

TBH there isnt a great deal more a 5s can do from a 4s, hell even a 4 if you actually look at it. Some people want the latest, some people need it if you can afford it and want it fair enough. You need to take a step back and ask yourself why you are buying it? Most people probably are simply because they MUST HAVE the latest. Personally if I am happywith my device Il stick with it until something makes me go WAOW!
 
K

Kendo

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Apr 4, 2011
2,275
760
I have to admit that I broke down. Selling my iPad 3 32GB today for $360 and picking up an Air next week.
 
M

Macalway

macrumors 68040
Aug 7, 2013
3,857
2,369
Yes this logic is sound; for any other product besides Apple, as the re-sale value is so high, you can safely tighten the cycle.

But on the same note, your 3 might (or might not) command a decent sum whenever you come to your senses :)
 
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