iPad Why I bought both (for keeps)

[ZBoater]

I was being facetious. You said it yourself, it's for convenience sake alone. Because of the very minute difference in size and weight (a quarter of a pound and <2 inches in screen diameter), having both seems very superfluous to me and others on here. Better things to spend money on, in my opinion.

Ok, fair enough. But I thought this was a thread about why one would have both, not to pass judgement on the OP's financial decisions or priorities.

This may come as a shock to some here, but other people have different needs, wants, and budgets. So back to the ORIGINAL question. Why would someone buy both? I think the "other perspectives" the OP was inquiring about were from people who have chosen both, not from those who consider this superfluous. I could be wrong, but I don't think I am.

 

[zbarvian]

Ok, fair enough. But I thought this was a thread about why one would have both, not to pass judgement on the OP's financial decisions or priorities.

This may come as a shock to some here, but other people have different needs, wants, and budgets. So back to the ORIGINAL question. Why would someone buy both? I think the "other perspectives" the OP was inquiring about were from people who have chosen both, not from those who consider this superfluous. I could be wrong, but I don't think I am.

The OP really didn't even justify both, nobody really has. Just because you can, doesn't mean you should. It's wasteful. How? Because having one iPad is teetering on wasteful when it's purely for recreational use (most common). Few people need even one of these luxury items, let alone two. The vices of capitalism...

 

[ZBoater]

The OP really didn't even justify both, nobody really has. Just because you can, doesn't mean you should. It's wasteful. How? Because having one iPad is teetering on wasteful when it's purely for recreational use (most common). Few people need even one of these luxury items, let alone two. The vices of capitalism...

Wasteful is a relative term. Some may value their convenience more than the price of an iPad. For YOU it might be a waste, but not for others. I don't begrudge folks who buy three cars for different ocassions. Maybe a minivan to move people, a two sweater convertible for the weekends, and a luxury sedan to commute to work. Is that a waste? For some. But not for others. I wouldn't call it vices if someone has earned their money and chooses to spend it on three iPads and four Mabook Airs. Good for them. I'm happy for them. If they are being wasteful, as long as they are wasting THEIR money, it's ok.

 

[rkuo]

The OP really didn't even justify both, nobody really has. Just because you can, doesn't mean you should. It's wasteful. How? Because having one iPad is teetering on wasteful when it's purely for recreational use (most common). Few people need even one of these luxury items, let alone two. The vices of capitalism...

What's your point? If the OP is well off enough, and he gets some productivity or freedom bump from having both, then maybe it saves him money.

 

[eggersj]

The OP really didn't even justify both, nobody really has. Just because you can, doesn't mean you should. It's wasteful. How? Because having one iPad is teetering on wasteful when it's purely for recreational use (most common). Few people need even one of these luxury items, let alone two. The vices of capitalism...

The justification is personal. You can't justify something like this, but others can.

When will some people on this forum realize that people have different opinions/priorities/needs and wants?? I honestly can't believe I even spent the time responding to something like this.

Anyways... Great post OP. I was a interesting read and why I enjoy this forum.

 

[zbarvian]

Wasteful is a relative term. Some may value their convenience more than the price of an iPad. For YOU it might be a waste, but not for others. I don't begrudge folks who buy three cars for different ocassions. Maybe a minivan to move people, a two sweater convertible for the weekends, and a luxury sedan to commute to work. Is that a waste? For some. But not for others. I wouldn't call it vices if someone has earned their money and chooses to spend it on three iPads and four Mabook Airs. Good for them. I'm happy for them. If they are being wasteful, as long as they are wasting THEIR money, it's ok.

It's this exact mentality that seems so selfish and harmful. With a little less self-centerness, people could do great things, but instead they're left contemplating how many cars they want, if a smaller iPad would be nice, how big a TV they should buy, etc. Doesn't that excessive materialism bother you? I mean, if I had the means to buy every single new Apple product, should that decision really be unassailable? Should my constructed justification be impervious to criticism? Now I'm gonna dip out of this conversation before I start talking ethic theory and the virtues springing from self-restraint.

 

[sflomenb]

Sure, what the OP said makes sense. But for me personally, I wouldn't want have both, even if I could. Having one would be more than enough. They do the same exact things, have the same exact specs, except one is slightly bigger. Ok, MAYBE if you said this last year when the gap between the mini and full size was larger, but this this year. The specs are the same, and the difference in weight isn't that much, about a quarter of a lb. People can do what they want. Just saying, not worth it in my opinion.

 

[l0gikb0mb]

This is honestly just over consumption at best and sounds like you're just trying to justify keeping both. They couldn't be more similar.

There is no reason to have both. Screen sizes? Please.

 

[rkuo]

It's this exact mentality that seems so selfish and harmful. With a little less self-centerness, people could do great things, but instead they're left contemplating how many cars they want, if a smaller iPad would be nice, how big a TV they should buy, etc. Doesn't that excessive materialism bother you? I mean, if I had the means to buy every single new Apple product, should that decision really be unassailable? Should my constructed justification be impervious to criticism? Now I'm gonna dip out of this conversation before I start talking ethic theory and the virtues springing from self-restraint.

Good. You should keep your judgments to yourself.

 

[rowspaxe]

Doesn't that excessive materialism bother you?

Gadget materialism seems doubley corrupting--you become preoccupied with having things and the shopping for, reading about, deciding about things.

The ipad doesnt really excite me--its just not that compelling a device. Its more of a convenience thing. I find the Surface pro compelling because its pen interface is so good, when you draw on it--you get an emotional reaction.

 

[Ronnoco]

I'm good with just the Air, my iPhone 5 and my 13" Haswell MacBook Air (and 27" ACD).

 

[ZBoater]

It's this exact mentality that seems so selfish and harmful. With a little less self-centerness, people could do great things, but instead they're left contemplating how many cars they want, if a smaller iPad would be nice, how big a TV they should buy, etc. Doesn't that excessive materialism bother you?...

OMG, you're going to lecture me on materialism? LOL! Ok, I haven't LOLed since yesterday. Thanks for that.

Moral judgements aside, each iPad serves a different purposes, mainly centered around portability. The rMini is smaller, more portable, and easier to hold up for longer periods of time. So for things like reading, watching movies in bed, and carrying it out and about, it's perfect.

The Air has a larger screen, and I prefer it to play games and use around the house, but not carrying with me as much. If I had to I could. But I don't have to. So I use it wifi only around the house. When I leave, I take my LTE rMini with me.

I've found the biggest challenge is to keep the home screens synchronized. I much prefer they mirror one another. Some games, like Dungeon Hunter 4, don't support cloud saves, so I only get to play them on one device. Having cloud enabled apps is key to getting this setup to work. If I start a document while on the road, I can finish it at home either on the bigger iPad or the MBA.

I also find the rMini much more convenient to use as a GPS due to its smaller size. Fits well with an rMini as the "road" device approach.

I guess I shouldn't say my wife has her own iPad lest I be accused of being shallow and materialistic...

 

[TWO2SEVEN]

This is honestly just over consumption at best and sounds like you're just trying to justify keeping both. They couldn't be more similar.

There is no reason to have both. Screen sizes? Please.

Do we all have to run our purchases by you for approval now?

 

[Cyloncat]

Justification? How do I justify having any tablets at all; isn't a laptop good enough? Desktop? Maybe just go to the library and use a free machine? Do I really need access to the internet?

Anyway, I'm a developer. If I'm going to develop for iOS, I need iOS devices to test on. I need different devices, because each has different characteristics, both hardware and usability. So there's one justification.

If each devices fills a different role in my life, then you'd expect both different configuration and different content. In content, there's almost no overlap, other than the books I'm currently reading. (The full set of ebooks is on either Kindle cloud or SkyDrive.)

The mini is replacing my iPod, so it has almost my full music collection. Streaming doesn't match up well with my music tastes, which runs to obscure and eclectic. This is really a good tablet for reading fiction, history, other non-technical stuff. The mini also has only a minimal set of apps on it; it's not really a productivity device, and I'm out of room on it already (128GB). I'll have to manage content on this one.

The Air has all my apps, including design-oriented tools for drawing, layout, photos, other stuff. It has whatever video I'm watching, currently Doctor Who, Sons of Anarchy, Agents of SHIELD. It has a lot more technical docs more-or-less permanently loaded, so I can use it for programming reference and study.

So there ya go. Both machines have both professional and personal use, and they are distinctly different.

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Do we all have to run our purchases by you for approval now?

Yes.

Any further questions?

 

[TWO2SEVEN]

Justification? How do I justify having any tablets at all; isn't a laptop good enough? Desktop? Maybe just go to the library and use a free machine? Do I really need access to the internet?

Anyway, I'm a developer. If I'm going to develop for iOS, I need iOS devices to test on. I need different devices, because each has different characteristics, both hardware and usability. So there's one justification.

If each devices fills a different role in my life, then you'd expect both different configuration and different content. In content, there's almost no overlap, other than the books I'm currently reading. (The full set of ebooks is on either Kindle cloud or SkyDrive.)

The mini is replacing my iPod, so it has almost my full music collection. Streaming doesn't match up well with my music tastes, which runs to obscure and eclectic. This is really a good tablet for reading fiction, history, other non-technical stuff. The mini also has only a minimal set of apps on it; it's not really a productivity device, and I'm out of room on it already (128GB). I'll have to manage content on this one.

The Air has all my apps, including design-oriented tools for drawing, layout, photos, other stuff. It has whatever video I'm watching, currently Doctor Who, Sons of Anarchy, Agents of SHIELD. It has a lot more technical docs more-or-less permanently loaded, so I can use it for programming reference and study.

So there ya go. Both machines have both professional and personal use, and they are distinctly different.

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Yes.

Any further questions?

Yes. Why?

 

[braddick]

The OP really didn't even justify both, nobody really has. Just because you can, doesn't mean you should. It's wasteful. How? Because having one iPad is teetering on wasteful when it's purely for recreational use (most common). Few people need even one of these luxury items, let alone two. The vices of capitalism...

Probably wrong to have a slice of pumpkin pie with Thanksgiving tomorrow. After all, it's "teetering on wasteful when it's purely for recreational use".

 

[TWO2SEVEN]

Probably wrong to have a slice of pumpkin pie with Thanksgiving tomorrow. After all, it's "teetering on wasteful when it's purely for recreational use".

Recreational pie

 

[l0gikb0mb]

Justification? How do I justify having any tablets at all...

[Tries to justify it]

Do we all have to run our purchases by you for approval now?

I would seriously consider including a third party in your future purchases if they include buying the same thing twice again.

 

[zbarvian]

Probably wrong to have a slice of pumpkin pie with Thanksgiving tomorrow. After all, it's "teetering on wasteful when it's purely for recreational use".

Now you're talking. Probably should hold off on that extra swig of water while you're at it.

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Justification? How do I justify having any tablets at all; isn't a laptop good enough? Desktop? Maybe just go to the library and use a free machine? Do I really need access to the internet?

Anyway, I'm a developer. If I'm going to develop for iOS, I need iOS devices to test on. I need different devices, because each has different characteristics, both hardware and usability. So there's one justification.

If each devices fills a different role in my life, then you'd expect both different configuration and different content. In content, there's almost no overlap, other than the books I'm currently reading. (The full set of ebooks is on either Kindle cloud or SkyDrive.)

The mini is replacing my iPod, so it has almost my full music collection. Streaming doesn't match up well with my music tastes, which runs to obscure and eclectic. This is really a good tablet for reading fiction, history, other non-technical stuff. The mini also has only a minimal set of apps on it; it's not really a productivity device, and I'm out of room on it already (128GB). I'll have to manage content on this one.

The Air has all my apps, including design-oriented tools for drawing, layout, photos, other stuff. It has whatever video I'm watching, currently Doctor Who, Sons of Anarchy, Agents of SHIELD. It has a lot more technical docs more-or-less permanently loaded, so I can use it for programming reference and study.

So there ya go. Both machines have both professional and personal use, and they are distinctly different.

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Yes.

Any further questions?

Obviously being a developer requires you to have both.

 

[DelMac]

I totally agree with everything the OP said except replace iPad Air + iPad rMini with MB Air + iPad rMini.

 

[gatearray]

I find it ironic that one or two of the naysayers in this thread are undoubtedly proud android cellphone users— it wasn't that long ago that diehards would switch their phone every 3 months and spend the rest of their time dicking around with the software, reading specs for the newest "best" model, etc.

That sounds wasteful to me, and makes purchasing two different iPads and being done with it for a year or two seem downright reasonable, particularly when they still have a great resale value while those old plastic cellphones are in a landfill.

 

[Misskitty]

This is honestly just over consumption at best and sounds like you're just trying to justify keeping both. They couldn't be more similar.

There is no reason to have both. Screen sizes? Please.

Eactly. Like i said, its overkill to have both and even if i had the money, i wouldnt want both as i would rather put that extra 4-500 dollars on something more useful like bills than it sitting around.



Only thing is i still cant decide which i want to keep

 

[ZBoater]

This is honestly just over consumption at best and sounds like you're just trying to justify keeping both. They couldn't be more similar...

Ummm, yes they could. They could be the same size and weight. But they are not. "Over consumption"? I'm glad someone is judging how much other people consume.

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...if i had the money, i wouldnt want both as i would rather put that extra 4-500 dollars on something more useful like bills than it sitting around...

And that would be a wise thing for YOU to do. For others, they may not have bills sitting around and can afford two iPads. I'm glad for them.

 

[mtneer]

As long as things are kept in decent language; I don't think any negative "judgment" is less worthy than a positive validation. I think most people here wear big boy pants and should be prepared to accept feedback either way.

 

[ZBoater]

As long as things are kept in decent language; I don't think any negative "judgment" is less worthy than a positive validation. I think most people here wear big boy pants and should be prepared to accept feedback either way.

I'll disagree with you. Respectfully, of course.

If someone buys two iPads and wants to get feedback on their use, I think the "feedback" related to their financial strategy is not welcomed, it is off point, and unnecessary. This is not a financial planning forum. Judgments like "waste", "over consumption", etc are just off topic. It's like the guy asking for feedback on how to make his iPad more "safe" for his kids to use, and he's suddenly bombarded with parental critique (like "lazy parenting") from some of the sages here.

Keep it on point, keep it on topic, and avoid sanctimonious judgmental posts about people's financial strategies. That would be my advice in general. If people choose to judge and share their off topic "opinions" anyway, they should not be surprised if the people being "judged" push back a bit.

Decently, of course.