16GB Buyers Remorse

[photogpab]

I'm hoping the 16GB model will be fine for my needs, but I am starting to worry just a little that with apps probably doubling in size and HD movies being such big files, that maybe I should have gotten the 32GB or 64GB model...

so my question is, what are my options? If I find that the 16GB model does not suit me well, would apple let me exchange it for a 32GB or 64GB?

I also got mine engraved... not sure if thats a problem for exchanges...

 

[Snimo]

I'm hoping the 16GB model will be fine for my needs, but I am starting to worry just a little that with apps probably doubling in size and HD movies being such big files, that maybe I should have gotten the 32GB or 64GB model...

so my question is, what are my options? If I find that the 16GB model does not suit me well, would apple let me exchange it for a 32GB or 64GB?

I also got mine engraved... not sure if thats a problem for exchanges...

if you got it engraved i think you would have diffculty exchanging it

 

[eikast]

Having your iPad engraved will hinder your chances of exchanging it and or reselling it

 

[EdMan]

There's been a million threads on this topic. If you can do an exchange, give it a shot. Otherwise make the best of the situation. It's not the end of the world. In a year you'll be going through this all over again.

 

[Tater Salad]

If your name is John Smith, then there is a slightly better chance of selling it. But quickly! Once these things get out in the wild and there are more stories of them filling up quickly with retina graphics, it may become a harder sell.

 

[greytmom]

I've seen some comments here from some who have called Apple with this question, and they were told they COULD exchange it. I think your best bet is to ask Apple.

If they won't take it back and you find that 16GB doesn't work for you, then you can always sell it. But don't be upset - you might find that 16GB is fine.

 

[Snesley Wipes]

I'm hoping the 16GB model will be fine for my needs, but I am starting to worry just a little that with apps probably doubling in size and HD movies being such big files, that maybe I should have gotten the 32GB or 64GB model...

so my question is, what are my options? If I find that the 16GB model does not suit me well, would apple let me exchange it for a 32GB or 64GB?

I also got mine engraved... not sure if thats a problem for exchanges...

Your pretty much double screwed now...

 

[ZBoater]

I read somewhere you could return it even if engraved. Call Apple.

 

[photogpab]

its not the end of the world honestly. if i find myself at a loss for storage i'll just work with what i have. less movies, less apps... who knows.

my wife also said she may want one, and wouldnt care about the engraving. so i may give it to her and buy myself a new one, if i find that space really is an issue.

hopefully it wont be. i'll ask apple as well. just to see what they say.

 

[slippery-pete]

Pretty sure you have 30 days to exchange at an Apple store. Use it for a week or so and make a decision at that point.

 

[bidwalj]

i ordered an 16gb this time (had a 32 last time) and I took a screen shot of the iPads info before i sold it (someone wanted to know the firmware for jail breaking purposes).

I was looking at that pic yesterday and realized i only had 7gb left on it! this was it iCloud music and no movies or tv shows on it. I'm guessing photo stream takes up a chunk but needless to say, I will be lining up and getting a 32gb.

 

[Swiss Miss]

i ordered an 16gb this time (had a 32 last time) and I took a screen shot of the iPads info before i sold it (someone wanted to know the firmware for jail breaking purposes).

I was looking at that pic yesterday and realized i only had 7gb left on it! this was it iCloud music and no movies or tv shows on it. I'm guessing photo stream takes up a chunk but needless to say, I will be lining up and getting a 32gb.

I'm in the same boat. Had a 32GB iPad 2 and went with the 16GB this time... I didn't really store too much on my 32GB because I usually listen to music on my iPhone, but now regretting it after realizing whatever little space is gonna be eaten up by increased storage demands.

If Apple will do exchanges with opened boxes I will go ahead and do that maybe in a couple weeks when the demand lessens if I foresee it being an issue at that point. I don't have any engravings on mine unlike the OP so at least that's one hurdle I don't have to worry about.

I know that the aftermarket value of the 32GB decreases quicker and steeper than the base models do, historically speaking, so if I run into a problem exchanging it through Apple I'll put it on eBay and buy a slightly used 32GB instead. No biggie.

 

[bidwalj]

I'm in the same boat. Had a 32GB iPad 2 and went with the 16GB this time... I didn't really store too much on my 32GB because I usually listen to music on my iPhone, but now regretting it after realizing whatever little space is gonna be eaten up by increased storage demands.

If Apple will do exchanges with opened boxes I will go ahead and do that maybe in a couple weeks when the demand lessens if I foresee it being an issue at that point. I don't have any engravings on mine unlike the OP so at least that's one hurdle I don't have to worry about.

I know that the aftermarket value of the 32GB decreases quicker and steeper than the base models do, historically speaking, so if I run into a problem exchanging it through Apple I'll put it on eBay and buy a slightly used 32GB instead. No biggie.

You should be ok with the exchange. I use my iPad daily so i need mine asap. Another thing I'm worried about now is that my iCloud backup might not restore since the 16gb will not be enough storage (obviously i would delete stuff after that i don't need). I'm just going to head over to apple at 4 am. Done it for the 4s, no big deal. glad i caught this before tomorrow.

 

[shyam09]

Well the 16GB depends basically on your needs.

apps probably doubling in size and HD movies being such big files

As far as I know the only apps that have "doubled" are the ones from Apple (keynote, imovie, etc.) but from what I have read it was because of Apple adding many more features to it. It's isn't JUST the accommodation for retina displays. [I think other retina ready apps have also increased ,but i am not 100% sure]

Of course games will increase, that's a known; so if you are into games then yes- the 16GB will not be for you (or you can work around it by playing the game, removing it, and installing another-- but I don't the idea myself)

For HD movies, just use airplay to stream videos (quick question for air play users: does airplay eat up your bandwidth? ATT has a beautiful cap on internet (U-Verse High Speed Internet) so we have a 250GB cap... [i doubt i will be streaming a lot of movies, but just curious] thanks)
back to airplay: you basically can stream from Mac/PC to iPhone/iPod/iPad. If you are going on a trip then it'll be a problem, with the apps you want, the movies you want, etc.

the 16GB is perfect for web browsing, email, youtube, facebook, etc. It has room for some games, a bunch of apps, and a decent amount of photos.
Good Luck,

 

[SR45]

Pretty sure you have 30 days to exchange at an Apple store. Use it for a week or so and make a decision at that point.

Sorry, but its 14 days. Its 30 days for the iPhone however.

 

[H-B0mb]

if you got it engraved i think you would have diffculty exchanging it

I had the same concern because I ordered a 16GB which was engraved. I called apple they informed me that regardless of whether it's engraved or not you can return it within 14 days of delivery.

I've now ordered a 32GB model and will play around with the 16GB while I wait.

 

[OneMike]

its not the end of the world honestly. if i find myself at a loss for storage i'll just work with what i have. less movies, less apps... who knows.

my wife also said she may want one, and wouldnt care about the engraving. so i may give it to her and buy myself a new one, if i find that space really is an issue.

hopefully it wont be. i'll ask apple as well. just to see what they say.

I bet you're just reading too many threads/articles.

I remember before the iPad 2 came out everybody wanted a white iPad/iPhone. Then when it finally was announced I remember threads/articles complaining about watching a movie on the white iPad. The white distracts, etc..

Reading so much made me almost want to change my mind and get a black iPad. Once I actually had it though I don't once recall having the white part of screen interfere with movie and the complaints slipped my mind completely till now.

I bet once you have it you'll see 16GB is fine.

 

[s-o-teric]

Definitely second guessing myself and think I'll exchange for the 32GB.

Thing is I don't really want to wait 3 weeks, so I'm probably going to get to the Apple store tomorrow morning at 6, get a 32GB, and then return my 16GB after I receive it later tomorrow.

Although I could talk myself out of getting up early to get in line...

 

[Gregintosh]

I think 16GB is fine if you don't store music on it and just use it for apps and a movie or two at a time.

Think about it, with 1080p movies being about 4-5GB depending on length, and you can really only fit maybe 2, if you also have some apps.

Just the Apple apps like iPhoto, Garage Band, Pages, etc. take up a few gigs, plus the media you will want to keep in order to manipulate them.

Add a few games, which are likely to start weighing in 500MB+ once retina is enabled, maybe even 1GB a piece, and you are going to be out of room fast.

But of course if all you do is surf websites and check e-mail on it, 16GB is plenty. But to not have to worry for the next year or two about running out of space should you do something more advanced than that, I recommend 32GB.

 

[Swiss Miss]

I called an Apple store to confirm my intentions. The fella said it would be fine to exchange it, even if opened -- he suggested I just call ahead to make sure they have one in stock before I leave to get it.

I am sure tomorrow will be too hectic, plus I want to make sure I'm home in time to sign for the delivery, but demand will die down a bit at least by the end of the week if they're getting daily shipments (which they usually do when a new product launches). Here in the Orlando area we have 3 stores to choose from so I feel comfortable about getting one sooner than later.

If I can open my 16GB and play around with it and make an informed decision by the end of the week and upgrade if I think it's necessary, no harm no foul*!

*Except, of course, the foul of having to shell out an extra $100.

 

[DarwinOSX]

I'm hoping the 16GB model will be fine for my needs, but I am starting to worry just a little that with apps probably doubling in size and HD movies being such big files, that maybe I should have gotten the 32GB or 64GB model...

so my question is, what are my options? If I find that the 16GB model does not suit me well, would apple let me exchange it for a 32GB or 64GB?

I also got mine engraved... not sure if thats a problem for exchanges...

Don't freak out because of sensationalistic articles. Just manage your apps and content a little. Use iCloud and iTunes Match.
But I think the engraving is an issue for exchanges which is probably why they made it free in the first place after initially charging for it.

 

[Lara F]

Ok, Kindle just updated - on the iPhone but it's a universal app and the notes said "optimized for iPad retina display". I checked and the size went from 20.5 MB to a whopping 23.5 MB.

Not a lot of books loaded in fairness (Nook is my primary as I own one) but if this is any indication there may well be some overreaction WRT app size.

 

[dell who?]

Check out the Seagate GoFlex Satellite. I'm sure it's not the only product of its kind, and this concept would make your built-in storage almost a non-issue. This idea along with cloud based systems/storage should make all concerns go away.

 

[greytmom]

Check out the Seagate GoFlex Satellite. I'm sure it's not the only product of its kind, and this concept would make your built-in storage almost a non-issue. This idea along with cloud based systems/storage should make all concerns go away.

I have this. Have my entire iTunes library on it, and when I'm traveling if I think I am going to want to watch a bunch of video (more than I currently have on my iPad) I just take it with me. It's not that much bigger than my iPhone, and it creates its own wifi, so no worries about using up data.

Got it when I downsized from the 64GB original iPad to the 32GB iPad 2.