Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

1st ipad still a good buy?

H

heliocentric

Guest
Original poster
Nov 26, 2008
385
0
My old macbook recently broke and I am thinking of replacing it with a iMac and an iPad. Best of both worlds right?

I would like to get a brand new iMac which means i cant really afford a new iPad 2.

Would the 1st Gen iPad still being able to run everything well i.e. the latest apps or ios 5? Would I notice much difference in day to day use compared to the iPad 2?

Thanks
 
Well

Its not going to run everything, but most apps should be fine. Unless you plan on using it for games etc. I reckon it's still a good buy.

I'm not sure if any new ones are still available which puts you in the secondhand Market. You might find new boxed ones on eBay or similar
 
sure. i bought mine after ipad2 came out. it works for my needs. i don't see much difference in price, though. given the recent ipad3 rumors (spring release), i'd recommend a 2.
 
Buy it if you can get a good deal on it, like I purchased my original iPad for $370 off gumtree (an Australian equivalent of craigslist) when the iPad 2 was going for $570 base :(

Otherwise just go the iPad 2, if it's less than 150 off or something.
 
heliocentric said:
My old macbook recently broke and I am thinking of replacing it with a iMac and an iPad. Best of both worlds right?
Click to expand...

I'd say go for it. iPad 1 is a decent device and we'll be so for few years.

Also, Apple known to slash prices on old generations, so if you can wait for iPad 3 (6 month wait), you probably will be able to get used iPad 2 or new one for $100 less. A lot of people will be selling their iPads 2 to get iPad 3 :D
 
GameAmour.com said:
I'd say go for it. iPad 1 is a decent device and we'll be so for few years.

Also, Apple known to slash prices on old generations, so if you can wait for iPad 3 (6 month wait), you probably will be able to get used iPad 2 or new one for $100 less. A lot of people will be selling their iPads 2 to get iPad 3 :D
Click to expand...

or, a lot of girlfriends and wives will suddenly start selling their ipad1s :)
 
It's all about the price.

If you get a good price for an ipad 1, then go for it.

Most apps will work just fine, including games. That being said, some apps (e.g. iMovie) are made for ipad 2, but 98% of them work fine on ipad 1. Games will still run on ipad 1, but some 3d titles will look better on ipad 2. The only other difference is the cameras, in terms of hardware functionality, so you'll want to consider if the cameras are useful to you or not.

So think about what you want to use the ipad for, and think about what price you want to pay, and go from there!
 
An iPad 1 is still very useful. It will just depend on what you plan to use it for. Most games will work (unless they start having specific warnings about being iPad 2 only). Most apps will work. If there is an app that is designed for the iP2, you can just use the iPhone configuration tool to get it onto an iP1.
 
I use my iPad 1 very heavily (5-8 hours a day) and have not had a single hiccup that having an iPad 2 would remedy. The only thing I've even noticed is you have to stay away from the apps that require the camera. Also, the iPad can be sluggish at times with certain apps, and I imagine the faster 2 would handle them better, but it is in no way incapacitating.

It is also easy to get away with having the entry level 16 gb with iCloud being implemented and the prevalence of streaming.

I'm thinking about going the same route as you: I had a MBP and now that I have an iPad I'm considering going back to desktop computers for my next purchase. Let us know how it all works out!
 
Do your research on the HP. There was a recent update to try to fix some lagging. I don't know how well that update solved that problem. But, since the TouchPad will run proprietary software (webOS), be prepared for the possibility of some apps taking longer to arrive on the TP.
 
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_0 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9A5288d Safari/7534.48.3)

The 3.0.2 update helped a lot with the TouchPad. I bought one but took it back for an iPad 2. The thing the TP is lacking is apps. Most of the big names app aren't even in their app store yet. No Netflix, only one Twitter app, which isn't half bad, no Google +, etc. Also, it doesn't render some websites properly, but the 3.0.2 update is way better than the 3.0.0.

iPad 1 > TP

It's better to compare the TP to the 1st Gen iPad.

I had the TP for two weeks. For the $299 price during August 5-7, it would chose it over an iPad, but for $399, you are better off with an iPad 1.
 
I just went down to the store and had a go on a HP touchpad. It did seem quite laggy at times, but im sure it didnt have the latest firmware on it.

One thing i didnt like is i could see lots of little dots all over the screen...for the multi touch i presume? I have never noticed these on the ipad for instance...

Thanks
 
nfl46 said:
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_0 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9A5288d Safari/7534.48.3)

The 3.0.2 update helped a lot with the TouchPad. I bought one but took it back for an iPad 2. The thing the TP is lacking is apps. Most of the big names app aren't even in their app store yet. No Netflix, only one Twitter app, which isn't half bad, no Google +, etc. Also, it doesn't render some websites properly, but the 3.0.2 update is way better than the 3.0.0.

iPad 1 > TP

It's better to compare the TP to the 1st Gen iPad.

I had the TP for two weeks. For the $299 price during August 5-7, it would chose it over an iPad, but for $399, you are better off with an iPad 1.
Click to expand...

You can get a refurb ipad off the apple store for $349, and it runs way more apps. If you are into music especially, its the one to get,
 
If you are OK with refurbs I purchased a refurb 64 Gig 3G through AT&T's web site for $429. It is weird, but that is the price they charge for the 32 Gig Refurb also. However, after seeing the 64 Gig deal come and go, I just checked their site a few times until I saw the 64 Gig again and it was the same price, $429. At which time I went ahead and pulled the trigger.

I have been very happy with it. My only disappointment is that Apple blocks installing iMovie on the first gen - which I was using and enjoying on my iPod touch. I believe there is a way to install it without jailbreaking, I just have not sat down to do it yet. Hey, I have only had this iPad for 4 months or so, these things take time!

As of today, Apple is charging $629 for a refurb 64 Gig 3G on the Apple site.
 
Last edited:
Tomacorno said:
If you are OK with refurbs I purchased a refurb 64 Gig 3G through AT&T's web site for $429. It is weird, but that is the price they charge for the 32 Gig Refurb also. However, after seeing the 64 Gig deal come and go, I just checked their site a few times until I saw the 64 Gig again and it was the same price, $429. At which time I went ahead and pulled the trigger.

I have been very happy with it. My only disappointment is that Apple blocks installing iMovie on the first gen - which I was using and enjoying on my iPod touch. I believe there is a way to install it without jailbreaking, I just have not sat down to do it yet. Hey, I have only had this iPad for 4 months or so, these things take time!
Click to expand...

Jeez, my last, I dunno, 15 Apple items were refurbs bought right from the apple website. I had one issue, a G5 imac that I bought around 2005 that had a bad drive, but Apple paid for it to be fixed locally, so no problem.
Sometimes they through in extra stuff or upgrade you, so pretty cool!
 
nfl46 said:
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_0 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9A5288d Safari/7534.48.3)

The 3.0.2 update helped a lot with the TouchPad. I bought one but took it back for an iPad 2. The thing the TP is lacking is apps. Most of the big names app aren't even in their app store yet. No Netflix, only one Twitter app, which isn't half bad, no Google +, etc. Also, it doesn't render some websites properly, but the 3.0.2 update is way better than the 3.0.0.
Click to expand...

As someone who has owned the following tablets:

Touchpad
Asus Transformer
Ipad

I must tell you the Touchpad was seriously not even close to ready for prime time (this is after the 3.0.2 update). It struggled changing pages on pdf's, almost no apps, and overwhelming lag all over the place. People always talked about how great the WebOS platform was so I always wanted to try it out, but did not want to give up my iphone. I went onto the precentral.net forums to see what tips I could get, and the users there openly talked the many faults of the Touchpad and ways to work around it's shortcomings. I knew then it was time to take it back - if I still found it unbearably slow after the 3.02 update, then I can't even imagine what it was like pre-3.02.

I traded it in for the Asus Transformer, which was very very very surprisingly a smooth user experience. People often talk about Android in a negative light, but Honeycomb really was an incredible OS. The difference between Touchpad and Transformer was like night and day. Alas, the Android market for tablets just isn't there yet so I had to return it for the iPad.
 
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_0 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9A5288d Safari/7534.48.3)

funkdoctor said:
nfl46 said:
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_0 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9A5288d Safari/7534.48.3)

The 3.0.2 update helped a lot with the TouchPad. I bought one but took it back for an iPad 2. The thing the TP is lacking is apps. Most of the big names app aren't even in their app store yet. No Netflix, only one Twitter app, which isn't half bad, no Google +, etc. Also, it doesn't render some websites properly, but the 3.0.2 update is way better than the 3.0.0.
Click to expand...

As someone who has owned the following tablets:

Touchpad
Asus Transformer
Ipad

I must tell you the Touchpad was seriously not even close to ready for prime time (this is after the 3.0.2 update). It struggled changing pages on pdf's, almost no apps, and overwhelming lag all over the place. People always talked about how great the WebOS platform was so I always wanted to try it out, but did not want to give up my iphone. I went onto the precentral.net forums to see what tips I could get, and the users there openly talked the many faults of the Touchpad and ways to work around it's shortcomings. I knew then it was time to take it back - if I still found it unbearably slow after the 3.02 update, then I can't even imagine what it was like pre-3.02.

I traded it in for the Asus Transformer, which was very very very surprisingly a smooth user experience. People often talk about Android in a negative light, but Honeycomb really was an incredible OS. The difference between Touchpad and Transformer was like night and day. Alas, the Android market for tablets just isn't there yet so I had to return it for the iPad.
Click to expand...

I very much so agree.

The $399 Transformer is a great device. I believe it & the Tab 10.1 are the best Android devices on the market. The screen is pretty nice too.

The TP isn't ready quite yet - hence I said compare it to the 1st gen iPad, which is still better than the TP.

@ OP, check out the Transformer for $399. It's very nice.
 
@op

don't do it. do go android, hp, etc. ask the sales rep these questions and see what they say:

1. will this product get os updates when they come out (like ice cream sandwich) and if it will, how, and how soon after release? the rep shouldn't have any answer, because no manufacturer has made it clear.
2. do they have an app to accomplish X task? if so, show it to me.


i think you will have a very tough time finding a product that works smoothly, with a clear plan for after-service care, and sufficient apps to do what you want.

i am excited about the future for android, but it isn't ready yet to get my money. hp and windows have a lot more work to do before they convince me they are seriously in the game. they might surprise me someday. at this point, the asus transformer seems to have the most potential, and asus is a solid company.
 
Ok just got hold of a mint 1st gen iPad with warranty till next march for £200...

hope I made the right decision.
 
I'm sure you have. Ive had the iPad 1 since it first came out and it still does everything perfectly. I intended to skip the iPad 2 and wait for the 3. Wanted more of a worthy upgrade.
 
I waited for the iPad2 to come out specifically so I could find a "deal" on the original = I got a 32Gb 3G NIB unit for $449 from our "local PX" with no shipping or sales tax additional expense so I was happy with the purchase!

I also recently got an HTC Evo phone that came with a Samsung 7" tablet for free and while I like the phone, my iPad is the "go to" device of choice between the two tablets.
 
Seems great so far :)

I'm posting this message from it lol

The screen is lovely! Shame I have to put too fingers all over it and smudge it!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back