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Anyone think iPad 1 will be a collectors item one day?
- Thread starter btownguy
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Sure, anything might be 100 years from now. But for the most part, i don't expect it to have any more value than it does today during my lifetime.
They'll be worth a lot of money in functioning condition one day. Whether or not that day comes in your lifetime is another matter.
Anyway, if you're going to try and invest in collectibles, I'd say that consumer electronics are a very poor bet. I'd say the SNES is probably a comparable product - they've held their value quite well, to the point that pristine specimens fetch around their original RRP, but when you consider inflation (plus the fact that it has been taking up space in your house - and your life - all that time) it hardly seems worth the effort. Not even as a conversation piece.
Anyway, if you're going to try and invest in collectibles, I'd say that consumer electronics are a very poor bet. I'd say the SNES is probably a comparable product - they've held their value quite well, to the point that pristine specimens fetch around their original RRP, but when you consider inflation (plus the fact that it has been taking up space in your house - and your life - all that time) it hardly seems worth the effort. Not even as a conversation piece.
Battery deterioration is a valid concern, but don't forget, many if not most of today's modern gadgets can also run off of an AC current, independent of a battery. AC isn't going anywhere any time soon. So pop out the battery before it dissolves everything now, then archive the item and deal with how to power it up later.
I can envision a whole cottage industry of "electronics restoration" artists who can fashion a compatible battery for those devices that require them, out of whatever source of portable power is in use at the time, and retrofit it to vintage gadgets. Surely museums of industrial design are and/or will be equipped for this very task, and Apple products will most definitely be on display there.
I know I'm pretty late to give you my two cents worth. But I'd say keep the IPAD 1st gen. I have had many situations where I could kick myself in the pants for not having vision. For example back in the 80's I used to collect kenner Star Wars figures. I remember walking into Consumers distributing and seeing a whole bin full of original Darth Vader action figures on sale for 50 cents each. An unopened Darth Vader today sells for thousands of daollars. Yet back in the 80's Kenner made millions of action figures. Nobody ever thought they'd be worth anything. Another example would be antique cars from the 50's or earlier. Logically you would think those 55 to 58 Chevy's wouldn't be worth much today since they were made by the millions and normally car values steadily decline. But popularity and increasing rarity are two very powerful factors to consider. Your gut instinct could be right. That IPAD might be worth holding onto. I think it already has one factor going in its favor. It was the first true tablet. IT started something.
Millions were sold, most sit in a drawer somewhere. Even if yours was boxed and sealed it would be worth nothing to get excited about. There are people with the first iPhone sealed in a box and they are not getting rich selling them.
If it's in good condition and boxed, why not? Maybe not in 5 years but eventually they'll be scarce though who knows how long that'll take. Tablets will probably be around in some form forever so it does represent something special.
Sealed, maybe. It's already happening with the original iPhone in that condition.
Good question... the answer is, "most likely not".
Reasons: Society is more "collectible minded" than ever before. That means that there is a larger segment of the population who will keep collectibility in mind with their possessions. That means that there are more boxes, stickers, plastic wrapping, etc. for the iPad 1 than there would be for a 1970's era programmable calculator.
Also, the material that the iPad is made from is more durable than most other things. iPads will look better for longer than other computing devices. I found this to be completely wasteful on Apple's part (who claims to be so environment friendly). They design the hardware to physically last many years but gave it an EFFECTIVE life that was far shorter. But at the same time, there are some components WITHIN the iPad that would prevent it from being used 20 years from now. (most notably the battery)
Lastly, the iPad has no "personality". Visually, it's just an aluminum slab with a glass front. Contrast that with older ThinkPad Notebooks, Desktop PC's, and typewriters. They are more visually interesting. I know a few who display their vintage computers.
I'm looking to set up a display area for my iPhone 2G (now that it can't be used on AT&T anymore), original iPad and 20GB touchwheel iPod from 2002. These devices are probably worth much more as wall art than usable technology.
I tried loading the MR website from my iPhone 2G and after about 2 minutes of loading, I gave up. The Javascript engine can't handle today's websites.
I tried loading the MR website from my iPhone 2G and after about 2 minutes of loading, I gave up. The Javascript engine can't handle today's websites.
My original iPad may not be worth much...but my grandfathered in unlimited AT&T data plan I got with it sure is! I never let mine lapse and have transferred it to 3 iPads since. I'll never sell it.
Probably not, like someone said, there were 15 million of these sold. Someone in a hundred years might pay good coin for it, but certainly not every unit will command the same price from a tiny community of collectors or museum curators.
As an investment, it's likely a horrible idea. AAPL was trading in early April 2010 around $238 per share. Let's say you decided buy four shares for $952 instead of a fully loaded iPad at its release. After the subsequent 7-to-1 stock split, you'd have 28 shares of AAPL, currently valued at $3,808, and ROI of +300% in less than seven years (that doesn't even take into account for ~$245 in dividend payouts).
We can tell you right now that an original unopened iPad isn't worth $4,000 today.
As an investment, it's likely a horrible idea. AAPL was trading in early April 2010 around $238 per share. Let's say you decided buy four shares for $952 instead of a fully loaded iPad at its release. After the subsequent 7-to-1 stock split, you'd have 28 shares of AAPL, currently valued at $3,808, and ROI of +300% in less than seven years (that doesn't even take into account for ~$245 in dividend payouts).
We can tell you right now that an original unopened iPad isn't worth $4,000 today.
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I'm sure there are plenty of ipad1 owners out there who are hanging on in hopes of selling it years from now at a nice profit.
It's a nice conversation piece to show someone.
Valuable?...nope. Too many made and still out there floating around on eBay, flea markets, etc.
It's a nice conversation piece to show someone.
Valuable?...nope. Too many made and still out there floating around on eBay, flea markets, etc.
The OP's original comment (from 6 years ago) wasn't about monetary value (as they specifically stated) - even though people automatically associate "collectable" with money, this particular instance is just about giving it significance.
To answer: it depends on the person.
Personally, I collect computers. It's not something I'm looking to get money for one day, I just like to collect unique computers that hold a special place for me in computer history. I have my original iPad on display next to my original iPhone (with Apple BT headset), original iPod (sadly without original headphones), and original Newton MessagePad. They have value to me and that's really all that counts - I'm not planning on selling them, they're just for me.
Having said that, there are computers I'd love to have in my collection, but they're actually worth real money (such as the 20th Anniversary Mac).
So, if the OP is still around, it's a neat collector item for me!
To answer: it depends on the person.
Personally, I collect computers. It's not something I'm looking to get money for one day, I just like to collect unique computers that hold a special place for me in computer history. I have my original iPad on display next to my original iPhone (with Apple BT headset), original iPod (sadly without original headphones), and original Newton MessagePad. They have value to me and that's really all that counts - I'm not planning on selling them, they're just for me.
Having said that, there are computers I'd love to have in my collection, but they're actually worth real money (such as the 20th Anniversary Mac).
So, if the OP is still around, it's a neat collector item for me!
They are idiots because it's a sh!tty investment. Consumer electronics are expenses, not investments. You'd have a much better chance of making money buying shares of SPY or QQQ.
It always makes me laugh when I read someone describe an Apple product as an "investment" [sic].
Gave my parents our Ipad 1 a few years ago. Recently gave them our Ipad 3 after finally moving to the Air, and they still use the Ipad 1 for some things in Safari and a few of the ganes because they liked the navigation buttons from whatever long ago iOs version Apple ended at and the way a few apps worked (there were updated ones on the Ipad 3 but they didn't like the updates). Though, they said most of the webpages now slow that thing to a crawl and then the use the Ipad 3.
Thing is, what are you going to do with it? Not worth $5 for any sort of trade. May as well hold onto it and use it as a clock. I've got Ipod Nanos from 10 years ago when Nike came out with Footpods for running and Nike+ running app...and still use one of those Nanos in my daughters room (constantly on a charger).
Thing is, what are you going to do with it? Not worth $5 for any sort of trade. May as well hold onto it and use it as a clock. I've got Ipod Nanos from 10 years ago when Nike came out with Footpods for running and Nike+ running app...and still use one of those Nanos in my daughters room (constantly on a charger).
You say that, but because the thread is about collectables and people have been trying to make long term predictions it adds some value revisiting it to see what has transpired.
Yes I would think so in about 300 years later iPad 1 will be hard to find one with perfect working condition.