First timer - refurb 3gen vs 4gen?

[MSweetpea]

I am trying to decide between a refurbished 3rd gen or a new 4th gen ipad 16gb for my first ipad. I really like the price of the refurbished ones, but I also want to get the most use out of it so I was thinking of going with the 4th gen because of the faster chip and more updates likely. I mainly like to surf the net, read books, love apps, and want to watch movies/youtube. Also, will the wifi be noticeably better on the 4th gen?

Do you guys expect the refurb prices going below $379 any time soon?

 

[saving107]

The price is nice, but I believe the improved processor will make a big enough difference to warrant spending a little more for the 4th generation iPad.

But in the end, its really more of a question regarding your budget.

 

[ppark]

I was in the same boat, but the way I saw the situation as how you will be using the iPad. The refurb iPad 3 will serve fine for at least another 6-12 months; it has served perfectly fine for 90% of the community these past 7 months.

However, if you love gaming and want to play graphic intensive games, edit large videos, or make entire songs composed of multitudes of different instruments/tracks, the new iPad may be for you.

 

[iEvolution]

Refurb 3 gen:
+ cheaper
+ in-line with some of the "just announced" items such as the iPad Mini and iPod Touch 5G meaning that it will have at least as long of a life as these new products do.
+ 30 pin connector a far more compatible adapter to accessories than the lightning adapter is (which there isn't anything out for because Apple has kept it hush hush)
- Not as fast as the A6

4th gen:
+ fastest processor
+ will undoubtedly have a greater life span than the 3rd gen will how much? I'm not sure.
- lightning connector
- more expensive

 

[jan08]

I wanted to upgrade the iPad 2 and faced the same dilemma. I decided to go with the refurb ipad 3 32B at a saving of £120, taking a gamble that the next upgrade will be a change in form factor and will be the one to get new. Really looking forward to having a Retina again after moving from my iPhone 4 to the Galaxy sIII (oh, the shame )

 

[reputationZed]

Refurb 3 gen:
+ cheaper
+ in-line with some of the "just announced" items such as the iPad Mini and iPod Touch 5G meaning that it will have at least as long of a life as these new products do.
+ 30 pin connector a far more compatible adapter to accessories than the lightning adapter is (which there isn't anything out for because Apple has kept it hush hush)
- Not as fast as the A6

4th gen:
+ fastest processor
+ will undoubtedly have a greater life span than the 3rd gen will how much? I'm not sure.
- lightning connector
- more expensive

The Lightning connector is really only a negative if your heavily invested in 30 pin accessories. If this is the OP's first iOS device than the Lightning connector becomes a positive.

 

[Pacpod]

I just decided to go the refurb iPad 3 route and am pretty excited!

 

[Dumbledorelives]

I would go the iPad 4 route. It might not seem like it now, but two years down the road that 30 pin dock connector is going to be pretty obsolete - you're going to start having trouble finding new accessories compatible with it. In addition, the faster processor is a nice bit of futureproofing. Generally, iDevices get slower the more updates they've had. An iPhone 3GS was lighting fast on iOS 3, but now at iOS 6, it's a considerably laggier. By buying a newer model iPad with a better processor, you're also buying yourself one more iOS upgrade before the device starts to lag.

 

[MrMacBookPro]

i think many of us on this forum are in the same boat as OP.. which one? refurb 3 or new 4 including myself.. i mainly want this for gaming and something to take portably on trips instead of my laptop. I think the 4 is really the way to go with better processor and connector.. At least this won't be obsolete in 2 years.. I hope..

 

[Scott2345]

I bought a iPad 3 refurb 16GB. To good of a deal to pass up. It's also my 1st iPad.

 

[KenAFSPC]

Definitely spend the extra on the iPad 4.

The iPad 3 has comparable CPU performance to the iPhone 4S and iPad 2. Like the iPhone 4S, the iPad 3 noticeably lags in many operations and some apps.

Many forget that the iPad 3 is essentially an iPad 2 with a Retina display, more memory, and faster graphics processor to support the higher resolution screen. The iPad 4 is the first "real upgrade" in performance since the iPad 2.