iPad 1 is a better value.

[SmoothJ]

Just make sure you call apple soonafter you buy. Apparently, the purchase date was late 2010 and if I didnt call, my warranty would've went out soon in a few months!! I had to send a photo of my receipt to guys at apple phone support to prove I just bought it today. Then they updated the purchase date and I now have 365 days of coverage starting from today. It was kind of a mess but worth it to get it straight!

I just checked the apple warranty and it appears to be ok

Repairs and Service Coverage: Active

Your product is covered for eligible hardware repairs and service under Apple's Limited Warranty.
Estimated Expiration Date: March 20, 2012

Thanks for letting me know though

 

[tigres]

Got a 64g 3G on that Att deal, and a 16g refurb from apple. Overall 869 +tx for two, I'm pretty happy, my wife gets hers backs she is also pleased.

The other is for an employee. I did not even need the 3G but the price was better with a full warranty, so too good to pass up.

 

[trusso]

I know we're all trying to justify our own purchases / intended purchases here, so allow me to throw in my two cents.

There are a lot of over-inflated iPad 2 prices on eBay, but there are also some pretty good deals on lightly used iPad 1s as well. For me, being on a budget, I didn't want to spend $800 on the new top of the line iPad. Aside from a little increase in RAM, and two cameras (which would have been cool, but I didn't really need - I've got a MacBook Pro and digital camera for that), the iPad 2 would have been a luxury purchase (beyond that of the iPad 1). I merely wanted a decent sized screen for iBooks and Kindle, and a web surfing experience that didn't require bringing my laptop all over the place. Because I already had a 3rd-gen iPod touch 64gb, I didn't need the biggest storage either. I managed to find a seller-refurbished 32gb iPad 1 on eBay for $410 (almost $200 off the original price), which has fit my needs almost perfectly. I am happy with my purchase thus far- I have not encountered any issues, and I don't feel as if I spent a bunch of money just for the latest and greatest. Sometimes, frugality is it's own reward.

 

[brando123b]

This is an interesting topic.

I bought an iPad 1 WiFi 16GB 2 weeks ago. Loved it, did everything I needed for the most part.

One huge issue, I need way more connectivity than WiFi can offer. I sold it. I just ordered a 3G iPad 2. For the $200 difference in price I think it is worth it. While the original iPad was certainly adequate, knowing that much of what I was doing could be done faster was annoying.

Unless you own an iPad 1 already, I'd go for the 2, why not?

 

[cmvsm]

I think that for what you are getting in a hardware upgrade, the iPad 2 is the better value over the old technology. I've already seen some apps that differentiate between running in iPad 1 mode (slower - less graphic capable), and running in iPad 2 mode (faster - more graphic capable). This will start to become the norm as more apps are made to suit the iPad 2. I would venture to say that there will be some high end apps sometime this year that will run very poorly on an iPad 1, if at all.

For a couple hundred, I say get the new technology if you plan to keep it for a while.

 

[penfan82]

Here's my 2 cents. I was ready to finally buy an iPad I saved my money and played with iPad 1 every time I entered a apple store or bb. By the time I saved my money and rationalized it iPad 2 was out and I was ready to purchase. However we were in the Verizon store buying a iPhone for my son while the Verizon clearance was going on and here was my thought. It was cheaper and I was getting more storage for my dollar 400 for 32 g iPad 1 vs 500 for the iPad 2 with a few added features I went with 1 figuring I could see if in fact I really liked it or just bought into the hype or if I liked it would wait and see what apple does with 3 and give 1 to my son. So far yes I love it but don't regret my decision of my version. It's all each individual choice.

 

[edjrwinnt]

I just got the AT & T iPad 1, 16GB, 3G deal for $329 even though I already have a Verizon 3G iPad 2. I can't decide if I want to give it to my mom (if she'll even use it) or just keep it as a road warrior. I think I may jail break the iPad 1 too just for fun.

As far a comparing the two, for my main use on the couch to read, the iPad 2 lighter weight is definitely a big deal to me. The iPad 1 almost feels twice as heavy for some reason. As far as general use the iPad 2 is definitely snappier but you can get by with the iPad 1 as others have said. I was surprised to see that Google Earth seemed to work the same on both. I thought it would choke a little bit on the iPad 1 but it didn't.