iPad 2 vs iPhone 4s

[sopabuena]

I know these two products different products for different uses, but I'm don't know which to buy.
Let me put you into context: I'm getting one of those as a gift. The thing with the iPhone is that since I live in Latin America I need to buy a factory unlocked one ($750 for the 32GB model). That money can easily get me an iPad aswell. As most people I don't really NEED any of them, I just love gadgets.
I would use and iOS device for the following: gaming, internet browsing and for reference apps (I'm a doctor).

Why iPhone: I had an iPod touch before and loved it. But I needed it to be a phone too, I was not confortable carrying two gadgets the whole time. The iPhone is portable, it's powerfull and it has just been updated. Great apps for medicine and gaming

Why not an iPhone: $700 seems a bit too much to pay for a phone. The phone is somewhat fragile. I don't enjoy being too aware of my phone and taking extreme care mesures, but my country is a little bit insecure, so I will be forced too double check if I want to take it out on the street or public transport.

Why an iPad: Lot's of apps. Gaming is much more comforatble on it. Reading is papers or pdf's is a lot easier. Browsing sites is also very intuitive and fun. Great for using at home. Just cool.

Why not and iPad: it's close to the end of its cicly. I'm afraid I may lose interest in it eventually (I have a powerfull gaming PC and PS3). It's not that portable. I allready have a netbook but I feel the iPad would totally replace it anyway.

Thanks for reading, really looking foward to your advice!

 

[KylePowers]

Tough choice. What kind of phone do you have now?

I sold my iPad to get a Macbook Air. It was fun at first, but then the novelty wore off. It's nice for reading though if you do that a lot. I always enjoyed visiting websites on it too. Gaming was meh, since I too have a few other gaming options.

I do hear/read good things about doctors utilizing iPads though - reading up on new material, studying, patient histories, stuff like that. Your mileage may vary if your hospital/practice isn't that technologically advanced (and admittedly, a lot of hospitals probably aren't).

In my opinion though - I would never spend $700 on a phone, nor would I buy an iPad right now, since they'll probably get refreshed in March/spring.

Again, tough choice =\

 

[sopabuena]

Thanks for the reply
I currently have a Blackberry Curve 9300. It's a decent phone and does the job of getting my emails. Blackberry chat is quite good too, I have a few people there. I know WhatApp can replace it.
I know that $700 is way too much for a phone but phone companies here will not carry the iPhone anytime soon, since it's importation has been blocked (protectionism: apple is one of the only companies that does not have local production of some kind. RIM had to put an assembly plant here in order to sell BBs)
What worries me the most is that if a really upgraded iPad is released in a couple of months I will feel somewhat silly, with an inferior product.
Gaming: it's not quite at console level, but there are very intersting iOS games out there that I want to play.

Yes, its a tough choice.

 

[neil1980]

Personally I'd say the £/usage time is better with the iPhone for me.

The phone I use a fair but at work during the day and also at home if I want to check something quickly.

The iPad I use a fair bit but no where near as often as my phone...not as portable and also the fact that a lot of the time I could use it at home I end up using my macbook instead... that said I'm still glad I had it as it is great for browsing the net etc.

If I lost both of them now and only had the money to buy one or other.... I'd buy a replacement iPhone without even thinking about it.

oh and for the games... I find I pretty much never play them on my iPad... my phone I do if I'm out or can't be arsed to start the PS3 up and wait for another inevitable update to download.

 

[KylePowers]

Well, I don't think there exists a scenario in which I'd choose an iPad over an iPhone. I use my iPhone religiously and the only disadvantage it has compared to an iPad is its screensize.

Maybe if you really wanted a bigger screen to play iOS games on you could just get the HDMI adapter or get an Apple TV for mirroring via AirPlay? Not exactly the same as using an iPad, but maybe it'd be better?

But then again, if you're okay with your phone and you don't mind it, then an iPad wouldn't be a bad route to go. I'd personally wait 'tilt the refresh though. Granted, it'll probably just have an A6 and slightly better cameras; but who knows, maybe it'll bring a retina display of sorts.