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If you were me, what would you do??

  • Sell ipad 3 now and upgrade

    Votes: 30 56.6%
  • Wait a year and upgrade at next ipad release

    Votes: 11 20.8%
  • This poll is horrible (other)

    Votes: 12 22.6%

  • Total voters
    53
I was in the same boat with my 64gb ipad 3, so I decided to pick up an ipad 4 off ebay to replace my current one, at least I wouldn't be that far behind in a year if I do that. Hope my plan works.
 
That makes no sense. You're comparing spending an extra $100 vs. losing $100 in value which isn't the same. Also, you're using the ipad for another year, so you're not losing $100 in value for nothing.
I think what he meant to say was you lose $100 year after year in value so might as well upgrade every year.

To illustrate:

Replace every year:
Year 1: buy iPad 1 (-$500)
Year 2: sell iPad 1 (+$400), buy iPad 2 (-$500)
Year 3: sell iPad 2 (+$400), buy iPad 3 (-$500)
Total 3-year cost: $700

Replace every other year:
Year 1: buy iPad 1 (-$500)
Year 2: keep iPad 1 ($0)
Year 3: sell iPad 1 (+$300), buy iPad 3 (-$500)
Total 3-year cost: $700

However, it's an overly simplistic view which doesn't take into account taxes, accessories and much lower ROI on cellular and higher capacity models.
 
I think what he meant to say was you lose $100 year after year in value so might as well upgrade every year.

To illustrate:

Replace every year:
Year 1: buy iPad 1 (-$500)
Year 2: sell iPad 1 (+$400), buy iPad 2 (-$500)
Year 3: sell iPad 2 (+$400), buy iPad 3 (-$500)
Total 3-year cost: $700

Replace every other year:
Year 1: buy iPad 1 (-$500)
Year 2: keep iPad 1 ($0)
Year 3: sell iPad 1 (+$300), buy iPad 3 (-$500)
Total 3-year cost: $700

However, it's an overly simplistic view which doesn't take into account taxes, accessories and much lower ROI on cellular and higher capacity models.

also, the fact that the estimated selling price isn't guaranteed.
 
You might be able to.Mostly you could because Apple isn't selling them new anymore (at least in the US not sure about other countries).

I just sold my used iPad 4 to gamestop for 410 credit (there is an extra 30 percent bonus trade in if you put 5 dollars on a preorder or buy a used game)...just bought 400 dollars in Amazon gift cards :)
 
Funny you should mention PvZ (Plants vs. Zombies). Here is the start up time for PvZ on my iPad3 and on my new iPad Air. By start up time, I mean the number of seconds from clicking the icon (with PvZ not in memory) until it finishes initialization and displays the "tap to start" message:

iPad3...... 38 seconds
iPad Air... 93 seconds!!

Is this PvZ2? Or the original?

That's really really strange
 
Is this PvZ2? Or the original?

That's really really strange

The original, "Plants vs. Zombies HD". I haven't tried PvZ2, but I may when I get a chance to see if it is the same.

I agree, really strange, because most everything is much faster on the Air. But whatever PvZ is doing during that startup (presumably building graphics objects?), it is doing it in a way that does not get along well with the Air because it takes nearly 3 times as long on the Air as on the iPad3.

EDIT: Downloaded PvZ2 on both iPad3 and Air, did an initial run to go through the update and setup process, then purged each from multitasking tray. Startup of PvZ2 takes about 18sec on the iPad3, and about 12sec on the Air. Some of that includes checking in with Game Center and checking for content updates, so it isn't a pure CPU/GPU test, but still the Air comes through faster as would be expected. Anyway, whatever is going on in original PvZ that makes it take 3x as long on the Air as the iPad3 isn't happening in PvZ2.
 
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Startup of PvZ2 takes about 18sec on the iPad3, and about 12sec on the Air. Some of that includes checking in with Game Center and checking for content updates, so it isn't a pure CPU/GPU test

Still, 18 to 12 isn't that much of an improvement. Maybe the air is over-hyped in terms of speed.
 
I am trying to sell my IPad 3 32 GB WiFI and I am struggling to get $300. The market is flooded with IPads now. Listed on eBay/CL

is it an auction or a sale? you also should have listed your ipad as soon as you heard the Air was official. I got $325 for my 16gb ipad 3.
 
Still, 18 to 12 isn't that much of an improvement. Maybe the air is over-hyped in terms of speed.

Well, obviously it all depends on exactly what is being done. For most things, the Air is going to be a lot faster. As I said, that 18sec vs 12sec startup of PvZ2 includes checking in with game center and EA's servers so it really isn't a good test of device speed.

In the AnandTech review of the Air, take a look at the "offscreen triangle" benchmarks. There, the iPad4 beat the Air by quite a bit. The iPad3 doesn't show up in those, so not sure where it ranks (presumably way below both). In every other benchmark, the Air beat the iPad4 by quite a lot.

But that's what is so odd about my original observation -- and the iPad3 starting up PvZ nearly 3x as fast as the Air does? It's an anomaly I can't explain, as based on the specs, there is no way that should happen.

I don't want to keep dragging this thread off topic. But (as OP) you mentioned PvZ and of course the thread is directly comparing iPad3 vs Air, so I wanted to toss it out there. I originally noticed it when I went to show my wife how much faster the Air was, and (mistakenly) chose starting up PvZ on both as an example. Whoops. The iPad3 was done in 38 seconds, while the Air sat there for over 1-1/2 minutes.
 
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I have an iPad 3 64GB AT&T that I am trying to get $400 for and including a Zagg red leather case with illuminated keyboard. I always considered it better than my mini someone bout out my mini for $360?within 10 minutes of listing it. At $400 I'm going to lose on ebay listing plus paypal fees. I have it on Craig's List but not a bite yet. I guess skipping a generation hurt me but this 3rd gen is a great device. I think more and more people are saturating the market with cheap sales so it's only going to get harder.
 
is it an auction or a sale? you also should have listed your ipad as soon as you heard the Air was official. I got $325 for my 16gb ipad 3.

Auction. 2 days left and only a couple nibbles. I am a married man and unfortunately only got the go ahead recently from the person that controls the purse strings. My obsession with apple products is not shared by the wife
 
If you buy an iPad and keep it for 3-4 years, the resale value goes down to almost nothing. Regardless of whether the math works out, the fact is that people are not paying much of a premium to upgrade every year. Another thing to consider is if you upgrade every year, you'll always be in warranty without having to buy AppleCare.

Whether it's worth the effort is up to the individual but upgrading every year is not as financially wasteful as it seems at first glance, which is the point some people here are trying to make.
 
If you buy an iPad and keep it for 3-4 years, the resale value goes down to almost nothing. Regardless of whether the math works out, the fact is that people are not paying much of a premium to upgrade every year. Another thing to consider is if you upgrade every year, you'll always be in warranty without having to buy AppleCare.

Whether it's worth the effort is up to the individual but upgrading every year is not as financially wasteful as it seems at first glance, which is the point some people here are trying to make.

Perhaps for the base models. I have a 64gb Verizon iPad 3. Listed it a year ago with a leather Smart Cover, SF Bags sleeve, & Camera Connection Kit (close to a grand at retail) and could not get $600 for the package. This year the best offer I had was $400.
 
to provide another data point, I sold a refurbished used 32GB iPad 3 on ebay for $379 last week
 
Perhaps for the base models. I have a 64gb Verizon iPad 3. Listed it a year ago with a leather Smart Cover, SF Bags sleeve, & Camera Connection Kit (close to a grand at retail) and could not get $600 for the package. This year the best offer I had was $400.

Yes, I will admit higher end models depreciate faster. People with $500 to spend would rather get a base model that is current. People buying used also do not want to spend extra for an LTE data plan. 16GB Wifi White model is the best at holding its value, in my experience.

Also, the 30-pin to lightning transition is something that happens once a decade and there's generally only a form factor change once every few years, so it's not always neccesary to sell your accessories.

My point is, even if there are losses, with your case being at the upper end, it's really not a big difference. If you keep your iPad 3 until obsolescence, you still need to buy a new one for close to a grand again, and your costs of owning the iPad will have still worked out to $250 or so a year.
 
Auction. 2 days left and only a couple nibbles. I am a married man and unfortunately only got the go ahead recently from the person that controls the purse strings. My obsession with apple products is not shared by the wife

mine actually started slow also, I get a feeling it'll pick up on the last day, with a few bids during the last minute. let us know what happens
 
This basically sums it up. I don't upgrade every year because I care too much for my jailbreak, otherwise I would

Value will keep going down. It's not about $ at this point, it's about what you want to do -- maybe you posted looking for justification to upgrade, I don't know. The $ savings keeping your iPad is about $150 over two years.

Example on a base iPad 3:

Sold now: $500 cost - $275 (realistic price, assumes sold not on eBay, and bought at release). Cost of iPad 3 ownership per month: $11.85.

Sold this time next year: $500 cost - $200. Cost per month: $9.67

Sold this time 2015: $500 cost - $125. Cost per month: $8.72


Going forward the best $ will be on upgrading annually BUT the trick is, if practical, to sell just before the next version is announced to maximize sell value.
As you can see the cost of ownership for 1 year is about the same as the 19 month span between the iPad 3 and the Air. But while the cost is the same you don't get any benefit of newer tech.

A used 16GB iPad Air will probably go for about $375 next Sep. $500-375= $125 cost of ownership/11 months = $11.36
 
also, the fact that the estimated selling price isn't guaranteed.

Those estimates he gave are actually quite accurate.

It's better to upgrade every year, although it's a hassle. There is no gain from not upgrading every year, battery life decreases, no warranty support, older device, etc etc.

Better to sell soon, suck up the loss and put it towards the new device.
 
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