No one needs an iPad but a lot of people want one. It's a luxury item, at the moment nothing else offers a similar experience and for that reason you will have to pay a premium for it. Maybe once android tablets of a simmilar form factor to the ipad are released we will see how far the prices can be driven down.
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iPad value for the money
- Thread starter Jackintosh
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I'm about to pick one up for a 3 month tour. I'll be spending enormous amounts of time in buses, planes, hotel rooms, etc. Being able to take something as small as an ipad that can do virtually everything I need (aside from video skype) is almost priceless. My MBP would have worked, but weighs a lot more and be harder to use in plane seats.
saberahul
macrumors 68040
Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry9550/5.0.0.713 Profile/MIDP-2.1 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/105)
It depends on your opportunity cost. For some say students its a better. device. for others say at home workers a Mac mini may be better. You should list your uses and decide then. Not to be rude but this is something only you can answer. For me a ipad is a far better than a Mac mini.
It depends on your opportunity cost. For some say students its a better. device. for others say at home workers a Mac mini may be better. You should list your uses and decide then. Not to be rude but this is something only you can answer. For me a ipad is a far better than a Mac mini.
andiwm2003
macrumors 601
+1
I bought mine as a "toy". It's very useful and I like it but it's not worth 829 bucks to me. If I was to lose it I wouldn't buy another one for a year or so. It's like a X-box for others or a Porsche or expensive ski's or a 2000 dollar camera.
Of course there are some for who it's worth it. For me the iPad is a luxury toy that I allowed myself to have.
MrWillie
macrumors 65816
-2 (I am also removing the +1 from the previous poster)
Well I can buy a $50 Android phone, I can also do a buy one get one free Android phone for $99. Apple still sold 1.7 million iPhone 4's in 3 days. At $199 & $299. What are the total sales now? Even with all the bitchin & moaning about the antenna and ATT's crappy service, Apple can't get them made fast enough.
Do you really think that an Andriod tablet will change anything ?
They already have a linux based tablet on the market. (JooJoo) Well kind of at least.
Consultant
macrumors G5
Premium? Compared to to $2000 tablets pcs the iPad display is higher quality, extremely responsive, and has a battery that lasts much longer.
So, of course nothing is for everyone. Even if there is world peace, arms dealers will complain.
So, of course nothing is for everyone. Even if there is world peace, arms dealers will complain.
scottness
macrumors 65816
+1
Even though I paid only half as much for my motorcycle as I did for my car, it's still not worth it. I can't take my whole family to the beach and it totally sucks when it rains.
🙄
Apples and oranges, dude.
I agree that the iPad is overpriced for what it is. That being said, I don't regret buying mine but it is not something I will be likely to upgrade every time a new one comes out.
I gather you don't commute or travel much? I ride the train to/from work daily and using a notebook on the train just doesn't work. Similarly, using a notebook on a plane is not especially relaxing because it takes up much of teh available space. And the battery doesn't last as long. I don't rely on my iPhone much anymore (other than for calls, obvioulsy) because the iPad display just works better for me. And 3G access makes it that much more useful.
The iPad is not an essential device, but for my purposes the price was well worth it.
Well said.
OP, You're paying a bit of a premium to be sitting on your couch doing nearly whatever you want on a device that's the size of a thin magazine.
Pause and think about that. If it's still of no interest for you, the iPad is clearly not for you.
If an iPad is a luxury item so is a laptop. I used to need a laptop for portable stuff and a netbook for home web browsing when I didn't want to get in front of my PC. I don't need either one now.
I haven't noticed one thing my Laptop could do that my iPad can't. So in the end I save money, iPad instead of laptop and netbook. And an iPad is even more portable.
I haven't noticed one thing my Laptop could do that my iPad can't. So in the end I save money, iPad instead of laptop and netbook. And an iPad is even more portable.
eye
macrumors 6502a
It's totally not worth the money. It's just for fun like a bag of skittles or a ferris wheel ride. I had 500 bucks to burn so I did. It's fun. I don't regret it. But is there a possible justification other than having a fun gadget? No way. Anybody who tells you different is lying.
Piggie
macrumors G3
Not being rude, but you must have very limited/specific requirements from a computing device to make that bold statement.
Piggie
macrumors G3
Ok, my view on my purchase:
I have £500 sitting in my bank (earning very little interest)
I can either look at the iPad from a distance, and think to myself "I wonder what one of those things is like to own"
And my £500 can stay in my bank.
Or I can use the £500 to buy the iPad and enjoy it (for whatever it is) then after perhaps 18 months I can sell it on (as it will still be in perfect condition) for say $300 to £350
I've had a year+ of use, experienced what may be the 1st in a whole new generation of products, and it's cost me £150 to £200 for that enjoyment.
Or I can just look at money in the bank and sit in my chair thinking and waiting & never having.
iPhone 4 is a jewel, iPad is the future
It's funny most people are so sure it's just a toy. As a musician on the go, being able to read my scores in ForScore and being able to take with me whatever I manage to scan is just too good to be true. Put it on a music stand and you are ready to go.
Apart from that. What is magical about it, is that it simply feels like the future. We might hesitate, not like it in the beginning etc. but when you use one, you just know it. This is how it's going to be. The fact that Apple could make that first experience so smooth (it is, despite all the complaints) is just amazing and will give them an edge for years to come.
It's a bit like eating with your fingers. It's a bit more messy, might take a bit more time... but it feels right! And gives another kind of satisfaction.
The only limit is the imagination of the app devs!
About the price.... value is all about how long it takes to forget how much you spent! With the iPad... well, it set a new record!!
BTW... I have had my string of bad luck with Apple Prods and was ready to be disappointed. Even have a slight backlight bleed 🙂-O omg) on the iPad.
It's funny most people are so sure it's just a toy. As a musician on the go, being able to read my scores in ForScore and being able to take with me whatever I manage to scan is just too good to be true. Put it on a music stand and you are ready to go.
Apart from that. What is magical about it, is that it simply feels like the future. We might hesitate, not like it in the beginning etc. but when you use one, you just know it. This is how it's going to be. The fact that Apple could make that first experience so smooth (it is, despite all the complaints) is just amazing and will give them an edge for years to come.
It's a bit like eating with your fingers. It's a bit more messy, might take a bit more time... but it feels right! And gives another kind of satisfaction.
The only limit is the imagination of the app devs!
About the price.... value is all about how long it takes to forget how much you spent! With the iPad... well, it set a new record!!
BTW... I have had my string of bad luck with Apple Prods and was ready to be disappointed. Even have a slight backlight bleed 🙂-O omg) on the iPad.
Ciclismo
macrumors 6502a
eye said:
The OP asked whether one thought it was value for money, and you have stated that it was. Your objection to the purchase of an iPad is based on its value as anything other than a "fun gadget". In response to this I must direct you to the post prior to yours:
BlackMax hit the nail on the head - it depends how you use it.
I wish that the iPad had been available when I first started studying as it would have saved me considerable amounts of money (assuming all textbooks I required were available as cheap digital copies). But I also spend quite a bit printing out pages of required readings, lecture notes and photocopies. Now if I can carry that all in a digital format, that would present a saving of $60+ a semester. Not to mention the environmental benefit.
Additionally, being able to carry everything in a digital format would result in a considerable weight saving, making my daily commute more comfortable.
For my personal situation, the iPad was the perfect device for my needs, and is a good value compared to my other options for mobile internet.
I have an iMac for work (I'm a work at home mom), but before the iPad I was completely tied to my desktop. I do not like using laptops, and I don't typically need to do serious work on the go, so I've never bought one. I also couldn't justify the monthly cost of a smartphone. I use < 30 telephone minutes/month most months so I just have a cheap pre-paid phone. I did, however, need access to email, internet, and some files/calendars, etc. on the go. Before the iPad, there really wasn't anything that suited my needs at a price I could justify.
I now have internet wherever I go, and the $15/month plan is just right for me most months to supplement all the Wifi hotspots around. In months when I travel a bit, the $25 plan is more than enough. That represents a great value to me compared to either an expensive smartphone plan w/ a 2 year contract (which would limit me to a tiny screen) or buying a laptop+data plan (which would require lugging a laptop around everywhere and booting up the laptop every time I wanted to use it).
The iPad may indeed be a luxury for those who already have a smartphone and laptop/netbook, but for people who don't have either of those things (yes, we do exist, even at MacRumors!), it can be the perfect solution.
I have an iMac for work (I'm a work at home mom), but before the iPad I was completely tied to my desktop. I do not like using laptops, and I don't typically need to do serious work on the go, so I've never bought one. I also couldn't justify the monthly cost of a smartphone. I use < 30 telephone minutes/month most months so I just have a cheap pre-paid phone. I did, however, need access to email, internet, and some files/calendars, etc. on the go. Before the iPad, there really wasn't anything that suited my needs at a price I could justify.
I now have internet wherever I go, and the $15/month plan is just right for me most months to supplement all the Wifi hotspots around. In months when I travel a bit, the $25 plan is more than enough. That represents a great value to me compared to either an expensive smartphone plan w/ a 2 year contract (which would limit me to a tiny screen) or buying a laptop+data plan (which would require lugging a laptop around everywhere and booting up the laptop every time I wanted to use it).
The iPad may indeed be a luxury for those who already have a smartphone and laptop/netbook, but for people who don't have either of those things (yes, we do exist, even at MacRumors!), it can be the perfect solution.
That is the thing, it replaces me having to LUG a HUGE bag of "stuff" with me for my other kids. Workbooks, coloring books, crayons, etc.... 1 small bag and a loaded up iPad just works!
This is about the same as me. Only replace the iMac with the 17" MBP on a griffin elevator hooked up to 3 device firewire chain, 1 scanner, keyboard and a paper cutter. Not exactly "portable" on a daily basis.
The ROI on a smartphone with data isn't big for me - heck, i'd have to go get bifocals to work on the screen - yet the ROI for the iPad and it's data plan just works.
So while some of you scoff - of those scoffing how many own a smartphone with data? Because that seems to be a more frivolous waste of money to me (and I own a dataless smartphone that had data for a year and it was truly a waste of $$, i didn't use it - the screen was too small to be productive).
Tracey, you're right, I didn't even mention on how much kid (and grown up) entertainment "stuff" the iPad replaces in a bag. I took two trips the first month I had the iPad and was shocked at how much less stuff I needed. Books and magazines are bulky and heavy. The iPad comes in really handy during long waits at the doctor's office, too.
I also agree that, for me, a smartphone+data plan would be a totally frivolous luxury. We are all different, and have different needs. I know there are people who simply couldn't function or conduct business without a smartphone, I just don't happen to be one of those people.
I've also been surprised at how often the GPS features have come in handy when traveling and when ferrying kids around to unfamiliar locations.
Remember the $699.00 Mac Mini still requires a Display, Keyboard, and Mouse so it really ends up costing a bit north of $1,000.00 when you get done.
Mobile devices use a different (more expensive in most cases) class of components so the comparison is not Apples to Apples. You have always been able to get more computing power in a desktop for the same amount of money as a notebook.
The iPad is a truely unique device as it is more convient than a notebook or netbook and the fact that you can leave it on all of the time and just grab it and perform a couple of swipes and taps to get some information that you want makes it well worth the price.
Just think if they came out with something like this 5 years ago people would have been willing to pay $3,000.00 for it.
Mobile devices use a different (more expensive in most cases) class of components so the comparison is not Apples to Apples. You have always been able to get more computing power in a desktop for the same amount of money as a notebook.
The iPad is a truely unique device as it is more convient than a notebook or netbook and the fact that you can leave it on all of the time and just grab it and perform a couple of swipes and taps to get some information that you want makes it well worth the price.
Just think if they came out with something like this 5 years ago people would have been willing to pay $3,000.00 for it.
