Just as the title explains I need some help on buying an ipad. The thing I'm stuck on is the ipad 2 vs ipad 1. Most of the rumors I have seen on the ipad don't interest me except for two. 1. RAM- how much would 512mb make against 256? 2. GPU- the most resent rumor I read claimed that a new GPU will go into the ipad and is supposed to be 200-300% faster then the one in the current ipad. Now my problem is that this weekend I could really use an ipad for a presentation I'm giving. My real question is if I bought an ipad 1 would the things I listed above really matter for the near future or at least tell this summer?( By matter I mean any apps that wont run on ipad 1 because of the new GPU in the ipad 2?)
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Need some advice on buying ipad...
- Thread starter Zackmd1
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Gizmodo "helpfully" ran a story today entitled "Don't Buy an iPad" - addressing precisely this issue. (Needless to say, it garnered the expected amount of Apple-hating trollery.)
Buying any tech device presents this sort of dilemma. I'm old enough to remember paying eight hundred freaking dollars for a TWENTY MEGABYTE external hard drive for my Mac Plus. If you wait long enough the odds are very, very good indeed that you would be able to buy a far more capable device for the same amount - or less - than you pay for today's technology.
The flip side of this argument is that by waiting you forego the very real benefits owning that technology brings. Who can say how many jobs I got, how much money I've, how many computer-related problems I was able to solve, etc. etc. - precisely because I've been working with personal computers since the days of the Apple II.
If I were you, I'd go ahead and buy the iPad. Sure - its pretty likely that, before the end of this summer, that Apple will announce some sort of iPad V2. Its probably going to have a camera. Its almost certain to have more memory and a faster processor.
But don't let that stand in your way. For one thing, the iPad needs a camera not in the least. And for 99% of the things you are likely to do with it, you won't miss the extra RAM or cpu cycles.
Figure out what five months of iPad-owning "utility" is worth to you. How many presentations can you make with it. How much more reading/video watching/game playing/etc. etc. will you be able to do with it. Is it worth a dollar a day to you? If so - then come July 1, you can sell your "nearly new" iPad for a $150 loss - and turn around and buy V2.0.
Buying any tech device presents this sort of dilemma. I'm old enough to remember paying eight hundred freaking dollars for a TWENTY MEGABYTE external hard drive for my Mac Plus. If you wait long enough the odds are very, very good indeed that you would be able to buy a far more capable device for the same amount - or less - than you pay for today's technology.
The flip side of this argument is that by waiting you forego the very real benefits owning that technology brings. Who can say how many jobs I got, how much money I've, how many computer-related problems I was able to solve, etc. etc. - precisely because I've been working with personal computers since the days of the Apple II.
If I were you, I'd go ahead and buy the iPad. Sure - its pretty likely that, before the end of this summer, that Apple will announce some sort of iPad V2. Its probably going to have a camera. Its almost certain to have more memory and a faster processor.
But don't let that stand in your way. For one thing, the iPad needs a camera not in the least. And for 99% of the things you are likely to do with it, you won't miss the extra RAM or cpu cycles.
Figure out what five months of iPad-owning "utility" is worth to you. How many presentations can you make with it. How much more reading/video watching/game playing/etc. etc. will you be able to do with it. Is it worth a dollar a day to you? If so - then come July 1, you can sell your "nearly new" iPad for a $150 loss - and turn around and buy V2.0.
Wow thanks for the replies guys! I was expecting everyone to say wait! I'll most likely be buying one this weekend. The thing that still is in the back of my mind is the GPU but if it does happen then hello ebay!!!
Wait. Why pay same amount for less features if we're only talking about 2-3 months in the future?
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Buy used from Craigslist and use it. Then when ipad2 has been out a couple months sell the ipad1 and buy ipad2. Cost diff of reselling ipad1 is your rental fee.
Yea thats one way of looking at it! I actually have a $100 gift card for best buy left over from christmas so we will see if there are any on craigslist for less then $400.
If you can wait, wait. You don't need an iPad just to give a presentation - you are simply fishing for excuses to get one! If you buy one now, regardless of how "minor" the updates on iPad 2 seem, you will regret it when it launches.
Lol!! Yeah I'm one of them! This is exactly why Verizon changed their 30 day buyers remorse for smart phones to 14 days. People would "rent" for a month then return them used and owe nothing. I bought a "new" computer from Best Buy once and the box did not have have the factory seal. Salesman explained that they take them out for inspection to see if everything is there. Hmmm. So I said I will buy one if you can find one in the back that is factory sealed. He couldn't find one. So he took the computer out of the box that he wanted to show me and sure enough...items were missing and there were scratches on the bottom. That was some 7 years ago but still is fresh in my mind.
I opted for an iPad now rather then waiting.
I really don't want or have any desire for a 1MP camera, the increase ram might be nice, but all my apps now are able to run. I also highly doubt that any of the major developers would be very quick to write applications that would exclude the iPad, given the number of iPad 1s out there now.
The lack of a retina display and just small incremental changes failed to excite me to a degree that I was willing to wait.
I'm very pleased with the iPad 1 and I figure I'd be in a better position to get an iPad 3 in 2012 as I expect that to have even more changes compared to my iPad 1.
Its your money, and your decision, I figured I didn't want to wait the additional 2+ months for an iPad that would not be that much different
I really don't want or have any desire for a 1MP camera, the increase ram might be nice, but all my apps now are able to run. I also highly doubt that any of the major developers would be very quick to write applications that would exclude the iPad, given the number of iPad 1s out there now.
The lack of a retina display and just small incremental changes failed to excite me to a degree that I was willing to wait.
I'm very pleased with the iPad 1 and I figure I'd be in a better position to get an iPad 3 in 2012 as I expect that to have even more changes compared to my iPad 1.
Its your money, and your decision, I figured I didn't want to wait the additional 2+ months for an iPad that would not be that much different
Maybe I'm in the minority, but I don't see the iPad iterating like the iPhone in which Apple will be able to drastically ramp up the performance and make older versions obsolete. Phones are essentially a 2-3 year product, meaning you can easily get everyone to the latest feature set (e.g. iPhone 4) in a short time and developers can follow suit.
The iPad, however, I look at as more of a 5+ year product. While some developers will push the boundaries and make apps that are only available on iPad 2 or 3, most will not want to forgo that large installed base.
The iPad, however, I look at as more of a 5+ year product. While some developers will push the boundaries and make apps that are only available on iPad 2 or 3, most will not want to forgo that large installed base.