Not sure whether to keep it

Oh these ipads are useless.... send it to me and ill dispose of it!!!

 

As Sandboxgeneral said no one can convince you if you actually need it, as everyone's uses are different.

My advice would be if you NEED to convince yourself then you can probably survive without it.

Personally I too have an iphone 4, iPad 3, and MacBook pro, and I use each for different things. If I'm honest the iPad is my go to device nine out of ten times. More portable than a laptop, and much bigger screen than the iphone.

However, I do think the fact it's been unopened since you bought it speaks volumes. Ultimately the choice is yours.

 

If I had a dollar for every thread like this, I would have been able to buy ONE Apple stock by now.

Seriously, we cannot convince you to keep/return it. The way I use my iPad may not be the way you want to use it. If you have no use for it, return it, and put the money into your savings account.

 

Research.
Debate needs.
Weigh pros/cons.
Analyze budget.
Think.
Purchase.

Follow this sequence and you seldom have buyer's remorse.

 

I prefer the new iPad over my computer due to the crystal clear screen. I read books on it and an occasional game. It's purely a luxury item though.

Last year I got an iPad 2 and let it sit around unopened--until I realized that the screen on the iPad 1 and 2 were exactly the same. I returned the iPad 2.

If you aren't excited about it then I'd take it back and get something else. It's too expensive to be blah about.

 

A lot of iPads get sold to people who already have smart phones, desktops, and laptops, and a lot of times the usage of all those devices steadily decreases after they see all the things an iPad can offer them.

At home I have a Windows gaming tower, Xbox 360, PS3, 2 HDTVs, and a Macbook. I always have my iPhone with me wherever I go. NONE of those devices get used heavily anymore. During the month when I had sold my iPad 2 and was waiting for the 3rd gen to be released, they got used more. The second I got my new iPad, usage went down dramatically again. My iPhone was at almost 70% charge when I went to bed last night.

If you took away all my tech in the house except for my iPhone, iPad, and Airport Extreme, I could get by just fine. Are the games better on my consoles? Oh, absolutely. Is it fun to watch movies and shows on a huge HDTV? Hell yes. But on a normal weeknight when I'm tired from work and taking care of the kids, I'd much rather cozy up in bed and do all that stuff on my iPad. Then I can just put it down and go to sleep when I get tired.

 

You can always take advantage of the return policy, depending on where you bought it.

Open it, try it out, see how you feel.

Everyone here will have different advice and only you will be able to decide for yourself.

 

I have a MacBook pro, an iPhone 4S and the new iPad. I use the iPad for reading, gaming and browsing while home. MacBook pro is for work and my iPhone is used whenever I cannot use the iPad (I have the LTE Verizon iPad ).

 

And who are these people that drop $500+ on something they have no idea about? I make a very good living and I still evaluate every purchase carefully before I buy. I can't imagine picking up a $500 device and then trying to figure out if I want to keep it.

 

I have a MacBook pro and iPhone 4. The iPhone is fine when I've got nothing else on me, but my MacBook only gets used when I HAVE to, like work. Almost all my web browsing is done on my iPad.

Do I need it? No. But is it convenient? Absolutely!

C

 

When in doubt.......don't!

 

I'd say almost all things I do with my iPad could be covered by iPhone & MB.
It's rather a question of difference in convenience, handiness and enjoyment of the tasks, my iPad now does for the other devices.

And for that I love it. Period.
Try using Evernote, jumping from workstation to workstation, taking quick notes, add an occasional photo shot for the files, etc. etc. - doable with other devices, but...nah....

 

I have a 17" MBP and an iPhone 4. Over the years my MBP has really become a desktop. I find it that I bring it to places less and less. I was using my iPhone mostly for my mobile web browsing. As much as I love my iPhone, it isn't the best experience web browsing with the small screen.

That was my main reason why I bought the new iPad. I love it. The 9.7" retina display is amazing to use. It is easy to surf the web, etc with it. And of course LTE is blazing fast. Now I have three steps of mobility. I still have my MBP for situations I need a full computer on the go. I have my iPad to have a pleasurable experience browsing on the go. And where the iPad isn't practical to be taken somewhere, I have my iPhone 4.

 

I still say open it and try it out for a few days. It sounds like you have already made up your mind that you don't want or need it though. If that's the case, just take it back.

My advice would be to set it up and use it. If you are going to do something on the MBP or your iPhone (like browse the forums) try it on the iPad instead.

Pretty soon you will realize which device you prefer for certain tasks.

I use my phone the most, only because I don't want everyone that walks by my desk to see that I have an iPad (or that I'm browsing MR at work ). When I'm at home I reach for the iPad first. If it something I can't do on either mobile device my laptop is there as a last resort.

 

*shakes head*

You're trollin, ain't ya!

 

I was in a similar situation. I'm a longtime MacBook Air user (all the way back to February 2008), and have an iPhone 4S. I did not purchase the first 2 iPads, but made the decision to go with the new iPad. There is some iPad-only content, such as certain books (mostly textbooks, but eventually there may be more).

However, I plan to use the iPad for travel. I have a Windows notebook that I travel with, and while the Air is certainly small, it is still a second notebook. The iPad gives me access to the Apple ecosystem in a more portable format than the Air, and gives me more usable room than an iPhone. It's definitely a luxury, however. There isn't a whole lot that can't be done by the iPhone/Mac combo.

If you do want an iPad but aren't sure of the cost, the 16GB Wi-Fi might be a good choice. You have your iPhone for your iTunes content, and so can be selective with the content you put on the iPad. If you don't need LTE, you can add tethering to your iPhone data plan and save the expense of the 4G version.

 

I'm almost certain you can, however, I didn't get mine directly from Apple. I'm sure some one else can answer that.

Sorry, should've gotten that answer before giving my advice.

 

Not to thread jack, but you would only have 1 dollar.
Now If you had a dollar for each and every time then, you'd have some cash.

 

Yes, you can return it for a full refund even if you've opened and used it (just don't shatter the screen, drop it in water, etc). You don't have to make up a reason for the return: "it didn't meet my needs" or "I didn't like it" is good enough for Apple.