refurb 2 price drop anticipated? (or just wait and buy a 3?)

[Leonard1818]

Hi Everyone.

My wifes b-day is coming up soon and I'd like to get her an iPad. She's an instructor at a university and I believe she could do 99% of what she does daily with an iPad and wouldn't need to carry her MBP back and forth every day.

So a few questions:

1. Do you anticapte a price drop of the iPad 2 (refurb or new) once the iPad 3 is announced? Right now, I see a refurb iPad 2 16gig for $419 (32-gig for $499). For those of you that have paid attention to iPads from the get-go, would you anticipate this to go down?

2. Being that she's a university instructor, I believe she can use keynote to run her powerpoint presentations and then just use a VGA cable to her iPad and run everything off of her iPad (once she gets an iPhone I understand you can then advance the slides from the phone -- NEAT!). With that said, I don't see any huge advantage for her to have an iPad 3. She would likely use the web on it to enter grades and I'd like to think she would be able to run her ppt off of it. Does anyone see a reason why I should wait/spring for a 3?

3. What are the projected prices of them? Agan, for those of you who have been on top of these things since the beginning.

Admittingly, I really want one of these too but when I asked her if she wanted an iPhone she said she'd rather have an iPad for the aforementioned reasons.

Thanks for reading this and giving any input!

 

[deeddawg]

1: Yes. See https://www.macrumors.com/2011/03/02/first-generation-ipad-prices-reduced-by-100/

2: Impossible to really answer as all that's available is speculation and rumors.

3: Guesses again, but I'd expect pricing to range from $500 to mid $800's -- Apple doesn't get into price competition, and they would likely not want the top end ipads to overlap the bottom end Macbook Airs. Maybe they'll do a $400 ipad2 like they do with the iphone 4, maybe not. Just a guess.

 

[Leonard1818]

1: Yes. See https://www.macrumors.com/2011/03/02/first-generation-ipad-prices-reduced-by-100/

2: Impossible to really answer as all that's available is speculation and rumors.

3: Guesses again, but I'd expect pricing to range from $500 to mid $800's -- Apple doesn't get into price competition, and they would likely not want the top end ipads to overlap the bottom end Macbook Airs. Maybe they'll do a $400 ipad2 like they do with the iphone 4, maybe not. Just a guess.

Thanks for your reply.

I understand nothing is known and it's all speculation/guesses at this point. That's really all I'm looking for. That link was very helpful and I'd be surprised if the iPad 2 wasn't reduced in price with the announcement of the iPad 3 based on what happened last year around this time.

 

[ElCidRo]

man don't be cheap
she's your wife - get her an iPad 3.

 

[MonkeySee....]

I know cost is a big issue but when it comes to tech I don't see why you'd want to get the 2 when the 3 is just around the corner.

If it comes with the Retina Screen as well is going to look amazing.

I'm expecting the price to be the same as the previous two releases.

 

[Leonard1818]

ha ha thanks guys.

I'm not being cheap... just "reasonable" She's going to kill me for buying her one (till she starts using it of course).

I just figure if she's going to be the main one using it and she is only going to use it for entering grades and for running her slide decks, I don't want to "over purchase". She doesn't use technology to the max like I do. I thought if I went with the 2 and saved a few bucks I could satisfy the anticipated need and still be able to afford a BT keyboard (and a case that encapsulates all of it).

I'll have to see what a 16gb and 32gb ipad 2 went for new... I was looking at refurbs. Weren't they like $499 and $599 respectively?

 

[MonkeySee....]

ha ha thanks guys.

I'm not being cheap... just "reasonable" She's going to kill me for buying her one (till she starts using it of course).

I just figure if she's going to be the main one using it and she is only going to use it for entering grades and for running her slide decks, I don't want to "over purchase". She doesn't use technology to the max like I do. I thought if I went with the 2 and saved a few bucks I could satisfy the anticipated need and still be able to afford a BT keyboard (and a case that encapsulates all of it).

I'll have to see what a 16gb and 32gb ipad 2 went for new... I was looking at refurbs. Weren't they like $499 and $599 respectively?

She will be fine when she gets to use it. Treat her to a magazine subscription aswell and let her get maximum use out of it. I'm sure she will love it.

 

[Leonard1818]

She will be fine when she gets to use it. Treat her to a magazine subscription aswell and let her get maximum use out of it. I'm sure she will love it.

Hey, not a bad idea at all! She's been saying that she wants to subscribe to a couple of magazines but ALWAYS complains about my hard-copy Car and driver and bloomberg business weeks that are ALWAYS laying all over the place

That's a fantastic idea!

Thanks!

 

[gregorypierce]

ha ha thanks guys.

I'm not being cheap... just "reasonable" She's going to kill me for buying her one (till she starts using it of course).

I have never seen a wife be unreasonable about a gift on Valentines Day - unless it was just something she didn't really want.

 

[Leonard1818]

I have never seen a wife be unreasonable about a gift on Valentines Day - unless it was just something she didn't really want.

ehhh, she's not getting it for v-day. it'll be for her birthday in mid-march.

Either way though, I think you're right. I just never really surprise her with anything anymore so hopefully I can keep this one under wraps.

 

[Night Spring]

She would likely use the web on it to enter grades

What kind of website? I'd double check this if I were you. Go to an Apple store, and try to visit this website with one of the disply iPads, and make sure it works. With websites, you can't just assume that they will all work on the iPad as on a desktop.

As for refurbs, I fully expect prices to drop once the iPad 3 announcement is made. If I recall correctly, last year, *new* iPad 1 got discounted once 2 was announced. And there was definitely some very good deals on refurbs. You had to be very attentive, though, they sold out very quickly.

 

[Leonard1818]

What kind of website? I'd double check this if I were you. Go to an Apple store, and try to visit this website with one of the disply iPads, and make sure it works. With websites, you can't just assume that they will all work on the iPad as on a desktop.

As for refurbs, I fully expect prices to drop once the iPad 3 announcement is made. If I recall correctly, last year, *new* iPad 1 got discounted once 2 was announced. And there was definitely some very good deals on refurbs. You had to be very attentive, though, they sold out very quickly.

you make a good point. I'm logged in now (on my iPhone) trying to access where she enters grades but I can't figure out where to go. I can get to EVERYTHING I've tried to so far...

I can only *assume* that if I can access it on my iPhone that I'd be able to on the iPad?

 

[Night Spring]

I can only *assume* that if I can access it on my iPhone that I'd be able to on the iPad?

Not assume -- if you can access something on the iPhone, then you can definitely do the same on the iPad. The only sites where the experience might be different are those that send you to mobile versions of their pages -- some sites leave me dizzy, having a desktop version, an iPhone version, AND an iPad version, all different from each other -- but I'm assuming your wife's grading website isn't anything so sophisticated!

 

[Jeepman88]

If Verizon runs the same sale they ran after the iPad 2 release, you won't be able to beat that. I took advantage of that sale and got a NEW iPad 1 16GB Wi-Fi for $299. That's the sale I'll be keeping an eye out for.

 

[Stetrain]

I'd wait until the announcement in March. If the iPad 3's features don't seem important to your situation, then you will be almost sure to get a great deal on a new or refurbished iPad 2.

 

[Leonard1818]

If Verizon runs the same sale they ran after the iPad 2 release, you won't be able to beat that. I took advantage of that sale and got a NEW iPad 1 16GB Wi-Fi for $299. That's the sale I'll be keeping an eye out for.

Excellent! I wondered if Verizon was doing something like that. Did you have bo buy a 3G one and a plan or could you just walk out with the iPad?

I'd wait until the announcement in March. If the iPad 3's features don't seem important to your situation, then you will be almost sure to get a great deal on a new or refurbished iPad 2.

Sound advice. I will definately wait and see what happens.

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Not assume -- if you can access something on the iPhone, then you can definitely do the same on the iPad. The only sites where the experience might be different are those that send you to mobile versions of their pages -- some sites leave me dizzy, having a desktop version, an iPhone version, AND an iPad version, all different from each other -- but I'm assuming your wife's grading website isn't anything so sophisticated!

I don't think it is. I think it will be fine but I'd still like to test it out before comitting.

 

[Trvlngnrs]

i bought the 1st gen thru AT&T when the 2nd gens came out. 64gb, 3G with no monthly plan for $520 if I remember correctly

 

[Jeepman88]

Just walked out with an iPad. The only weird thing is they made me open it in store and they activated it. Not sure why... whatever though