Returned my iPad 2 after nearly three months

[Mazda 3s]

Preface: I own a 13" MacBook Air (2010 model) and a 32GB iPhone 4

Well, I returned my iPad 2 to Target today after having it for nearly three months. I found that in my usage model, it was replacing my MacBook Air for browsing sites and general "media consumption" on a larger screen, but when it came to productivity, I would constantly find myself going back to the MBA.

I ended up mainly using my iPad to watch Netflix during the day while I do work at my desk in my home office (while working on my MBA) or watching the Time Warner Cable app. It was good for reading emails and web surfing as well.

But I could never get past the fact that as soon as I would get good into reading/researching something on my iPad, I would have to end up going to my MacBook Air to finish the job (be it printing, looking up a file on my computer, using Photoshop to edit photos, etc).

In the end, my iPad only ended up serving as a larger iPhone for me, minus the phone part. My iPhone usage (as a lounge around device) dropped considerably thanks to the iPad. However, I still ended up juggling around three devices which became a pain. My nightstand became cluttered with a charging iPad and a charging iPhone at night.

Anyway, I loved the iPad, but I just couldn't justify its $500 price as it served as a poor replacement for my more expensive MBA and proved not to be as versatile as my iPhone 4 for everyday use (outside the home).

In the end, Target refunded me the full purchase price (plus tax) for the iPad 2, Walmart refunded my full purchase price for the Smart Cover I bought, and SquareTrade refunded me $63 of the $69 I paid for the 2-year warranty with ADC.

Now I'm looking forward to see what the iPhone 5 offers...

 

[MRU]

It amazes me that you are allowed to take an item back for a refund three months after your purchase. I not think we'd ever be allowed to do that here.

 

[Mazda 3s]

It amazes me that you are allowed to take an item back for a refund three months after your purchase. I not think we'd ever be allowed to do that here.

Well, that's Target's return policy, which is why I bought it from there in the first place. As long as you have the receipt, you're good to go.

 

[bluemonkeyguy]

A justified return. Now if it was for a TouchPad, I would have cussed out your mother.

 

[Nicolas4ever]

Woah you were allowed to return it
Back? Cool

 

[Yumunum]

Preface: I own a 13" MacBook Air (2010 model) and a 32GB iPhone 4

Well, I returned my iPad 2 to Target today after having it for nearly three months. I found that in my usage model, it was replacing my MacBook Air for browsing sites and general "media consumption" on a larger screen, but when it came to productivity, I would constantly find myself going back to the MBA.

I ended up mainly using my iPad to watch Netflix during the day while I do work at my desk in my home office (while working on my MBA) or watching the Time Warner Cable app. It was good for reading emails and web surfing as well.

But I could never get past the fact that as soon as I would get good into reading/researching something on my iPad, I would have to end up going to my MacBook Air to finish the job (be it printing, looking up a file on my computer, using Photoshop to edit photos, etc).

In the end, my iPad only ended up serving as a larger iPhone for me, minus the phone part. My iPhone usage (as a lounge around device) dropped considerably thanks to the iPad. However, I still ended up juggling around three devices which became a pain. My nightstand became cluttered with a charging iPad and a charging iPhone at night.

Anyway, I loved the iPad, but I just couldn't justify its $500 price as it served as a poor replacement for my more expensive MBA and proved not to be as versatile as my iPhone 4 for everyday use (outside the home).

In the end, Target refunded me the full purchase price (plus tax) for the iPad 2, Walmart refunded my full purchase price for the Smart Cover I bought, and SquareTrade refunded me $63 of the $69 I paid for the 2-year warranty with ADC.

Now I'm looking forward to see what the iPhone 5 offers...

I sold my iPad 2 after 2 months or so... It's just a big iPhone. It was depressing actually. At first it felt amazing, then I basically never used it.

 

[ucfgrad93]

It amazes me that you are allowed to take an item back for a refund three months after your purchase.

I agree. That is an incredibly generous return policy that Target has.

 

[Mazda 3s]

I sold my iPad 2 after 2 months or so... It's just a big iPhone. It was depressing actually. At first it felt amazing, then I basically never used it.

The problem for me was that I DID use it, moreso than my iPhone around the house. I was forcing myself to use it because how else could I justify the cost.

But in actuality, it was an inferior experience to my iPhone in many regards (typing while trying to hold it with two hands, can't one-hand type, typing on my iPhone is much faster, I can lay in bed more comfortably with my iPhone than the iPad).

 

[62tele]

Interesting!
My experience is exactly opposite.
I have an iPad 1. I use it almost exlusively at home and I am using it more at work.
At work I have my crappy PC. (I am an applucation analyst for a hospital). I supplement that with a MBA AND my iPad. The iPad comes to meetings with me where I comfortably take notes with a stylus and Note Taker HD. It has greatly simplified and organized my work process.
At home, I am a consumer and the iPad is great for my casual needs. In fact, its damn near perfect.
To each their own.
That is incredible that Target has such a generous return policy. I think you got lucky because the policy is 45 days for computers including tablets.
"Most items must be returned within 90 days and must be in new and unused condition and contain all original packaging and accessories. Some items have a modified return policy noted on the receipt and in the "Item details, shipping" tab for your item. The following items must be returned within 45 days: Computer Hardware (Netbooks, eReaders, Tablets), Cameras and Camcorders. Music, movies, video games, software and collectibles cannot be returned if opened. GiftCards, prepaid cell phones, prepaid cards (including music, game and phone cards), or other items that carry financial value cannot be returned. This applies to both store and mail-in returns. Photo ID may be required for in-store returns. All bundled items must be returned with all components for a refund. Some items cannot be returned if opened. See the full Returns & Refunds Policy as some additional restrictions may apply."

 

[Mazda 3s]

Interesting!
My experience is exactly opposite.
I have an iPad 1. I use it almost exlusively at home and I am using it more at work.
At work I have my crappy PC. (I am an applucation analyst for a hospital). I supplement that with a MBA AND my iPad. The iPad comes to meetings with me where I comfortably take notes with a stylus and Note Taker HD. It has greatly simplified and organized my work process.
At home, I am a consumer and the iPad is great for my casual needs. In fact, its damn near perfect.
To each their own.
That is incredible that Target has such a generous return policy. I think you got lucky because the policy is 45 days for computers including tablets.
"Most items must be returned within 90 days and must be in new and unused condition and contain all original packaging and accessories. Some items have a modified return policy noted on the receipt and in the "Item details, shipping" tab for your item. The following items must be returned within 45 days: Computer Hardware (Netbooks, eReaders, Tablets), Cameras and Camcorders. Music, movies, video games, software and collectibles cannot be returned if opened. GiftCards, prepaid cell phones, prepaid cards (including music, game and phone cards), or other items that carry financial value cannot be returned. This applies to both store and mail-in returns. Photo ID may be required for in-store returns. All bundled items must be returned with all components for a refund. Some items cannot be returned if opened. See the full Returns & Refunds Policy as some additional restrictions may apply."

You see, it fit perfectly into your usage scenario. But for me, my iPhone was already filling that duty as a consumption/media/gaming device.

It basically came down to: I "need" my iPhone (which does 95% of what my iPad can do albeit with a smaller screen); but I don't "need" the iPad.

But I'm glad that people are able to use the iPad and get the most out of it -- it appears that Apple has struck a chord because they're selling a ****load of them

 

[mcarthon]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_3 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8J2 Safari/6533.18.5)

Preface: I own a 13" MacBook Air (2010 model) and a 32GB iPhone 4

Well, I returned my iPad 2 to Target today after having it for nearly three months. I found that in my usage model, it was replacing my MacBook Air for browsing sites and general "media consumption" on a larger screen, but when it came to productivity, I would constantly find myself going back to the MBA.

I ended up mainly using my iPad to watch Netflix during the day while I do work at my desk in my home office (while working on my MBA) or watching the Time Warner Cable app. It was good for reading emails and web surfing as well.

But I could never get past the fact that as soon as I would get good into reading/researching something on my iPad, I would have to end up going to my MacBook Air to finish the job (be it printing, looking up a file on my computer, using Photoshop to edit photos, etc).

In the end, my iPad only ended up serving as a larger iPhone for me, minus the phone part. My iPhone usage (as a lounge around device) dropped considerably thanks to the iPad. However, I still ended up juggling around three devices which became a pain. My nightstand became cluttered with a charging iPad and a charging iPhone at night.

Anyway, I loved the iPad, but I just couldn't justify its $500 price as it served as a poor replacement for my more expensive MBA and proved not to be as versatile as my iPhone 4 for everyday use (outside the home).

In the end, Target refunded me the full purchase price (plus tax) for the iPad 2, Walmart refunded my full purchase price for the Smart Cover I bought, and SquareTrade refunded me $63 of the $69 I paid for the 2-year warranty with ADC.

Now I'm looking forward to see what the iPhone 5 offers...

I sold my iPad 2 after 2 months or so... It's just a big iPhone. It was depressing actually. At first it felt amazing, then I basically never used it.

That's dumb. It's like saying oh I have this 5 inch portable tv so why would I buy I 32 inch flatscreen? It'd just a big portable tv! Stop using that excuse it's pointless.

 

[spiderman0616]

Yeah, I don't know....

When I'm out and about and need an internet connection, it's iPhone all the way for me.

Any other situation, I go to my iPad. The gaming is better, the video viewing is better, and I reading magazines and news is better.

 

[Mazda 3s]

Yeah, I don't know....

When I'm out and about and need an internet connection, it's iPhone all the way for me.

Any other situation, I go to my iPad. The gaming is better, the video viewing is better, and I reading magazines and news is better.

Agreed on the iPhone for out and about. Now, I just go back to the MBA for everything else

 

[urkel]

Yeah, I don't know....

When I'm out and about and need an internet connection, it's iPhone all the way for me.

Any other situation, I go to my iPad. The gaming is better, the video viewing is better, and I reading magazines and news is better.

Same here. When out in the daytime using the internet on a mobile screen still feels "futuristic" and ridiculously convenient to me. But when at home then I just feel stupid hunching over a 3" screen. So thats where the iPad really shows its value because I can do "iPhone" tasks but I have a comfortable screen size.

 

[porcupine8]

The problem for me was that I DID use it, moreso than my iPhone around the house. I was forcing myself to use it because how else could I justify the cost.

But in actuality, it was an inferior experience to my iPhone in many regards (typing while trying to hold it with two hands, can't one-hand type, typing on my iPhone is much faster, I can lay in bed more comfortably with my iPhone than the iPad).

Can't one-hand type? For the past three months, 90% of my Internet usage has been typing one-handed on my iPad while holding my new baby in the other hand. I find it much much easier to type one-handed on than either a traditional keyboard or the iPhone keyboard (which, granted, I only use on iPhone apps on my iPad).

 

[Batavian]

You got lucky the person at Target didn't read their own return policy too carefully.

 

[Carouser]

The problem for me was that I DID use it, moreso than my iPhone around the house. I was forcing myself to use it because how else could I justify the cost.

But in actuality, it was an inferior experience to my iPhone in many regards (typing while trying to hold it with two hands, can't one-hand type, typing on my iPhone is much faster, I can lay in bed more comfortably with my iPhone than the iPad).

If you're fine with your other devices, that's cool, but it's too bad you didn't hang on to the iPad until iOS 5, with its split keyboard, given the above complaints.

 

[kalex]

You got lucky the person at Target didn't read their own return policy too carefully.

Image

and you did. Great job skippy

 

[Mazda 3s]

Can't one-hand type? For the past three months, 90% of my Internet usage has been typing one-handed on my iPad while holding my new baby in the other hand. I find it much much easier to type one-handed on than either a traditional keyboard or the iPhone keyboard (which, granted, I only use on iPhone apps on my iPad).

I can hold the iPhone in one hand and type with that same hand. I can't do that with an iPad. So I could be eating/drinking with one hand, and typing with the other (that's what I mean).

And with my iPhone, I can lay down in bed on with my head on the pillow reading the iPhone. With the iPad, I either had to awkwardly place my body when laying down or just sit with my back up against the headboard with the iPad in my lap.

If you're fine with your other devices, that's cool, but it's too bad you didn't hang on to the iPad until iOS 5, with its split keyboard, given the above complaints.

I was using the latest iOS 5 Beta 6 (I restored it to 4.3.4 before returning it). The split keyboard was more annoying than the regular keyboard because I had to keep moving the screen up and down to get the split keyboard out of the way of text boxes. Whereas with the standard keyboard, it just pushes everything up so that's not even a concern.

That being said, it was a nice experience but I'm better served with the iPhone + 13' MacBook Air instead of iPhone + MBA + iPad.

----------

You got lucky the person at Target didn't read their own return policy too carefully.

Image

Well, the person at Customer Service called back to the Manager on the phone and they OK'd it. I didn't think I'd have a problem anyway because I've read here and on other sites that Target has the most lenient return policy for iPads.

 

[greytmom]

I think you made a wise choice for you at this time. Who knows, your needs may change in the future and you may find yourself going back to the iPad at some point.

I have distinct times that I use all of my gadgets. iPhone - my day to day quick email, internet, music, navigation, alarm clock, and 100 other uses tool. The one that is ALWAYS with me.

iPad - my browsing, video, games, travel, exercise and several other uses device. It is priceless on a trip (and I do travel several times a year, for my job and personally as well).

MBP - my workhorse - iTunes library, video conversion, website maintenance, word processing, database management, "you name it, it does it" machine.

I'm happy with all three, and they all make my life much easier.

And then of course there's the Kindle - my "read for hours on end and carry 1500 books with me wherever I go" pride and joy!

 

[accessoriesguy]

Very generous return policy.

Too many apple products go from ease of use and productive, to painful

Ironic but it is important to remember that an apple device is only as significant as what you will be using it for/needing it for. I think a lot of people forget this.

 

[lemarques]

I have mine since march and really don't regret it. I use it everyday: web, email, books, youtube. My kid loves it too. I take to my costumers to show pictures of my products and it is amazing. People complain about the keyboard and I love it.

I will be traveling next January and I will leave my MBP home...

To work, obviously I still use my MBP. But at home, I don't turn the MBP on anymore.

 

[vlasciar]

I bought mine 3 days ago and just returned it earlier today. As like many other people out there, I have iPhone4 and MBP... silly me to think that I need an iPad2. I found myself enjoying browsing the web more on my MBP and enjoying my apps on my iPhone4.

It is pretty cool that you could return it and get a full refund. Bravo Apple for giving people this choice!

 

[bdhu2001]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_3 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8J2 Safari/6533.18.5)



That's dumb. It's like saying oh I have this 5 inch portable tv so why would I buy I 32 inch flatscreen? It'd just a big portable tv! Stop using that excuse it's pointless.

No he/she is saying they have an iPhone and a Mac Book so they didn't have a need for a tablet that you can only use at home, Unlike the phone, it has no internet connection so any place he/she can use it, they can use the Mac Book.

 

[mcarthon]

No he/she is saying they have an iPhone and a Mac Book so they didn't have a need for a tablet that you can only use at home, Unlike the phone, it has no internet connection so any place he/she can use it, they can use the Mac Book.

I was talkin to yumunum

Thx