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Should I buy or wait?

J

jebbe

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jun 16, 2009
490
8
Louisville, KY
I'm simply looking for opinions and recommendations.

I'm supposedly getting my Federal Tax Refund tomorrow and would like to at least spend some of the money on me. I noticed Apple has refurbished iPads for pretty good prices and was just wondering if it would be wise to buy one or wait for the supposed "iPad 2"? I know nothing is confirmed or even for sure on it, except for rumors and speculation from Betas and sketch images around the web.

I was also wondering if I do happen to get one, what are some recommendations for cases? I like the Apple iPad case but read a lot of negative reactions to it due to it being a dust magnet and you can't use the dock with it.

So any recommendations for something similar to that?
 
fraggot said:
I know nothing is confirmed or even for sure on it, except for rumors and speculation from Betas and sketch images around the web.
543.jpg
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This... just get the refurb ipad and be happy.

PS: The date the IRS says you will receive your money is usually pretty dead on, BTW
 
fraggot said:
I was also wondering if I do happen to get one, what are some recommendations for cases? I like the Apple iPad case but read a lot of negative reactions to it due to it being a dust magnet and you can't use the dock with it.
Click to expand...
It does get dirty easily but on the plus side it's very grippy so you shouldn't drop your iPad when using it in the bath :D I've never felt the need to use my iPad with a dock so that incompatibility has never bothered me.
 
No one can say for sure, but it's extremely likely we'll see iPad 2 in the March/April timeframe. Will it bother you that you didn't wait a month or two to get the latest? Then wait. Otherwise the current iPad is a great device that you will love.

I also love the Apple iPad case. Not sure what people mean about it being a dust magnet. The iPad is a dust magnet. Everything is, really, including us. If anything, it keeps dust OFF the iPad when you have it turned off and covered. And what is great about it is the way it lets you prop it up or hold it as a book. Plus it protects it if you are the type to drop devices.

True you can use the dock, but the iPad is big enough I prefer to lay it down flat next to my laptop and connect a sync cable directly. Works just fine.
 
iPad 2 will come out in two months, definitely worth waiting. The extra money you pay for iPad 2 over the refurbished iPad 1 itself is worth. iPad 1 is crippled in terms of hardware IMO, huge updates are coming which'll last much longer than the first one.

Expected-

1. Dual-core CPU (over single-core in the current)
2. 512MB RAM (256MB in the current one)
3. Dual-core graphic card (over single-core)

And FaceTime for video-calling. Though many won't use it, it makes the device complete.
 
ZilogZ80 said:
Could it have better hardware? Yes, of course.
Is it "crippled"? No, don't be silly :)
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Right now NO but in the long run YES. Don't say everything looks crippled from that point of view. Dual-core CPU/GPU + 512MB looks way more future proof than the current hardware. iPhone 4 and other high-end smartphones have 512MB RAM, 256MB RAM on a tablet is a joke.
 
Well thanks to everyone for the opinions and recommendations. I think my decision will be more grounded once I actually get my nice big fat check :)

I've played with an iPad in Best Buy and it was quite nice and it didn't seem sluggish or slow in anyway. Granted, it was also still on like 3.0 or something stupid so I don't know how it is up to date now. I've just been an iPhone owner since the original and I just know how it is with their newer products. They tend to have some newer features that are big selling points for numerous reasons, I just don't want to be smacking myself in the head later.

I know it probably won't be that big of a difference, so I guess I'll just have to see. Maybe I'll go to the local Apple store and play with an up to date iPad and see how it is.
 
jmpnop said:
Right now NO but in the long run YES. Don't say everything looks crippled from that point of view. Dual-core CPU/GPU + 512MB looks way more future proof than the current hardware. iPhone 4 and other high-end smartphones have 512MB RAM, 256MB RAM on a tablet is a joke.
Click to expand...
Ok, I get it. You have a unique definition of "crippled". :D
 
fraggot said:
Well thanks to everyone for the opinions and recommendations. I think my decision will be more grounded once I actually get my nice big fat check :)

I've played with an iPad in Best Buy and it was quite nice and it didn't seem sluggish or slow in anyway. Granted, it was also still on like 3.0 or something stupid so I don't know how it is up to date now. I've just been an iPhone owner since the original and I just know how it is with their newer products. They tend to have some newer features that are big selling points for numerous reasons, I just don't want to be smacking myself in the head later.

I know it probably won't be that big of a difference, so I guess I'll just have to see. Maybe I'll go to the local Apple store and play with an up to date iPad and see how it is.
Click to expand...

iOS is very efficient and you won't notice any lag whatsover. My point is that the updates coming to the iPad 2 in two months are worth. I'm talking about the ones that are actually important and not something like FaceTime which many wouldn't use. Refurbished iPad price may be compelling but the core updates expected in iPad 2 alone will be worth over the first gen refurbished ones.
 
The thing I like about iOS over Android is that iOS doesn't zoom in and out of maps and pictures at .05 frames per second
 
fraggot said:
I was also wondering if I do happen to get one, what are some recommendations for cases? I like the Apple iPad case but read a lot of negative reactions to it due to it being a dust magnet and you can't use the dock with it.
Click to expand...

The Marware Eco-Vue is a great case at a great price ($21 at Amazon). Has a decent amount of padding, a flip-stand for angled viewing and an elastic panel to slip your hand through for a better grip. I've had mine since they were released and it looks as good as it did when I opened the package (more than I can say for my wife's Sena).

http://www.amazon.com/Marware-602956006572-Eco-Vue-for-iPad/dp/B003C1CCJG
 
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Steven Jobson said:
The thing I like about iOS over Android is that iOS doesn't zoom in and out of maps and pictures at .05 frames per second
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You have no idea how much I agree with you. A lot of the things I like in iOS over Android are very subtle that the "norm" don't notice or care about.

My sister has an android phone and loves it, but I just don't get it.
 
OP I was in your shoes a couple of weeks ago and I decided to get one from a buyer on Craigslist at a great price. I'm very happy with my purchase and I'll more than likely pick up the iPad 2 around the holidays.
 
Android OS is not proven yet as a tablet. If you need tablet now, I would recommend going with iPad. iPad 2 will probably be released in late march or early april. The choice is yours.
 
djransom said:
OP I was in your shoes a couple of weeks ago and I decided to get one from a buyer on Craigslist at a great price. I'm very happy with my purchase and I'll more than likely pick up the iPad 2 around the holidays.
Click to expand...

May i ask how much you got your iPad for and what model it was?
 
Just wait... There's no much of a wait anymore, and the rumors are more solid at this time.
I bought mine in July and don't regret it. But at this point in time, it seems more reasonable to wait.
 
Hell, I just bought my iPad last week. I wanted/needed it now, not in a few months.

Now I'm very satisfied and I'll wait for the iPad 3 to replace this one.
 
MadGoat said:
Hell, I just bought my iPad last week. I wanted/needed it now, not in a few months.

Now I'm very satisfied and I'll wait for the iPad 3 to replace this one.
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+1 to this.. You can spend your whole life waiting on Apple product refreshes. Or you can just buy now and enjoy it. I'm loving my new iPad and I will still be loving it for the next two months while other people wait.

The whole argument that you should wait (a couple of weeks, maybe, but for two months) makes the suggestion that the current model is completely useless compared to the new model.
 
I can probably see myself getting, once I have the money in my hand my impulses will kick in.

My main reason for wanting one though is simply cause it's a good middle ground for me. I don't want a full on laptop cause I already have a PC that has well around $2,000 invested in it. I already have a Mac Mini for all my Mac needs and then I have an iPhone 4. So I just want something I can lay in bed with and surf the web and maybe play a game or two.

I just don't need all of what a laptop offers, I want something less but more then an iPhone/iPod Touch.

Oh, how is reading books on it? Is it a pain?
 
fraggot said:
So I just want something I can lay in bed with and surf the web and maybe play a game or two.

Oh, how is reading books on it? Is it a pain?
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This is precisely what I bought mine for. It's great not having to track down my laptop and make sure the battery is charged just so I can browse the web for a few minutes or play a few games.

As a HUGE Kindle proponent, I gotta say, it definitely isn't bad reading books via the Kindle app. I hate to say it, but I honestly see myself using this to read more than the Kindle (though the Kindle is definitely a more robust device for just reading), simply for the fact that this can browse the web, spew out music in a semi-organized fashion and so much more, in addition to just reading.

I definitely wouldn't make it my only reading device, but I am impressed with it.
 
fraggot said:
I can probably see myself getting, once I have the money in my hand my impulses will kick in.

My main reason for wanting one though is simply cause it's a good middle ground for me. I don't want a full on laptop cause I already have a PC that has well around $2,000 invested in it. I already have a Mac Mini for all my Mac needs and then I have an iPhone 4. So I just want something I can lay in bed with and surf the web and maybe play a game or two.

I just don't need all of what a laptop offers, I want something less but more then an iPhone/iPod Touch.

Oh, how is reading books on it? Is it a pain?
Click to expand...

I read on mine for 1-1/2 to 2 hours a day (2 40-minute commutes and about a half hour or more before bed). I haven't picked up my Kindle in 6 or 7 months. Okay, I lied, I picked it up a few weeks ago and was disappointed that it wasn't backlit. There are people here who complain about fatigue and pixelated text, but when don't people complain about something?
 
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