Should I buy or wait?

[Reach9]

If you don't need it (be honest to yourself) then wait for 1-2months, the brand new iPad 2 will be released and you'll be hitting yourself in the head when you see how much better the new one is.
Dual Core processor? Enough said.

 

[cootersgarage6]

Wait

Wait, because if you get the iPad and then the new one comes out like the NEXT day, because it's been a little over a year now, then you will regret it every time you look at your iPad. And remember, never get the first generation ANYTHING... Lol ( :

 

[jebbe]

Wait, because if you get the iPad and then the new one comes out like the NEXT day, because it's been a little over a year now, then you will regret it every time you look at your iPad. And remember, never get the first generation ANYTHING... Lol ( :

Meh, I had every iPhone and there was nothing wrong with the original iPhone. No it didn't have anywhere near as many features as the iPhone 4 does today, but it was still a big deal and did a lot of things better then most phones.

 

[ulbador]

Meh, I had every iPhone and there was nothing wrong with the original iPhone. No it didn't have anywhere near as many features as the iPhone 4 does today, but it was still a big deal and did a lot of things better then most phones.

I actually still prefer the original design

 

[svalentine]

wait

 

[jmpnop]

+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.

He has waited so long and in just two months, a much much better product will be released. I don't see your reason being valid at all since first gen hardware will soon be outdated and investing in it doesn't even make the slightest sense.

 

[deeddawg]

in just two months, a much much better product will be released.

Can you define "much much better" in concrete terms, or is it just a matter of assumption that 2nd gen >> 1st gen?


I wouldn't buy an ipad brand new today; too close to announcement/release of the next gen. If you have a good reason to buy now such as planned travel in the next month, I think its reasonable to buy a 1st gen off Craigslist if you can get a good price.

IMHO it's usually a good idea to wait a couple months after release before buying. Gives time for the accessory market to develop more/better options and time for any early production run issues to be sorted out. I have no problem letting others be the first in line, though I remain puzzled at the fascination with watching youtube videos of someone opening a box.

So if the 2nd gen ships in April, then May or June would be the time to buy. I bought a used ipad for a good price three weeks ago. The difference between what I resell it for an what I paid will be my cost of ownership over the four+ months.

 

[RobT]

Absolutely wait

 

[jmpnop]

Can you define "much much better" in concrete terms, or is it just a matter of assumption that 2nd gen >> 1st gen?


I wouldn't buy an ipad brand new today; too close to announcement/release of the next gen. If you have a good reason to buy now such as planned travel in the next month, I think its reasonable to buy a 1st gen off Craigslist if you can get a good price.

IMHO it's usually a good idea to wait a couple months after release before buying. Gives time for the accessory market to develop more/better options and time for any early production run issues to be sorted out. I have no problem letting others be the first in line, though I remain puzzled at the fascination with watching youtube videos of someone opening a box.

So if the 2nd gen ships in April, then May or June would be the time to buy. I bought a used ipad for a good price three weeks ago. The difference between what I resell it for an what I paid will be my cost of ownership over the four+ months.

There's no concrete proof. There are rumors about iPad 2 getting dual core CPU, GPU and 512MB RAM which clearly looks possible since everyone else is offering it.

 

[jebbe]

There's no concrete proof. There are rumors about iPad 2 getting dual core CPU, GPU and 512MB RAM which clearly looks possible since everyone else is offering it.

Well the only thing I have to say to that is, Apple never really follows what's popular. They make what they want to make and make it how they want to make it.

 

[deeddawg]

There's no concrete proof. There are rumors about iPad 2 getting dual core CPU, GPU and 512MB RAM which clearly looks possible since everyone else is offering it.

Exactly my point. Will the 2nd gen be "better"? I'm sure it will in a number of ways. The trouble is there's no true information as to what those ways may be, just conjecture and speculation.

As such, there's no way for someone on the fence to evaluate whether a 2nd generation unit will be better for THEM in terms of the things they want to do with it.

If having the latest and greatest irrespective of usage is important, or if the current gen is deficient in ways that may be addressed, then waiting is certainly the best option.

Otherwise, picking up a used unit from Craigslist for a good price may be an option. It's much easier to wait for two or three or four months if you have one in hand than if you don't. Let the first adopters put the 2nd gen through its paces, give Apple a month to put out an update fixing any initial issues, and also allow the accessories market to get spun up so you potentially have a wider choice of accessory options at lower cost than in the first few weeks after release.

 

[EazyWeazy3]

Buy at Best Buy and use their new buyback program.

You can get some of your money back and use it for the new one.

Just a thought.

 

[deeddawg]

Buy at Best Buy and use their new buyback program.

You can get some of your money back and use it for the new one.

Just a thought.

Not a bad thought if someone is uncomfortable enough with selling gear on ebay or Craigslist that they're willing to get less back out of the thing.

Sort of like selling your car to Carmax or trading it in to a dealer; they won't give you as much as you could get selling it yourself, but it is also less hassle and many people are willing to make that trade.

Still, I wouldn't buy new at retail right now; you'll take a bigger hit if you later trade up to the 2nd gen than if you buy a used.

 

[nmills]

I was going to buy one this week, but have decided to wait. I really WANT one right now, but I figure, if the two comes out and it's better, I'll get it. If I don't want the upgrades in the 2, I'll get the original at a lower price!

 

[jebbe]

Yeah I thought about just buying it anyways, cause if the new one comes out 2 months from now. Someone out there will surely want to buy an iPad, even if it's an older one.

And two months from now, I could sell my old one and buy a new one for just a couple hundred bucks or less after selling it. And it's sad to say, but there's plenty of suckers out there who will pay almost the same amount I paid for it to buy it from me.

 

[ulbador]

Yeah I thought about just buying it anyways, cause if the new one comes out 2 months from now. Someone out there will surely want to buy an iPad, even if it's an older one.

And two months from now, I could sell my old one and buy a new one for just a couple hundred bucks or less after selling it. And it's sad to say, but there's plenty of suckers out there who will pay almost the same amount I paid for it to buy it from me.

Hell, buy now from Best Buy and you can sell it back for 250$. I'm sure Craigslist or Ebay it would be worth at least that if not 350$ or more when the new one comes out.

Point is, you can wait a minimum of two months (probably more until you can actually get one in hand between shipping and actual availability), or you can enjoy it now and not lose out on much.

Even if the next-gen iPad does have a dual-core processor/graphics card, it will be a long time before an app comes out that you can't run on your first-gen iPad, and mine never has lagged even a little. Hell, for me the biggest draw would be the additional RAM, but all that does on my iPhone is let me run twice as many crappily written apps in the background before I have to start killing them.

 

[Christopher387A]

I'd say wait. You've waited this long, what's a few more months?

 

[phpmaven]

+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.

Can't agree with you there. Just because someone may choose to wait a few weeks to get the latest model of something doesn't mean that they feel or others recommending that course of action think the current model is a piece of crap.

If you can wait a bit, it probably makes sense to see what the new model has to offer. If you can't wait, get the current model, it's great and you'll love it. Love mine.

 

[marvlaw]

If you want to start using one now, have you considered the craigslist/ ebay route? I was in your position and was able to find a 32GB 3G for $380. I figured if the new one is that great I'll at least be able to get my money back, if not, I got a really good deal!

 

[MadGoat]

Can't agree with you there. Just because someone may choose to wait a few weeks to get the latest model of something doesn't mean that they feel or others recommending that course of action think the current model is a piece of crap.

If you can wait a bit, it probably makes sense to see what the new model has to offer. If you can't wait, get the current model, it's great and you'll love it. Love mine.

As soon as the iPad 2 comes out, there will be folk here asking "Should I buy now or wait till it has Retina Display Or wait till it has feature 'X'"


It's a non stop cycle. I always say buy now or you will forever be waiting for the next marginal update.


I've personally have decided to buy odd version iPads 1,3,5 etc...

 

[nmills]

I've personally have decided to buy odd version iPads 1,3,5 etc...

I was considering this, as well. I'm not sure the 2 will be that much better than the original. My main reason for waiting is the possibility of a lower price. Although, that's up for debate as well, as I am not sure the price of the original iPads will be that much lower....

 

[ulbador]

As soon as the iPad 2 comes out, there will be folk here asking "Should I buy now or wait till it has Retina Display Or wait till it has feature 'X'"

It's a non stop cycle. I always say buy now or you will forever be waiting for the next marginal update.

This is exactly what happened with the iPhone 4. It wasn't two days after they started getting into hands and people were saying "Not a big enough update, wait for IP5".

 

[deeddawg]

This is exactly what happened with the iPhone 4. It wasn't two days after they started getting into hands and people were saying "Not a big enough update, wait for IP5".

In the DSLR world it's usually more effective to upgrade every other generation unless an update provides some key feature you find makes the upgrade worthwhile. The incremental differences from one generation to the next don't make as much of an impression as skipping generations.

I doubt it will be significantly different here. I don't really game, so raw horsepower isn't much of a concern. A camera would be neat for stuff like Amazon's search or something like JotNotPro but I don't have a need for video chat or using my ipad as a camera.

A retina type screen? That would likely make me upgrade. (I know it's unlikely, just sayin')

We shall see.

 

[Gordon Gekko]

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.

What is your source for these expected upgrades?

 

[Dr McKay]

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 I've never felt the need to use my iPad with a dock so that incompatibility has never bothered me.

You'd dare to use it in the bath?