should I get an iPad or upgrade my 3GS to a 4S?

[RJCP]

title says it all. What do you guys think would be a better investment?

 

[Dangerous Theory]

Tiltle doesn't say it all. You have given zero background information on your requirements/wants. We are not psychic...

 

[palpatine]

I gotta agree. You should get what you want... Without information, there is not much else to say

 

[Ecoh]

Do you want Siri ? You will only get it with iPhone 4S.

Do you watch videos or surf the web a lot ? Larger screen on the iPad would be nice.

 

[seong]

Like others said, it really depends on what you do with devices.
If you are accustomed to using iPhone, and love it's portability, then go with 4S. From 3GS to 4S is a huge leap, with different design, better camera, A5, etc.
However, if you are just using your iPhone 3GS as phone, and don't do much on it, then go with the iPad 2. I assure you that you won't regret getting one for web surfing, reading books, watching videos, etc.

 

[RJCP]

Well, I have a Macbook alum. and I use my 3GS mainly as an iPod and for frequent web-browsing, emailing and that kind of thing.

When I don't have my laptop with me, I find it very uncomfortable to type for too long on the iPhone as my thumbs start to ache after a while, and also while it is fine to browse the web, it's not ideal. An iPhone 4S wouldn't resolve this problem, I think.

Also, it would be cheaper for me to get an iPad2 than to change my handset as I'm not yet eligible to upgrade and I'd have to buy a carrier-free iPhone which is more expensive than the iPad2.

 

[boomhower]

Well, I have a Macbook alum. and I use my 3GS mainly as an iPod and for frequent web-browsing, emailing and that kind of thing.

When I don't have my laptop with me, I find it very uncomfortable to type for too long on the iPhone as my thumbs start to ache after a while, and also while it is fine to browse the web, it's not ideal. An iPhone 4S wouldn't resolve this problem, I think.

Also, it would be cheaper for me to get an iPad2 than to change my handset as I'm not yet eligible to upgrade and I'd have to buy a carrier-free iPhone which is more expensive than the iPad2.

Selling you phone and using those proceeds would bring the cost down to be equal or lower than the iPad.

Another thing to consider is data cost. To get data on the iPad is going to require you to either get another plan for the iPad or add tethering to your iPhone.(and possibly lose your grandfathered unlimited data on your iPhone if it applies to you)

 

[Ugg]

iPhone was just updated, iPad will probably be released in March/April 2012. So from that standpoint, it would be better to get the 4s but since you're not eligible for an upgrade, it's a wash. If you can wait five months or so, you'd have the newest iPad.

 

[giffut]

My ...

... iPhone 4 usage dropped significantly when I got my iPad 2. I also felt quite suprised how well my iPhone 3Gs performs with iOS5, so I am going to sell my iPhone 4 and white for the next revision. Surfing, performing writing and recording tasks, VNC (I do it a lot) is just so much more intuitive and easy with the iPad screen.

I must add, that the 3Gs in my opinion always had a much better backcover design avoiding those sharp lines - basically soap bar vs. card pack; and soap always wins for me the least.

So I desperately hope the iPhone 5 will be again smooth and curved on the back, probably with that aluminium signature the iPad 2 introduced.

 

[Eddy Munn]

I would get an iPad 2. My iPhone 3GS still supports Personal Hotspot, so you can use it on the go too. My iPhone usage dropped significantly after buying my iPad, so I don't mind it being slightly out of date.