Smart Time to Buy?

[theturtle]

Hey guys,

Went through ten pages on trying to find the general consensus. No luck. I continually see threads pop up regarding the "ipad 3" rumor, which is odd when the ipad 2 isn't even officially released yet. Tech blogs are talking about how the ipad 3 may be unveiled in the fall and that its changes are going to be drastic. Equipped with a retina display, etc etc. To the non apple biased people, is it a smart idea to purchase a ipad 2? I know some of you will point me to the refresh cycle but that would be nullified if apple decides to release another one in the fall.

i had an ipad 1 but sold it. I really do like the new dual core, camera (sucks its super low res though), etc but i would pretty blown if they decide to release a super ipad a few months down the road.

i know that we as consumers have NO idea what apple will do, just trying to bounce some ideas off you guys.

 

[benhollberg]

I think it is a really good time to buy an iPad 2, even if an iPad 3 is released soon then the iPad 2 will hold its value and you can sell it to someone who doesn't know about the iPad 3 yet.

 

[deeddawg]

I'm not entirely sure what you're looking for here.

Smart time to buy is when you "need" the item you're considering. If you don't need an ipad, then don't buy. If you do need one, then buy one. The only time I'd say to hold off is if you're clearly at the end of a product cycle and can wait a few weeks. That's decidedly not the case right now.

You'll waste your life away worrying about the next model; there's always a newer/better/cooler model in development.

 

[maflynn]

when the ipad 2 isn't even officially released yet.
...
To the non apple biased people, is it a smart idea to purchase a ipad 2?
...
i know that we as consumers have NO idea what apple will do, just trying to bounce some ideas off you guys.

I think you're over analyzing. I mean step back and think about what you're asking. Is it a good time to buy an iPad 2 in light of the iPad 3. The iPad 2 isn't out and you yourself state that that no really has an idea what apple will do.

I mean we can take your logic one step further and ask in light of the future impending release of the iPad4 is it a good time to buy the iPad2. That sounds a little more ridiculous but that's in affect you're asking with the iPad 3.

Buy the tablet that best suits your needs, for some that's the iPad1 for others its the iPad2 for yet others it could be the xoom or other non apple tablet. Don't worry about what the future will bring, because there will always be a newer, faster, better one coming around the corner.

 

[nixiemaiden]

Apple is not going to release an iPad with major changes in the fall. I don't see Apple changing their refresh cycle because it makes no sense to do so. iPad 1 sold pretty damn well through out the entire holiday season...I am pretty sure that iPad 2 will as well.

If for whatever reason they did decide to do something outside of the normal refresh cycle...it wouldn't be anything major. They are trying to separate themselves from manufacturer's such as Samsung who release new Android products constantly because it just causes "fragmentation". If they start releasing products every 6 months with major hardware changes, they aren't going to be able to use that argument anymore.

 

[vajeff]

I'm not entirely sure what you're looking for here.

Smart time to buy is when you "need" the item you're considering. If you don't need an ipad, then don't buy. If you do need one, then buy one. The only time I'd say to hold off is if you're clearly at the end of a product cycle and can wait a few weeks. That's decidedly not the case right now.

You'll waste your life away worrying about the next model; there's always a newer/better/cooler model in development.

+1, well said!

 

[poloponies]

If - and that's a BIG IF - a higher-spec iPad would appear later this year, it would definitely be at a higher price point so it wouldn't be viewed as a competitor to the current line, so keep that in mind. There's 0% chance of a $499 iPad this year with doubled resolution.

 

[foodle]

No one knows when Apple will release iPad 3, not even Steve Jobs.

Engineering and parts availability issues could move the date back or forwards.

However, based on past history, Apple likes to release on a yearly basis (iPads = March/April, iPhones = June/July, iPods = September) and has held this schedule for quite some time. To that end, a good bet is that the iPad 3 will not be released for another year.

There is no better time to buy than when a product is just released (modulo initial revision bugs ).

 

[SilverShrimp0]

Those recently filed patents lead me to suspect that the rumors regarding a new iPad in the fall might actually be referring to a new iMac Touch. Don't they usually update those in the fall?

Edit to add:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/apple/7961480/Apple-files-iMac-touch-patent.html

 

[gigaguy]

iMac Touch?
I think Apple is very keen to not have what happened to the iPhone sales when Android phones surged ahead.
I think Apple will be much more prone to do whatever it takes to stay ahead of the other tablet chasers and if that means a higher priced Retina screen sooner than the normal upgrade interval I think they might do it.

 

[grawk]

iMac Touch?
I think Apple is very keen to not have what happened to the iPhone sales when Android phones surged ahead.
I think Apple will be much more prone to do whatever it takes to stay ahead of the other tablet chasers and if that means a higher priced Retina screen sooner than the normal upgrade interval I think they might do it.

By what happened to iphone sales, you mean continued to accelerate? The iphone still sells like gangbusters. Android is gaining marketshare as an OS, mostly because you can get it on every carrier at every price point. The iphone still dominates as a device, and apple's profits are through the roof. They maintain their margins with a slow update cycle.