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Sold my iPad 2 and now feel liberated!

PatriotInvasion

PatriotInvasion

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Jul 18, 2010
1,645
1,061
Boston, MA
I am a proud 27" iMac and iPhone 4S owner. I fell into the iPad 2 hysteria last April and against my better judgement, plopped down $500 for a 16GB model. While it was a very nice device to have, my initial fears of it being a "luxury" device that wasn't really necessary came true.

I always had my iPhone on me (4 and then 4S) and found it very odd to get up, go to my office, stare at two additional devices that I could surf the web on (including the iMac) and then pick up the iPad simply for a larger screen than the iPhone....but essentially the same product. Combine that with the fact that reading text on the iPhone's Retina Display was much easier on the eyes than the iPad which is 3 times the size but only slightly higher in resolution. I decided to sell my iPad while it still had top value given the pending iPad 3 launch. Now I just have a 27" iMac for heavy tasks, and my iPhone 4S everywhere else and am feeling much less overwhelmed with Apple device overkill. Just wanted to share my thoughts.
 
"...my initial fears of it being a "luxury" device that wasn't really necessary came true."

You've clearly not read the reports of people dying after having lost or sold their iPads. They too were 'liberated'--they're dead! :mad:
 
As much as I would like to have a iPad I just do not see the need in owning one right now. Between my iPhone 4s and my MBA I don't know why I would need a iPad. Don't get me wrong, I WANT one...just don't NEED one. So far I have ben able to keep myself from buying one. Now, if Apple releases a mini iPad like the rumors have said, and it is a bit cheaper...
 
I really want the iPad 3 and have been stalking all of the rumors, but I have a 4S and MacBook Pro and probably won't justify the purchase. I'd rather have 2 highly used and valued devices than 3 where I don't end up really taking advantage of their lifespans.

The only way I could justify getting an iPad is if a.) I won it for free :p or b.) I set up the MacBook as a desktop setting where it is pretty much stationary for downloading and heavy browsing, take the iPad out with me constantly/in bed, and have the iPhone everywhere else that I can't have the iPad. But still I feel like the main problem would be iOS overkill. I'd wind up using my smartphone as a dumb phone.
 
I would NOT feel liberated if I sold my iPad, ever.:confused:

But I am glad you do!:D

Leaving it in a dock sitting next to your computers is no way to get to know and use your iPad. Mine lives on a table right next to my recliner and is used daily. I can not imagine not being able to reach for it and it not be there!
 
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If you take the time to implement the iPad into your workflow, it quickly becomes indispensable. It's really all about the apps you choose. Out of the box, the iPad is terribly redundant if you already have an iPhone. Get some tablet-optimized apps specific to your uses and it becomes an incredibly useful and portable tool. My iPhone could never replace my iPad. If anything, I've toyed with the idea of replacing my iPhone with something else.
 
One of the most important things about the iPad to me is the larger screen....the iPhone 4s is good to look something up on the web in a pinch, but I'm not going to do any major web surfing on that tiny screen.
 
Contrary to many people's opinions, not all Apple products are must haves.

Yet Apples bold, arrogant, "we've changed the world" attitude is true.

If they stopped making any of their current iToyz, the earth would stop spinning & self destruct ... :eek:
 
I have a iPad 1, iPhone 3GS, iPod Touch 4G and a Mac Mini; so do I really need an iPad 3? I want it though. :p
 
To each his own but I suspect the OP missed the point of owning an iPad in the first place, to only have it in your office next to your Mac along with ur iPhone...you'd struggle to find someone that had that setup and actually had use for the iPad at the desk (devs aside) , it's a mobile device...MOBILE being the key word there. I have all 3 and use them all equally as much, just in different situations.
 
That's... Nice? I agree with the others, if you were constantly going to your office to use it, maybe you missed the point. It gets 10+ hours of use per charg and charges from 0 (if it ever gets down there) to full in 3-4 hours, there's no reason for it to stay docked. Mine doesn't "live" anywhere other than wherever I am at the moment. Charges at night. Why don't you leave your iPhone docked?
 
I simply use it to watch my favorite television dramas and movies on the way home from work each day. And i've pretty much purchased it mainly for that purpose. That being said, this is my third week with my iPad2 wifi (2nd hand)...so my opinion may change in the future.

Also...one thing I noticed is that I watch around two hours of videos on my commute home, and the battery only went down by 2%. I am very impressed. Comparitively, doing the same thing on my iPhone 4 would of killed about 20% of my battery.
 
The last thing I'd want to do is use my iPad while sitting down at my desk.

That said, I have an iMac iPad and iPhone; if you took away the iPad I'd survive. The phone or desktop would be a problem though, so it's still very much a luxury device.
 


Not a real quote, just to say that you have basically my dream Apple devices setup...I'd be happy to have a Mac mini on my desk hooked up to my 40" TV instead of the iMac, but the iMac is damn nice...

I'll be upgrading soon, though, just waiting to see what the A6 iPad 3 is...
 
I sold my Ipad 2 in hopes of getting a 3. I really did use my Ipad, but I also have an 11" Air. I really wanted to use the App Comic Rack ,which I use on the PC to manage my large Comic collection, ut it's on available for android. So I picked of an Asus Transformer Prime. I now use that for the comic software, but I really fell in love with the customizability of Android 4.0. Besides the comic software I', using Poweramp and Google Music for my music, and alot of the same apps I used on the Ipad. And even thou the Ipad 3 will have a better screen (The transformer is 1280x720) I can't see owning another tablet as the prime is filling my needs well. We'll see.

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ihatelag said:
I simply use it to watch my favorite television dramas and movies on the way home from work each day. And i've pretty much purchased it mainly for that purpose. That being said, this is my third week with my iPad2 wifi (2nd hand)...so my opinion may change in the future.

Also...one thing I noticed is that I watch around two hours of videos on my commute home, and the battery only went down by 2%. I am very impressed. Comparitively, doing the same thing on my iPhone 4 would of killed about 20% of my battery.
Click to expand...

10"tablets are way too big for doing that, I picked up a 5" Samsung Galaxy player for that.
 
Glad you feel liberated.

I keep my iPad on my coffee table by the couch. It has replaced the laptop we used upstairs while the iMac is in the basement office.
At home we use the iPad 90% of the time to get online, the other being the iPhone or iMac. The iPhone screen being smaller isn't as nice…the iMac being in the basement is the detractor there.
iMac for heavy lifting. iPad for browsing and a few apps, Flipboard/Magazines/Recipes/500px/Snapseed/etc. and iPhone for really quick internet or internet on the go in the pocket.

Now, I did win the iPad this past Halloween at a costume contest but we were seriously thinking of getting the iPad 3 before I won the iPad 2.
 
Wrong usage.

It does seem that you've not embraced the attributes that make the iPad so convenient and useful. If you cannot appreciate these aspects (e.g., battery life, portability, etc.), then it is to hard to justify such a device--as you've discovered. I find the iPad to be a wonderful complement to my other computers. However, you've likely made the best decision for yourself. You shouldn't struggle to find a use for a device--especially at the price point of the iPad.
 
My desktop computer stays on the desk. My iPad goes everywhere else in the house ... and pretty much everywhere else that I go.
 
PatriotInvasion said:
pick up the iPad simply for a larger screen than the iPhone....but essentially the same product..
Click to expand...

Sounds like what you use iDevices for doesn't match up with the strengths of the ipad. That's okay. But you might wish to avoid the "essentially the same product" thing as it seems a little ignorant; sort of like someone saying a 27" iMac is essentially the same thing as a $400 eMachine.

Try sitting in your easy chair to read/annotate/highlight case study PDFs for grad school. Read a few ebooks on iBooks or Kindle or Nook apps. Maybe watch some videos pulled over from your Tivo while sitting on an airplane during your next business trip. Keep up with emails needing detailed replies while out and about. Type up notes during a meeting or as you're sitting in a waiting area before a client meeting.

Sure you can do many of these on an iphone, but the screen size makes a big difference in how easy they are to do on a phone vs ipad.
 
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