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Which Generation iPad?

MacDann

MacDann

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Mar 27, 2007
889
246
Can see the end of the Earth from here
I am in the process of selling my older MacBook Pro, the proceeds of which I am going to use to fund the purchase of an iPad.

Because my funds are limited, I will most likely purchase a first or second generation iPad. My only requirement is that it have 3G. Other than that, I don't have any real particulars as far as what I need.

My question is this:

Is the difference in features between the first and second generation iPads significant enough to warrant considering only a seconds generation device?

I realize the first generation iPads had no camera or HDMI, but neither of these features is something I would probably use anyway.

With this in mind, would you think it matters which generation I should go with? The big difference will be in the memory size, as I can get a used first generation 64GB iPad for about the same price that a 16GB second generation iPad would cost me. Is memory that big of a deal? I am not a hard core gamer nor do I have a lot of music/movies/apps that I use on mobile devices.

I would appreciate anyone's opinions on this - please be specific if you could, as that will help me to better understand which direction to take.

TIA,

MacDann
 
yes do not get an ipad 1st gen. the 2nd gen is muuuuuch better. faster, thinner, better screen.

to be honest ive always had a 16gb iphone, i figured my ipad 3rd gen would be fine with 16gb, but i find myself filling it up rather fast :/ maybe due to the new retina apps having much large sizes, or the fact that i play many more games on my ipad then iphone.
 
MacDann said:
I am in the process of selling my older MacBook Pro, the proceeds of which I am going to use to fund the purchase of an iPad.

Because my funds are limited, I will most likely purchase a first or second generation iPad. My only requirement is that it have 3G. Other than that, I don't have any real particulars as far as what I need.

My question is this:

Is the difference in features between the first and second generation iPads significant enough to warrant considering only a seconds generation device?

I realize the first generation iPads had no camera or HDMI, but neither of these features is something I would probably use anyway.

With this in mind, would you think it matters which generation I should go with? The big difference will be in the memory size, as I can get a used first generation 64GB iPad for about the same price that a 16GB second generation iPad would cost me. Is memory that big of a deal? I am not a hard core gamer nor do I have a lot of music/movies/apps that I use on mobile devices.

I would appreciate anyone's opinions on this - please be specific if you could, as that will help me to better understand which direction to take.

TIA,

MacDann
Click to expand...

My only recommendation for essential feature is a warranty. You won't likely find a 1st gen that still has warranty coverage, so do yourself a favor and get a refurbished 2nd gen from Apple.
 
Apple still sells 1st Gen iPad's and they also come with a 1 year warranty possibly two years depending on the CC you use for purchase. Last time I checked, Apple had 1st Gen 32GB iPad's for $349.
 
Wow, this is great!

Much of what has been posted so far I pretty much knew, but wasn't totally sure about. Guess I was just looking for validation...

Thanks, everyone! I'll continue to monitor the thread, but it already looks like an iPad 2 is the best choice.

MacDann
 
Rodster said:
Apple still sells 1st Gen iPad's and they also come with a 1 year warranty possibly two years depending on the CC you use for purchase. Last time I checked, Apple had 1st Gen 32GB iPad's for $349.
Click to expand...

I stand corrected, they do have them in the refurb store. In that case, I'd still get a 2nd gen.
 
Rodster said:
Given the choice i'd go with a refurbed 32 GB iPad 2. Oh wait I already did. :D
Click to expand...

I guess we'll have more information after WWDC about iOS6 hardware requirments, but 2nd gen will definitely buy more future compatibility.
 
The difference between iPad 1 and iPad 2 is like night and day. The difference between iPad 2 and iPad 3 is nominal. I brought my iPad 2 into BestBuy whenthe iPad 3 came out to do a side-by-side comparison tp match screen, speed, etc. Very little difference. The screen on the iPad 2 was already awesome. Retina display only bumped up the quality slightly.

Go with iPad 2 and save some $$$$.
 
pooleman said:
The difference between iPad 1 and iPad 2 is like night and day. The difference between iPad 2 and iPad 3 is nominal. I brought my iPad 2 into BestBuy whenthe iPad 3 came out to do a side-by-side comparison tp match screen, speed, etc. Very little difference. The screen on the iPad 2 was already awesome. Retina display only bumped up the quality slightly.

Go with iPad 2 and save some $$$$.
Click to expand...

i have to disagree double the pixels, packing more pixels than a 27" imac is more than nominal... especially the fact that its 1/3 as much surface area, that would be revolutionary. double the ram, rear camera and GPU is all cheese on top.


the ipad 1 to 2 was a pretty big change too, but nothing that other tablets didnt offer already (size, processor, ram, vga camera)
 
As someone who owns a first gen, to be honest it's feeling rather dated lately. iOS 5 can be sluggish at times and there are an increasing number of apps that won't run on it. I definitely recommend getting a second gen.
 
After owning two Macs; the iPad to me feels like a toy xD.

I may wait for the 2013 iPad I guess. But for you? It's up to you. :p
 
Liquinn said:
After owning two Macs; the iPad to me feels like a toy xD.

I may wait for the 2013 iPad I guess. But for you? It's up to you. :p
Click to expand...

Don't be surprised if the iPad 4th Gen is just a tweaked version of what's already available. ;)
 
BFizzzle said:
i have to disagree double the pixels, packing more pixels than a 27" imac is more than nominal... especially the fact that its 1/3 as much surface area, that would be revolutionary. double the ram, rear camera and GPU is all cheese on top.


the ipad 1 to 2 was a pretty big change too, but nothing that other tablets didnt offer already (size, processor, ram, vga camera)
Click to expand...

I just didn't see a big difference when I looked at the new screen of the iPad 3. The iPad 2 screen was already very good.
 
Owning all three versions of iPad.

Avoid iPad 1. Outdated unless you just plan on doing basic email and ebooks. Web browsing is sluggish.

Performance wise. iPad 2 and new iPad are almost identical. The CPU is basically the same duo core. Of course the graphics chip in the new iPad is much better. But it has to be in order to power the retina screen.

As others have stated. Get a refurnished iPad 2 on apple.com that comes with full warranty. The refurbished iPad 2 goes quickly on apple.com.
 
aneftp said:
Owning all three versions of iPad.

Avoid iPad 1. Outdated unless you just plan on doing basic email and ebooks. Web browsing is sluggish.

Performance wise. iPad 2 and new iPad are almost identical. The CPU is basically the same duo core. Of course the graphics chip in the new iPad is much better. But it has to be in order to power the retina screen.

As others have stated. Get a refurnished iPad 2 on apple.com that comes with full warranty. The refurbished iPad 2 goes quickly on apple.com.
Click to expand...

Why is it they always have the 64GB model available? They must not be as popular as the 16 and 32.
 
Rodster said:
Why is it they always have the 64GB model available? They must not be as popular as the 16 and 32.
Click to expand...

If you think about people who are buying refurb iPad 2's with the new iPad out, it's mainly people who are budget-minded looking for a great deal. So they're not necessarily looking for the most storage. It's also quite a hike in price from 32 gb to 64 gb (less so than from 16 gb to 32 gb). Also for the same price as the old 64 gb, you can get the new 16 gb. For the same price, lots of people might opt for the newer tech.
 
my recommendation is to buy an iPad 2 refurb. i bought an iPad 2 16GB wifi only model for $319. since you want 3G it will be $449. still a pretty good deal in my eyes.

the refurbs are essentially brand new:

- new outer shell
- new battery
- new charger
- new box
- 1 year warranty
- option to purchase $99 AppleCare+ for 2 yrs of warranty coverage

i am a professional engineer career wise so naturally i am more familiar with Windows, however ever since i made the switch from a Blackberry Curve to the iPhone 4S, i've had my sights set on an iPad. i was all set to buy the iPad 3 until i saw a deal on slickdeals for an iPad 2 refurb 16GB model for $319 (when Apple made the price reduction). i had never thought about purchasing a refurb model until i did more research and realized that Apple replaces everything except the internal boards and gives you a year warranty. that's a good deal. so for me, $499 wasn't worth it...but $319 i could justify


go with an iPad 2 wifi+3G 16GB . i recommend verizon over AT&T, but that's just my personal preference. one might have better coverage in your area than the other

----------
pooleman said:
I just didn't see a big difference when I looked at the new screen of the iPad 3. The iPad 2 screen was already very good.
Click to expand...

i see a huge difference to tell ya the truth, but the price tag going from $319 to $499 exceeded the additional benefit of the retina display for what i would be primarily using the iPad for (games and movies).

if i was using the iPad as a dedicated e-reader then i would have bought the new iPad w/ retina
 
42% of ALL iPad sales, since the iPad 3 came out, have been iPad 2 sales......those #'s speak for themselves.
 
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