Advice Needed: Is NOW the right time to buy iPad 3G 64GB?

[bella92108]

Normally with iPhone\MacBook Pro I'm first in line when the product cycle refreshes. I bought an iPad WiFi this year when it first came out, but wasn't terribly excited because of the reliance on WiFi... so I returned it...

Now I'm kinda wishing I'd gotten the 3G model when it came out, so I'm kinda at a crossroad here. It seems to me like we're mid-cycle, but I can't imagine Apple is going to be able to keep up the 1 per year method of refreshes faced with so much new competition in Android... and a couple features I'd like to see:

- Better resolution
- Camera\front facing
- media card slot

So overall not sure if its a good time, or if I should just wait.

Thoughts\suggestions? Sorry for posting this, I always get annoyed when people post these "should I buy or wait?" messages, but I'm that on the fence about it, lol...

 

[ovrlrd]

Just read the dozens of thread on this same subject.

Or don't read them and just read this: There is no new iPad coming out before next year.

If you think there is actually competition coming from Android you are simply wrong. Sure there is Android tablets coming out with decent specs, and that is great to see something coming out as an alternative.

The problem is:
There are no Android tablets out yet with Google's official blessing. As in the ones that are coming out all run versions of Android that are not designed for tablets. They work okay, but they aren't very well catered.

All of the Android tablets are either horribly spec'd, or they are way overpriced. The only way to truly compete with the iPad is to outspec it AND price it lower. Even then you are still facing a juggernaut at this point.

As for your wishlist:
Front facing camera seems like an obvious feature that is coming
Better resolution *might* happen, but I personally don't see it happening because the screens are too expensive.
Media card slot will never happen, end of story.

 

[bella92108]

Just read the dozens of thread on this same subject.

Or don't read them and just read this: There is no new iPad coming out before next year.

If you think there is actually competition coming from Android you are simply wrong. Sure there is Android tablets coming out with decent specs, and that is great to see something coming out as an alternative.

The problem is:
There are no Android tablets out yet with Google's official blessing. As in the ones that are coming out all run versions of Android that are not designed for tablets. They work okay, but they aren't very well catered.

All of the Android tablets are either horribly spec'd, or they are way overpriced. The only way to truly compete with the iPad is to outspec it AND price it lower. Even then you are still facing a juggernaut at this point.

As for your wishlist:
Front facing camera seems like an obvious feature that is coming
Better resolution *might* happen, but I personally don't see it happening because the screens are too expensive.
Media card slot will never happen, end of story.

Thanks for the observations... for the most part I agree.

The only really viable alternative I see on the market today is the Samsung Galaxy Tab... but you're right, it's expensive. My likes with it is that it is the first to have full Google endorsement (they're cobranded in their advertising in South Korea)... it's got a speedy processor, great resolution, more portable (for better or worse)... and is packed with features. On the downside, it'll devalue quickly like any non-apple hardware does, so if a new model comes out it'll be quickly dated and devalued.

The biggest thing for me is the resolution and camera. All of the other shortcomings I can tolerate with the iPad... the "once per year" I think will turn into twice per year, as more and more competitors come out they'll have to stay relevant just like with MBP. Another concern I have it seeing all of the recent buzz about a model with front-facing camera spotted. Looks like there may be some validity to a refresh, especially since Apple Employees and EPP can now use the discount on the current model, that's usually a good indicator.

I guess worst case I can buy the current model (64GB 3G version), and know that even if a new model comes out I can probably sell mine and upgrade for less than a $100 loss. If iPhone 2G\3G\3GS values are any indication, I believe iPad will hold it's value true to the Apple history.

 

[OverSpun]

Just read the dozens of thread on this same subject.

Or don't read them and just read this: There is no new iPad coming out before next year.

If you think there is actually competition coming from Android you are simply wrong. Sure there is Android tablets coming out with decent specs, and that is great to see something coming out as an alternative.

The problem is:
There are no Android tablets out yet with Google's official blessing. As in the ones that are coming out all run versions of Android that are not designed for tablets. They work okay, but they aren't very well catered.

All of the Android tablets are either horribly spec'd, or they are way overpriced. The only way to truly compete with the iPad is to outspec it AND price it lower. Even then you are still facing a juggernaut at this point.

As for your wishlist:
Front facing camera seems like an obvious feature that is coming
Better resolution *might* happen, but I personally don't see it happening because the screens are too expensive.
Media card slot will never happen, end of story.

I concur.

 

[yuanmoons]

Q. Do you want the current iPad offerings now?

A. Yes = Buy one.
B. No = Wait.

Its very simple. You've read all the forum posts make up your own mind. No one knows about apple updates except apple otherwise we'd all be millionaires spread betting on stock rises based on insider knowledge. We are not millionaires - not me anyway....

Buy now, sell later and buy an upgrade. You might lose 100 or 200 quid/dollars but you will have had the pleasure of using it for that time between v1 & v2.

These kinda of posts really are pointless now. And maybe I'm guilty of posting pointless posts also but now it's silly not to search before you post. There is nothing new anyone can add to the debate.

 

[sapporobaby]

Thanks for the observations... for the most part I agree.

The only really viable alternative I see on the market today is the Samsung Galaxy Tab... but you're right, it's expensive. My likes with it is that it is the first to have full Google endorsement (they're cobranded in their advertising in South Korea)... it's got a speedy processor, great resolution, more portable (for better or worse)... and is packed with features. On the downside, it'll devalue quickly like any non-apple hardware does, so if a new model comes out it'll be quickly dated and devalued.

The biggest thing for me is the resolution and camera. All of the other shortcomings I can tolerate with the iPad... the "once per year" I think will turn into twice per year, as more and more competitors come out they'll have to stay relevant just like with MBP. Another concern I have it seeing all of the recent buzz about a model with front-facing camera spotted. Looks like there may be some validity to a refresh, especially since Apple Employees and EPP can now use the discount on the current model, that's usually a good indicator.

I guess worst case I can buy the current model (64GB 3G version), and know that even if a new model comes out I can probably sell mine and upgrade for less than a $100 loss. If iPhone 2G\3G\3GS values are any indication, I believe iPad will hold it's value true to the Apple history.

What you and many others seem to continue to miss is the eco-system that comes with Apple devices. iTunes and MobileMe make the iPad/iPhone more appealing and all around because the addition of these two services provide a transparent thread between the web, and your local computing experience. Sure others will probably offer better hardware, but this is all they have to offer. The Android Store is a joke with half of the apps not working on the other fragmented OS devices. If you just got to have the latest and greatest hardware, by all means wait, and wait, and wait, and wait, and wait, and so on because there is always something better coming along.

 

[SnowLeopard2008]

Normally with iPhone\MacBook Pro I'm first in line when the product cycle refreshes. I bought an iPad WiFi this year when it first came out, but wasn't terribly excited because of the reliance on WiFi... so I returned it...

Now I'm kinda wishing I'd gotten the 3G model when it came out, so I'm kinda at a crossroad here. It seems to me like we're mid-cycle, but I can't imagine Apple is going to be able to keep up the 1 per year method of refreshes faced with so much new competition in Android... and a couple features I'd like to see:

- Better resolution
- Camera\front facing
- media card slot

So overall not sure if its a good time, or if I should just wait.

Thoughts\suggestions? Sorry for posting this, I always get annoyed when people post these "should I buy or wait?" messages, but I'm that on the fence about it, lol...

That's funny. I still can't buy an Android device bigger than 5" that has legitimate access to the Marketplace.

 

[melman101]

The biggest thing for me is the resolution and camera. All of the other shortcomings I can tolerate with the iPad... the "once per year" I think will turn into twice per year, as more and more competitors come out they'll have to stay relevant just like with MBP.

Hahaha. This is the funniest thing I have read so far. Stay relevant? Have you seen the 13" Macbook Pro? I have a very hard time convincing any computer professional that a $1200 dollar laptop with a Core 2 Duo is worth it. They are all like, I can get a Core i5 - Core i7 for that price.

So do I think they will ever go to twice a year? Negative. They don't even update their computers twice a year anymore. And computer hardware changes very fast.

 

[ville]

I have one, i recently upgraded from the wifi model, best decision ever, so go for the 3g it´s a must (for me). And it´s possible that the ipad2 comes with the camera and maybe a speedier processor, the screen tat´s not happening (too expensive) and the one that it has right now can handle 720, i mean do you really need 1080 in a 10 inch screen???...

So if you like it and want one, buy it, if things like the screen resolution are a factor, it means your looking for excuses no to buy one....

 

[dialed1]

Wanna buy mine?

 

[bluemonkeyguy]

how much

dailed1 how much do you want to sell yours

 

[dialed1]

It's a 3G 64 gig in great shape I have original box, charger, incase book jacket I think software is 3.2 I would have to check. I think $700.00 is pretty fair

 

[EspressoLove]

Unless my job gets me something - for free - I'm waiting until November.

There should be really big reason for Apple to put on hold such a huge thing such as multi-tasking.
4-5 months difference couldn't be justified by anything on a hottest, revolutionary Apple platform, that Jobs put his last few years in.

So in my thinking there is big news coming this November.
Mark my words.

... there should be something, even if not new hardware ....

 

[thelookingglass]

Unless my job gets me something - for free - I'm waiting until November.

There should be really big reason for Apple to put on hold such a huge thing such as multi-tasking.
4-5 months difference couldn't be justified by anything on a hottest, revolutionary Apple platform, that Jobs put his last few years in.

So in my thinking there is big news coming this November.
Mark my words.

... there should be something, even if not new hardware ....

Hardware improvements this calendar year are absolutely out of the question. Let's be realistic. They are just now meeting demand and have yet to ship worldwide. There's no way they're going to suddenly upgrade the hardware by November. MAYBE they come out with a 7 incher to take advantage of holiday sales, but I really doubt it. The keyboard on that thing would be too cramped in landscape mode and that's one of the reasons they never ended up doing a smaller version of the Macbook Air. Apple cares a lot about usability factors like that.

There may be additional software improvements, but like someone above said, SOFTWARE improvements should not factor into your decisionmaking right now. No one can say for sure, but I'd be surprised if any software updates they issue in the next year and a half render the first gen hardware completely obsolete. Didn't happen to the iPod touch or the iPhone and it probably won't happen here.

If you need it/want it, just buy it now.

 

[bella92108]

So do I think they will ever go to twice a year? Negative. They don't even update their computers twice a year anymore. And computer hardware changes very fast.

Sure they do... generally May and October\November. They're just not shouting from the rooftops about them because it's common practice in the industry.

 

[EspressoLove]

So do I think they will ever go to twice a year? Negative. They don't even update their computers twice a year anymore. And computer hardware changes very fast.

Sure they do... generally May and October\November. They're just not shouting from the rooftops about them because it's common practice in the industry.

Well they actually have around 9 month cycle:
[roughly] May 2007, Jan 2008, Oct 2008 (Unibody), June 2009, May 2010.
And this is for Mac, which sadly is not main breadwinner anymore ...

I repeat - with iPad - stakes much higher.

And we had a precedent : Feb 2008 saw 16Gb iPhone / 32Gb iTouch mere 7/5 months later correspondingly.

So I'd say - never say never. Even with Apple.

P.S. And I remember there were few rush jobs with initial launch of MacBook/Pro's as well.

 

[ovrlrd]

Well they actually have around 9 month cycle:
[roughly] May 2007, Jan 2008, Oct 2008 (Unibody), June 2009, May 2010.
And this is for Mac, which sadly is not main breadwinner anymore ...

I repeat - with iPad - stakes much higher.

And we had a precedent : Feb 2008 saw 16Gb iPhone / 32Gb iTouch mere 7/5 months later correspondingly.

So I'd say - never say never. Even with Apple.

P.S. And I remember there were few rush jobs with initial launch of MacBook/Pro's as well.

The iPhone and iTouch were minor updates that only boosted the storage capacity. That is a great deal more than what people are suggesting here. Nobody will deny that "anything is possible" but is it likely? Hell no.

 

[EspressoLove]

The iPhone and iTouch were minor updates that only boosted the storage capacity. That is a great deal more than what people are suggesting here. Nobody will deny that "anything is possible" but is it likely? Hell no.

Do you understand why Apple doesn't usually update their devices at the moment when new tech is available?
Instead sticking to their strict schedule.

Do you understand then, that there is a distinct exclusions to that?

Whatever they hold as their guiding principle - it's clear that no update is "minor" to them.

 

[EspressoLove]

Apple to move aggressively on FaceTime, camera-equipped iPads - AppleInsider
Apple Readying New FaceTime Equipped iPads? - Mac Rumors

Please, please!!!
I have my money burning my pocket already