my current ipad purchase dilemma

[kofman13]

I am currently at a crossroads. I wanted a 12.9 for work in january. I teach music and use my ipad all day to read and display sheet music and bigger screen would make it more enjoyable. BUT i always try to time tech purchases around refreshes since i like to enjoy the latest and greatst for longest. told myself, ok ill just stick with my Air 2 until WWDC because everyone is saying new ipad in june. i dont want to get a ipad in january and then a new inticing one will be out in june. so i waited.

low and behold no new ipad in june. So now people are saying one with face id (thinner bezels?) is coming in september or october. So now i am in the same rut all over again. I could just keep using my air 2 all summmer and then maybe if a new one comes out in september ill get that. OR get the 2017 12.9 Pro and use it, but then if a new one comes this year and its super sick and i want to upgrade, i will lose a few hundred trading in to apple the 12.9 i get NOW, towards the hypothetical new one in sept/october.

But then what if there is no new ipad in october, and it comes in 2019 ( like it came in 2017 two years after 2015 first gen). then i will have waited for no reason again. ugh

thoughts? what would you guys do? buy now, enjoy the 2017 and then trade in for next gen? or just keep waiting until some refresh comes

 

[rui no onna]

Which would you regret more? Using the Air 2 until whenever the next iPad model gets released (possibly 6-12 months wait) or the depreciation hit on the Pro 12.9 if you resell?

I was faced with a similar dilemma during last half/quarter of 2016. Wanted to get a 12.9 but since my target was 256GB LTE ($1229 + tax so almost $1500, no refurbs yet since 256GB was only recently released), I chose to tough it out and wait. I have to say, I'm very glad I waited. Was able to get 512GB for the same price and storage is something I can never have enough of. If I had bought the older model and sold/traded in to upgrade, I reckon depreciation hit would have been $500-750 (I never get rid of devices until the new one is already in hand and tested working properly).

 

[Greenmeenie]

Well, you could play this what if game forever. I too try to time my apple purchases strategically. But no matter when you buy, something newer & better is always around the corner. So, it comes down to can you truly wait any longer, or do you absolutely need something right now cause you can’t do what you want on your current device. I’m in the same boat. My current ipad is on it’s last legs. I know i could benefit from a new ipad pro right now and i want to buy one so badly...but i have chosen to wait for the new redesigned ipad pro. Now if my current ipad completely dies...well, that’s another story. Then i’d really be forced to make a decision. But it’s still limping along and although it has a cracked screen, a broken home button and is noticeably slowing down...it still allows me to do what i need to do for now. So i will deal with it until the newest ipad pros come out...or it dies. Whichever comes first. Ha! I too am hearing anywhere from September to November. Hoping my current ipad can make it. Lol.

 

[kofman13]

Which would you regret more? Using the Air 2 until whenever the next iPad model gets released (possibly 6-12 months wait) or the depreciation hit on the Pro 12.9 if you resell?

I was faced with a similar dilemma during last half/quarter of 2016. Wanted to get a 12.9 but since my target was 256GB LTE ($1229 + tax so almost $1500, no refurbs yet since 256GB was only recently released), I chose to tough it out and wait. I have to say, I'm very glad I waited. Was able to get 512GB for the same price and storage is something I can never have enough of. If I had bought the older model and sold/traded in to upgrade, I reckon depreciation hit would have been $500-750 (I never get rid of devices until the new one is already in hand and tested working properly).

hmm i did the math.
If i get the 2017 12.9 and trade in my Air 2 for $180, the 2017 12.9 will be $619.
the current trade in for 2015 12.9 is $250, so lets say that stays true for next gen, I trade in the 2017 i buy now for $250 making the future redesign 2018 Pro now $549.
SO, i would be basically paying a $549 premium to be able to use a pro now, and then also get the redesign whenever that comes later this year.

or, if i wait and use my air 2, the air 2 trade in value will probably drop down to $100 by the end of the year, so the 2018 pro will cost me $699 if i wait it out and trade in air 2. so that makes it more expensive if we are talking about JUST the redesign ipad pro, so really if we look back to the previous paragraph, i would be paying more like $500 premium to use a pro NOW and still buy the latest later this year. hmmmm so i have to decide if its worth $500 to benefit from the pro now.

ANOTHER thing that just came to my mind is... what if i trade in the air 2 for a 2018 ipad and pencil. I would benefit from the pencil for work, and the speed bump, then in the fall trade that in for the pro. and i would be keeping the pencil for the pro anyway.. just a thought

 

[Hellenek]

If you've never had a 12.9, you may find it useful for your work but cumbersome to lug it around for other quick uses. Try to hang on to the Air 2 - it'll come in handy for sure.

 

[kofman13]

If you've never had a 12.9, you may find it useful for your work but cumbersome to lug it around for other quick uses. Try to hang on to the Air 2 - it'll come in handy for sure.

In what way do you find it comfortable. I mostly use it at the piano for reading and displaying and annotating sheet music, note taking, media consumption (although most of my media consumption is at home at my tv). Rarely walking around with it though. It seems to be the same size as my MacBook Pro 13 2015 so both should fit in my bag. At home it will be staying on my piano

 

[rui no onna]

Well, you could play this what if game forever. I too try to time my apple purchases strategically. But no matter when you buy, something newer & better is always around the corner. So, it comes down to can you truly wait any longer, or do you absolutely need something right now cause you can’t do what you want on your current device. I’m in the same boat. My current ipad is on it’s last legs. I know i could benefit from a new ipad pro right now and i want to buy one so badly...but i have chosen to wait for the new redesigned ipad pro. Now if my current ipad completely dies...well, that’s another story. Then i’d really be forced to make a decision. But it’s still limping along and although it has a cracked screen, a broken home button and is noticeably slowing down...it still allows me to do what i need to do for now. So i will deal with it until the newest ipad pros come out...or it dies. Whichever comes first. Ha! I too am hearing anywhere from September to November. Hoping my current ipad can make it. Lol.

Yikes, if I had been in that situation, I'd have replaced it already (maybe with an inexpensive 5th or 6th gen). As it is, I always keep at least one of my older iPads as spare.

The reasons why I didn't get the 1st generation 12.9:

1. App developers usually take forever to optimize for new resolutions.
2. Max 128GB model available upon release in November 2015 which I felt was too small. It was already mid-cycle when Apple released a 256GB model.
   
3. I didn't really have a use-case for it back when it was first announced. It wasn't until I started reading American comics that I started to really want one.

I tend to time my purchases when a new model has just been launched. Come to think of it, all my iPads were purchased upon release. Mind, I think it's great that there are very good lower cost options for the iPad now. If ever my current iPad gets lost or something and I didn't have a spare, I wouldn't hesitate to get the "basic" iPad to tide me over.

 

[dk001]

I used mine till I was in the window (year) to buy a new one and gift my current to a needy family member.
Bought an IPP 12.9 G2.
I'll continue using it till I get to the same point sometime in the future.

 

[Mak47]

For what you’re using it for, you’ll definitely see a big benefit from the larger screen and Apple Pencil. The faster screen response time on the new Pros when writing also makes it a much more natural feeling experience. What you’re doing benefits greatly from the display size, but doesn’t require mind blowing processor speeds. The current generation will work well for you and likely continue to work well for several years.

My advice is to go ahead and get it now. Sure, you’ll kick yourself if a new one comes out in the fall with magical features that you can’t live without—but there’s a very real possibility that won’t happen. There’s also the possibility that those new features won’t really do much for you—there’s already more speed than necessary in the current version. If you wait til the fall and nothing comes, then you’ll just be back in the same boat—do you wait until February now? What if it doesn’t come until WWDC in June of 2019? Get what you want now and when the new one comes out, ask yourself if the new features are worth paying for.