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One of those 'which iPad to buy'? threads

N

numbertwelve

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Apr 28, 2009
14
0
I'm having a bit of a dilemma deciding which iPad to plump for (I'm buying one next weekend).

I've set myself a spending 'limit' as it were, which coincides with either the 64 gig Wifi or 32 gig Wifi + 3G. The issue is that I'm agonizing over which one to pick.

I know from reading a lot online that you should base your iPad purchasing decision on what you plan to use it for. I'm really wanting to use it as a reader and as a video-playing device (the latter especially for trips, etc). Not over bothered about having my whole iTunes music library on there but might stick my favourite songs on it. Would like to make use of the newspaper apps, etc.

Thing is, I'm not sure I'll use the 3G capability (I'm skeptical of having another outgoing for data I might not use, considering I already own a smartphone), and really the 3G would only be there if I decided I was going to use more of it in the future, and also for possible resale value. I can also use my smartphone as a wireless hotspot, which could get me through 'lack of 3G' scrapes if they arose.

So, basically, I'm torn between potential resale value + a 3G capability I may never use but may need in the future (you never know) + smaller capacity vs more storage but potential buyer's remorse if I find the resale isn't quite as good for the Wifi only version, or I find I need mobile data in the future.

I'd really appreciate thoughts and shared experiences, guys. :)
 
1) Read all of the similar threads on here about these issues
2) Make up YOUR mind...we can't make it up for you. You have already listed all of the pros and cons. You know your budget, needs, future plans. We can't give you decisiveness.
 
yup, once you said budget, only you can decide what's "worth it" to you.
 
Apologies, perhaps I didn't make myself all that clear in my OP, I guess there was a specific area I'd like a bit of advice on. :eek:

- I'm a bit of an amateur when it comes to working out how much storage video takes up: if I were to use the iPad as a movie player - maybe keep four or so on there at a time for trips or whatnot - would a 32 gig be adequate or should I really go for the 64 gig (in people's opinion)? That's the biggest issue for me.

Sorry, I've read the first post back and I do know what eawmp1 means re decisiveness. I don't think I was focused enough in making the above point! ;)
 
SD dvd rips usually take up between 1-2GB, HD rips are closer to 4-5GB. i'm not sure how much space purchased videos consume, but i have a hunch that the compression is better and less space is needed.

that being said, if you only carry 4 movies at a time, 32GB should be suffcient assuming you don't have a huge music library or several hundred apps.

i have a 64GB ipad. currently i have about 15 movies and tv shows, 2000 songs, and about 120 apps. last i checked, i'm only using about 45 GB.
 
Yes, four movies would be OK on a 32GB. Don't worry about books, they are trivial for storage. And this is a great, great, great ereader. And music takes up more room, but only a few GB unless you have a massive collection. Apps are generally not that heavy. So it's video that will take up room for you. If you really would be happy with only four movies at a time, and you won't load up season's worth of TV shows, 32 GB is fine.
 
Well, a few things to consider?

a. Do you have a smartphone that does tethering and can you rig your phone to do tethering? That plays a huge factor.

Why? Well, because I have an iPhone 3GS that I have jailbroken and run MyWi on. So when I bought my iPad, I didn't have a choice between 3G or WiFi. It was either get the WiFi iPad or wait a month for the 3G one. I couldn't wait. So I was going to buy the 32GB 3G iPad but instead I opted for the 64GB WiFi only iPad. Honestly, it's a little pain, but once I am up and going, I can see no difference between the WiFi iPad and the 3G iPad (other than the fact that the 3G iPad has a GPS chip in it which might be beneficial to some people).

Also, if you tether then, potentially, you don't have to pay any extra fees for 3G access.

b. Do you have 64GB of iTunes content to fill up a 64GB iPad? Personally, I've converted 40 DVDs and a crap load of TV shows to load, along with my music, and my photos, and such. I can easily fill a 64GB iPad, and I can definitely fill a 32GB iPad quite easily with Apps, Music, Photos, Videos and such.

Now, do I use 64GB of content? Never. But I have choice. If I go on a trip, I can load a ton of movies, and choose which one I want to watch.

Right now I have 12 movies, between 50 and 100 TV Shows, 1,637 songs, 107 applications, 3,640 photos, 100 books, and I have 14.8GB free, meaning I can probably add like 10 more movies probably, or a ton more tv shows, etc.

:) I hope this helps somewhat.

I do feel internet connectivity is more important then content, however, when there is no internet connectivity, then you have tons of content to use :). And in places where you are waiting, like flying on an airplane, the 3G would be useless anyhow.
 
numbertwelve said:
I'm having a bit of a dilemma deciding which iPad to plump for (I'm buying one next weekend).

I've set myself a spending 'limit' as it were, which coincides with either the 64 gig Wifi or 32 gig Wifi + 3G. The issue is that I'm agonizing over which one to pick.

I know from reading a lot online that you should base your iPad purchasing decision on what you plan to use it for. I'm really wanting to use it as a reader and as a video-playing device (the latter especially for trips, etc). Not over bothered about having my whole iTunes music library on there but might stick my favourite songs on it. Would like to make use of the newspaper apps, etc.

Thing is, I'm not sure I'll use the 3G capability (I'm skeptical of having another outgoing for data I might not use, considering I already own a smartphone), and really the 3G would only be there if I decided I was going to use more of it in the future, and also for possible resale value. I can also use my smartphone as a wireless hotspot, which could get me through 'lack of 3G' scrapes if they arose.

So, basically, I'm torn between potential resale value + a 3G capability I may never use but may need in the future (you never know) + smaller capacity vs more storage but potential buyer's remorse if I find the resale isn't quite as good for the Wifi only version, or I find I need mobile data in the future.

I'd really appreciate thoughts and shared experiences, guys. :)
Click to expand...

Carrying Videos + Phone as wireless hotspot = higher capacity wifi iPad.
 
numbertwelve said:
I'm having a bit of a dilemma deciding which iPad to plump for (I'm buying one next weekend).

........

I can also use my smartphone as a wireless hotspot, which could get me through 'lack of 3G' scrapes if they arose.
Click to expand...

You answered your own question.
 
I bought the 64gb wifi model, and between hotspots and off-line media and apps, I've had no regrets.

I have an iPhone (not jail broken, AT&T USA, so no tethering). If I need to check mail, or the web while traveling, I can use the phone.

Even unwired, I can watch Movies, listen to music, work on spreadsheets, notes, rough out web sites, sketch, etc.

When I'm in range of a hotspot I can catch up with all the critical Tweets and FB updates. :rolleyes:

If you can tether from your cell phone, it sounds like a no-brainer. Get the WiFi model. The main thing you'd lose is the GPS. (Location services work on WiFi, but the accuracy isn't as good and there is no Turn-By-Turn feature.)
 
I got the 32 gig wifi and wish I had gotten the 3g one just to "future proof" it more.

If you ever plan to travel out of the country, roaming charges on a phone are insane. It seems easier/cheaper to have the option of putting a local carrier's sim card in and being able to use it.

You don't have to worry about the battery life on your phone. I had wireless tethering on my last phone and it totally killed my battery after a little over an hour of use. Also you have to consider who your carrier is. If it is Sprint or Verizon you can't tether and make calls at the same time. Not sure how this works on other carriers.

I ended up buying a mifi for on the go internet access and it works pretty well. It just isn't ideal and it won't do me much good outside of the US.
 
X1Lightning said:
Just wondering why you feel gps is needed on a ipad?
Click to expand...

It IS a portable device. If you travel with it then GPS is very useful. Even if you don't travel, more and more apps are GPS-enabled these days. It enhances the usefuleness of the device. On the other hand, if you're just using it around the house or the office then obviously GPS is unimportant.
 
poloponies said:
It IS a portable device. If you travel with it then GPS is very useful. Even if you don't travel, more and more apps are GPS-enabled these days. It enhances the usefuleness of the device. On the other hand, if you're just using it around the house or the office then obviously GPS is unimportant.
Click to expand...

I just cant see the usefulness of a 10 inch gps, a smartphone or a standalone gps would be better for that.

i know apple has a video of someone duck taping an ipad to the dash for navigating, but that is just ridiculous
 
X1Lightning said:
I just cant see the usefulness of a 10 inch gps, a smartphone or a standalone gps would be better for that.

i know apple has a video of someone duck taping an ipad to the dash for navigating, but that is just ridiculous
Click to expand...

As a moving map display, I much prefer it to either a phone or standalone GPS.

The big screen is perfect for this.
 
To the OP:

Don't forget that you can always transfer video from SD cards via the Camera Kit so you can effectively expand your storage regardless of which model you buy. AirStash does the same thing at a more substantial cost.
 
Thanks for the advice everyone. I ended up going for the 32gig 3g in the end. I realised I liked the insurance of 3g if I needed it, I liked the idea of GPS and because I'm not planning on much music on it I think it'll be adequate for my storage needs. Can't wait to get it home and have a play with it!
 
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