Should I wait for a new iPad or go ahead and pick one up now?

[SRLMJ23]

Is there a restocking fee if you buy one and within two weeks a new one is released and you exchange it?

I do not think there is a restocking fee, but you have 14 days to return the product you bought and from what I have read it all depends on the Apple Store you bought it from, if say you go over that 14 days by a few days, some stores will still let you return the product and buy the new one since you are generally spending more money. I have also read that some and probably most stores are dead on strict with the 14 day window.

It is like most stores, some are more lax than others.

 

[deaglecat]

Soft refresh on 14th March is my guess. Otherwise nothing till late summer.

 

[kevink2]

2 downsides of the Wi-Fi model. No GPS. An extra step involved if you want access away from Wi-Fi. Benefit, lower cost.

And many times, if your cell phone plan doesn't support hotspot, cellular on iPad gives you more flexibility. I can get "unlimited" data for about $22 on the iPad as an add-on to my cell phone plan.

 

[OldEditor]

With the 2017 on sale for $250, I went ahead and bit ... just tonight, actually; can pick it up at Best Buy tomorrow.
I'm one of those new users or "previously intimidated" users or just a guy who has never really warmed to tablets.
Bat at $250, I figure this can be a sort of "learning toy." That is, at worst, I'll listen to some ballgames and tunes, do a little reading and maybe even slap a keyboard on it and use if for very light (overnight) travel. At best, maybe I'll dig it and free myself of regularly carrying a notebook & bag.
I'm a real mutt when it comes to my electronics ... PCs on my desk at home and at work, an MBA 11" for a notebook and a Motorola Droid for a cell.
Who knows, maybe Apple is slowing pulling me into its world. Or maybe I'm just practical/cheap ... the PCs and the Droid are running fine and doing what I need done. While I admit I like the form/function of Apple products and their operating systems, not going to replace the PCs or Droid until they aren't doing the job.
But, long story short, on this purchase, I did get hooked in by the low price.

 

[bluespark]

Would you hold off on buying a new washer and dryer or refrigerator because a new one is rumored to be coming out in a couple weeks? Unless you’re REALLY into getting the latest and greatest technology in everything... probably not.

That is what the iPad is for some people - it’s an appliance. That’s not a bad thing! There are a lot of us in the community who would say “No! You have to have the latest and greatest to get the maximum experience possible!” That’s not the case with the world at large - they buy a device like an iPad when they want it.

ducatisteve is absolutely correct in that the refresh is not going to change the experience for the OP in a dramatic way - they could buy the iPad today and use it for the next five years without giving another thought to getting a new one until the expeperience becomes so detrimental. The OP is coming off an iPad 2 - this, along with the stated use case, tells me they’re more interested in the iPad as an appliance, not a technology hobby.

If OP likes the current iPad (which is excellent), it still probably makes sense to wait. If the new one doesn't offer anything new/better that makes a difference to OP, the price of the current ones probably will fall when the new one is released. I think there's often a good argument for waiting for a new release and then buying the previous thing at closeout prices.

 

[bensisko]

If OP likes the current iPad (which is excellent), it still probably makes sense to wait. If the new one doesn't offer anything new/better that makes a difference to OP, the price of the current ones probably will fall when the new one is released. I think there's often a good argument for waiting for a new release and then buying the previous thing at closeout prices.

I suppose, but, personally, I’ve never seen HUGE price cuts on iPads and especially lower end iPads it’s probably not going to be $100, it would be something like $50 max, but probably just down to $299.

 

[Apple_Robert]

2 downsides of the Wi-Fi model. No GPS. An extra step involved if you want access away from Wi-Fi. Benefit, lower cost.

And many times, if your cell phone plan doesn't support hotspot, cellular on iPad gives you more flexibility. I can get "unlimited" data for about $22 on the iPad as an add-on to my cell phone plan.

$22.00 a month for cellular iPad is a lot me. Then again, you and many others may say my $10 a month for my cellular AW s3 is a lot.

 

[kevink2]

$22/month is cheaper than the $30/month I paid for the grandfathered prepaid account I kept for too long because ATT stopped offering it shortly after I got it, and I figured the moment I dropped it I would have a real need for unlimited (like one time I was out of town for work for a week, it was winter in upstate New York, and the hotel's internet was unusable.