which ipad should i buy?

Question

My husband has been lusting for an Ipad since they first came out. I was thinking for Christmas I would finally break down and buy one. Now I'm not super computer literate (I know the 32g holds more than the 16g).

Should I buy just an Ipad or Ipad2? (I know it will be outdated soon, but isn't it all)
Should I get one that is just wifi or one that is wifi/Att (our cell provider)?

If you have any other helpful tips I would be glad to hear them!
Thanks

Answer 1

"Should I buy just an Ipad or Ipad2? (I know it will be outdated soon, but isn't it all)"

I have...erm, had and iPad (1st gen) and now have an iPad3 (purchased when my hubby permanently borrowed my iPad- well that's my excuse anyway LOL) The first gen iPad is basically obsolete, it is being phased out in terms of iOS and app support by Apple and app developers and many of the new apps being released now no longer support it, so IMO the iPad1 is not really worth purchasing anymore. Even iPad 2 is reaching the point of "retirement". I recommend you get the iPad3 (unless you want to use my tactic above to purchase one for yourself later ;-) ), it's around $100 more than the iPad 2 equivalent (actually they were about the same pricepoint, the iPad 2 has dropped in price) but it is also significantly better than it's predecessor... It is has much more processing power and better graphics processor, it has a MUCH better camera and the video quality is surprisingly good, the retina display is absolutely gorgeous (the main reason I purchased the iPad3- the display on this thing is exquisite). An major iOS update (iOS6) in a couple weeks will add extra features/functionality to the iPad3 that won't be available on the iPad2 such as Siri, Facetime etc, so you may want to take this into consideration, if it is important to you/your hubby.

Regarding model specs (for either iPad 2 or 3), really it is your call, but I will suggest that you will use/need plenty of memory and recommend you get at least 32GB- if your husband is anything like me, 16GB will vanish in a week once he imports his music library, a handful of movies and goes a little app-crazy. I got the cellular vers of both my iPads and was glad I did, because I travel/commute alot, having 3G access has been very useful, but, I live in Australia and we don't have the service provider restrictions that you guys have, I can sign up with and change to any provider I wish and I don't have to be locked into a contract so I opted for a PAYG (pay for what I use) which is good value for me. I can appreciate that being locked into a fixed monthly contract may be an unjustifiable expense in your situation (I don't know what your options are with this really) wifi iPad may be best especially if you have an iPhone 4/4S you can tether an iPad to it via bluetooth and use the iPhone's 3G connection.

That's all I can think of that may be helpful to you, I'm certain your husband will be chuffed whatever you decide to get him.

Answer 2

I work for a cellphone store so I'll be honest. The only reason I would recommend a 64 gb is if he will download music videos and movies into the iPad. If he's mostly going to use it for apps and music, 32gb is more than enough. 16gb is good but trust me, once you start downloading stuff, gigs start filling up quick. I have a 32gb with many apps and about 500 songs and I still have plenty of space. I definitely recommend the 32gb unless he really won't download anything at all. If web browsing is all he'll do, 16gb is enough.



4g service on a tablet is worthless in my opinion. If you have a smartphone already, you might as well pay for the tethering service on your smartphone and share the internet with your iPad. Wifi is available in many, many places so paying for 4g service is a waste. I work for one of the biggest cellphone companies in the country and I would never pay for 4g service. I have the first generation iPad with 3G built in and I've never used it because I turn on tethering on my phone and share the Internet with the iPad.



If you're going on a trip, just go into your local cellphone store and add tethering service for a few weeks while your away. This way, if your out and about while on your vacation and need Internet on your iPad, just turn on tethering and your iPad will pick up the signal from your cellphone.



An iPad with 4g service will cost an extra $100. I would rather spend that money on a case or AppleCare to protect the iPad in case I dropped it and breaks.



The new iPad 3 will have higher screen resolution and be a little faster. iPad 2 is not slow, but just not as fast. If he's going to be gaming and switching between apps often, I would go for the new one. If web browsing is all he'll do, iPad 2 is more than enough.



If you have any questions about 4g pricing, let me know, I sell these 5 days a week.

Answer 3

Well as a matter of fact you might not know that their is an ipad 3 the new

one which was released months ago and its really the best and epic and

fastest and if i were you i would go for the ipad 3 and make sure to get the

white one which is cool and awesome it might be expensive but its worth

it so wish you good luck with your new ipad and they also come in (16gb-32gb-64gb)

so go for the 64gb the best one

hope i helped :)