Apple iPad Thread

[hanster]

Wow you're making a VERY compelling case for me to get the iPad 1 instead of 2. Just curious: did you jailbreak your iPhone and/or iPad? Would be curious about other peoples set up as well.

I currently don't have one yet because I was waiting to see how the xoom would look vs the iPad and it seems it's not eve close when u consider the price, apps and most importantly the cool factor

Originally Posted by Aloysius

When I was contemplating upgrading, I was just going to order online on March 11. Free shipping and not dealing with lines >>> having the iPad 2 for this weekend, imo

I am, however, no longer upgrading (was going to sell my iPad to KBZ, using those monies to subsidize cost of iPad 2).

Outside of the much hotter form factor and smart cover ftw, since I don't really care all that much about giant screen face time (I barely use it on my iPhone 4), or using an unwieldy giant camera to awkwardly take photoz/video, it's not much of an upgrade for me imo.

Early reviews from EndGadget and other sites noted the iPad 2's "zippier" performance on web tasks vs. iPad, but when equalizing for the OS:



This full article below pretty much killed any chance I'd upgrade this cycle - pretty OK waiting for iPad 3 at this point:

http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/20...for-ipad-2.ars

-Al

[mused01]

HDMI connection makes this a pretty easy decision for me.

[bowens]

Hello all. Here are the parameters for my potential purchase:
1) Facetime is not a big deal to me. I have used it once on my phone
2) Either way I go, I'll be getting the 16gb, wifi only model
3) I will not be jailbreaking the ipad.
4) I am a very simple user. I'll be getting the basic apps (facebook, espn, cbssportsline, weather, newspaper stuff, games, etc.) I'm a school band director, so I may get some apps that would help me there (tuner, metronome, pdf reader for music scores, etc)

All of that said, do I buy an iPad 2, or go the cheaper route and get the iPad 1, and save and get the iPad 3 next year, or whatever?

[Kneel B4 Zod]

if you live in an urban area, you should be able to find an ipad 1 w/ a significant amount of it's 1 year warranty left for $300 - $325 or so on craiglist, and most people will include their case. an ipad 2, new from apple, w/ a new case, taxes, etc will run you nearly $600. it's not even a close decision unless you really want facetime imo

[Mark_K]

From my experience, it is rarely correct to buy old technology over new. Unless, affordablity is a serious issue.

The ipad2 will have a higher resale value and it will also last longer moving down the technology curve. (won't be obsolete as fast)

PLUS you get immediate access to all the benefits that an iPad 2 has over an iPad 1.

[Mark_K]

Originally Posted by bowens

I'm a school band director, so I may get some apps that would help me there (tuner, metronome, pdf reader for music scores, etc)

Garage Band for the iPad 2!!!!! $4.99

Watch the demo during the iPad2 keynote.

[DTD]

Hi, I'm thinking of getting an ipad2. I have a desktop and several laptops already, but I like the look and feel of the ipad2, and the wife uses Skype all the time with her family so having the webcam etc and long battery life means it would be great for the living room. Plus, I have a 2-year old and I know there are loads of apps that would help her learning, plus distract her to give me some rest! I think I'm already sold on the idea, especially as I wouldn't need the 3g so could get a cheaper model.

I note talk of Jailbreaking - is there any main reason not to do this? To be honest, I hate the idea of Apple having so much control of what you use the thing for when you have bought it so I'd probably want to remove any restrictions on general principal. Then again, I don't want anything bad to happen!

[Kneel B4 Zod]

Originally Posted by Mark_K

From my experience, it is rarely correct to buy old technology over new. Unless, affordablity is a serious issue.

well it depends what the technology is. in this case you're talking about an 11 month old product that will be receiving the same OS update as the new one. much of the benefit of the new product isn't even "technology", it's being lighter and thinner. and you get the cameras and it's better for gaming. after that it appears very marginal.

Originally Posted by Mark_K

The ipad2 will have a higher resale value and it will also last longer moving down the technology curve. (won't be obsolete as fast)

well yeah but if you just think about it in raw dollars a Ferrari has better resale value than a Toyota. 1 year from now when Ipad 3 comes out these $500 (really, $600 ish after all expenses) Ipad 2's will be be worth $300, while a $300 original Ipad should still be worth ...$200 ish anyways. for 1 year of usage cost you're looking at $300 ish vs $100 ish. people pay a large premium to get the newest, shiniest things.

I don't think it's generally necessary w/ these Apple products to upgrade every single year. every other year has seemed to make more sense b/c that's when big differences start to open up

[Nicholasp27]

There are actually a lot of benefits to the iPad2 over the iPad1, so it really just comes down to cost and if those benefits are worth the extra cost to you. Here are some definite and some potential (aka we'll find out this weekend) benefits.


definite:
Cameras - Facetime, Photo Booth and any other Apps that use cameras
HDMI Mirroring - If you ever want to hook up the iPad to TV/Projector to see mirror image of it then you need iPad2. This could be for business presentations but also for a family game of Angry Birds or Scrabble (each player has iPhone/iPod "tile rack" and the board is on the tv)
Thinness/Weight - If this matters to you
Gyroscope - There will be apps that are better on iPad2 than iPad1 bc they leverage the Gyroscope
Snap-On Screen Protector - This is nice if you are only concerned with protecting the screen; personally I'd still use a full case as I want it protected if I drop it on its back/side/corners. Maybe could use a silicon wrap case and then protector on top instead of using a padfolio case, making it a slimmer experience
White - If you want white, here you go
Verizon - If you want Verizon instead of AT&T 3G because you live in NYC/SF, then here you go

potential:
Faster Web Browsing - At least 1.5x as fast with same OS version in tests so far; we'll see what it ends up at after launch
Better Graphics - Has 9x graphic capabilities; let's see if Apps take advantage of that (we know Photo Booth does)
Better Multitasking - Potentially has increased RAM which could potentially mean less reloading of browser window when switching between multiple; we'll see soon
Faster Apps - Has dual-core chip that is more powerful so Apps, and iPad2 in general, could run snappier; we'll see soon

What Apple says about benefits of new chip:

"You’ll notice the difference when you’re surfing the web, watching movies, making FaceTime video calls, gaming, and going from app to app to app. Multitasking is smoother, apps load faster, and everything just works better."


If you like to multitask, play the most advanced games (infinity blade, rage, etc), do photoshop/keynote/work stuff on it, etc then you'll notice the better chip/graphics.

Cliff Notes: If you are on the fence (aka the definite benefits aren't enough for you to pay more by themselves), wait a few days to read the comparison reviews. There will be 32432432 articles and youtube videos talking/showing the side-by-side comparisons of existing apps, multitasking, web browsing, etc

[Nicholasp27]

Originally Posted by mused01

hm, didn't know apps took that much space. i'm going to jailbreak mine so probably going to get the 64gb then.

I also just realized that a lot of my problem is that I share my iPad with my daughter so I probably have at least 10GB of her stuff alone since lots of interactive books and graphics-heavy animal apps are pretty large...when I sort my apps by size, a good portion of the top 10% are hers

If I had my own iPad that was just my Apps, then 32 would probably be enough, though I could find use for 64

[Mark_K]

I still say the biggest issue with buying an iPad 1 is obsolescence.

Will an iPad 1 have enough memory to run iOS 5.0? iOS 5.3? Sometime in the next year or so, the answer is going to be no.

And in a similar vein, you will start to see more and more apps saying iPad 2 (3) only.

The same thing will happen to the ipad 2 in time. However, it's "shelf life" will be longer.

And in the grand scheme of things, how much money are you really saving? 100-150dollars? Not a whole lot of cash.

[Fat-not-Thin Man]

upgraded my jb 3.2.1 ipad to 4.2.1 and re-jailbroke.

worst. mistake. evarrrrr.

[TheMetetrown]

Originally Posted by Fat-not-Thin Man

upgraded my jb 3.2.1 ipad to 4.2.1 and re-jailbroke.

worst. mistake. evarrrrr.

I just did this out of necessity, why do you think it was?

[Aloysius]

Originally Posted by Mark_K

I still say the biggest issue with buying an iPad 1 is obsolescence.

Will an iPad 1 have enough memory to run iOS 5.0? iOS 5.3? Sometime in the next year or so, the answer is going to be no.

And in a similar vein, you will start to see more and more apps saying iPad 2 (3) only.

The same thing will happen to the ipad 2 in time. However, it's "shelf life" will be longer.

And in the grand scheme of things, how much money are you really saving? 100-150dollars? Not a whole lot of cash.

I'm not a technologist, so don't know:

What are the differences between iPad 1 and iPad 2, from a hardware, app development etc. standpoint - that would make what you're saying above true on any level?

The point myself, KBZ, and many reviewers of the 2 devices have made is that the 2 are not all that different from a computing perspective. Both devices will be running the same iOS soon (when 4.3 is available for iPad 1) - so will be capable of running the same apps.

Personally, if I were in the market for a tablet right now I think there's enough of a difference between the 2, and a small enough price differential - where I would get iPad 2.

(However I have iPad right now, so see no need to upgrade.)

Either way, be curious to hear your thoughts on iPad 1 obsolescence any time in the near term (let's say in the next 3-5 years) - the concept of first gen iPad obsolescence does not jibe on any level with what Ars Technica, EndGadget, and other respected tablet reviewers have noted so far.

(BTW, from a business standpoint - it makes zero sense for Apple to advance their iOS at a rate that would, if it's even possible, render first gen iPad "obsolete" within a year - they have too large an installed iPad 1 user base that are not going to be on a 1-year upgrade cycle)

Thanks,

-Al

[TheMetetrown]

Also, without access to Zumocast what is the best way to get videos over to the iPad to watch? Am I stuck using handbrake and iTunes? Is there a way to still get Zumocast somehow?