Choosing an...iPad?

[Blkmage0253]

yeah so sue me. i said a year ago that the ipad was stupid and that i would never get one, but now i want one. i'm pretty familiar with apple products and their outrageous prices, but anyway:

1) WiFi vs. 3/4G: anyone have the 3/4G version and can comment on it? basically, all 3G service where I live sucks shit (i'm convinced this has something to do with the fact that I live near the water, since if I drive a mile north I have amazing connection; everyone else around here on different service providers says the same). I'm home maybe 3 months of the year. The other 9 months I'm away at school (Houston) where the 3G and 4G is great, but then again my dorm actually has blazingly fast wifi. The only advantage I can really see if I'm not near wifi, but I already have a smartphone and don't really wanna spend more on a monthly plan

2) Storage? mostly using it for movies and tv shows. I have the 64gb iphone for some reason and that seems to hold up okay, but it seems a bit too little? undecided between the 32 and 64 for pricing, but seems like 64 is the only logical (and unregretful) way to go...

3) Does anyone actually read books on this thing? I have a basic kindle and i'm rather fond of it. i feel like trying to read a book on an ipad would probably burn my eyes out in a matter of minutes, but i'm not intending to anyway

 

[Matthew]

Reading books on an ipad doesn't work. You get way too easily distracted with social media or Web browsing. If you want to read ebooks then your basic kindle is the best bet

 

[undisputed]

why do you want an ipad when you have an iphone? my impression is that they're pretty much the same thing.. just the ipad is bigger and can't call people?

 

[jrp]

ipad is cool for college, you can use textbooks on it and stuff.

I have a 3G 1st gen 32 gb. I'd reccomend getting a 3G one, it comes in handy every once in awhile. I'd get a 64 gb one, I'm starting to hit my limit memory-wise, and I'm planning on upgrading to the 3rd gen one 64 gb.

but yeah, I read books on mine. It's a nice feature to have.

I'll just recommend getting one, lol

 

[faint]

I think you should just buy an iPad 2 if you plan on getting one. You may have heard about the heat issues with the 3rd generation one. I mean the only stand out feature is the display, but I'm pretty sure you can find a 64 GB iPad 2 for the base price of the iPad 3.

Also why would you use an iPad for movies and tv shows? 64gb may be a big upgrade from 32 but it's still nothing when you realize how large some hd movies and shows can be. I really don't understand...

 

[symphonyx64]

Also why would you use an iPad for movies and tv shows?

Why wouldn't you you use an iPad for movies and tv? 64 GB is a shit ton of storage. HD movies are what, 2-5 GBs each? Plus that 2048-by-1536 resolution on the New iPad... damn.

Also, just to add, you don't have to store 20 movies on your iPad at once.

 

[faint]

Why wouldn't you you use an iPad for movies and tv? 64 GB is a shit ton of storage. HD movies are what, 2-5 GBs each? Plus that 2048-by-1536 resolution on the New iPad... damn.

idk dude I figured people bought iPads because they're a. hipsters or b. "gamers"

 

[Shinryu]

3g/4g largely depends on if you need it, and if you want a contract with AT&T (it is AT&T right?). I mean, if you live somewhere that has continually wifi access (or even your local Starbucks/McDonalds has it usually), 3g isn't as important, and if you're on a college or school campus often, even more true. But if you say travel a lot or like the gps stuff and you want to pay for the contract (as well as a larger starting price), by all means go for it, as convenient internet wherever is nice to have; I'm strongly wishing I had 3g on my tablet as at work, it's a wifi deadspot, nothing even nearby for at least a few miles and it sucks having to drive out to use it. But for you OP, I'd probably not bother as you mentioned you already have an iPhone you can probably get by with for quick browsing on the go as well as gps and stuff.

Storage of course is the same issue, depending on your needs; I get by fine with my 16gb HP Touchpad, but if you have a lot of movies or music (or just want more apps and games), may as well invest in more storage as you obviously can't upgrade it. Even I wish I had a bit more at times, though by that point I usually go through and clean off what I don't want on my tablet. If anything, it sounds like you'd probably be good with 32gb (just clean off stuff you don't need and add it again later if you want), though if you have the cash, go for 64gb I suppose, I'd opt for more storage over 3g in your scenario.

I'd probably go for the iPad 2 over iPad 3 as well, new one has the display and such, but it's also technically a bit heavier and doesn't really have much new tech inside anyways. Not to mention you can score an iPad 2 for cheaper.

Finally, (in general) you really can't compare textbook reading on a smaller kindle to a full size tablet either, I mean textbooks are meant to be bigger and having a bigger screen makes reading and finding stuff a lot easier I think. I mean, if I had a kindle I'd use it for general non-textbook reading, but I definitely wouldn't consider it for textbooks as many electronic textbooks also have imbedded links for more relevant material non-Fire kindles can't access. My only experience with iBooks specifically has been on my old iPod Touch, which it being an outdated model, barely runs it and lags a lot with it; my guess would be it would be a lot faster on a newer iPhone or iPad, but I don't know otherwise. Regardless though, if your college is like my graduate school, likely you'll have to use the chosen app for the specific publishers and such; mine all go through some vitalsource bookshelf, which is a pain in the butt but it does work I guess.

 

[Firestorm]

why do you want an ipad when you have an iphone? my impression is that they're pretty much the same thing.. just the ipad is bigger and can't call people?

Reading books on an ipad doesn't work. You get way too easily distracted with social media or Web browsing. If you want to read ebooks then your basic kindle is the best bet

Also why would you use an iPad for movies and tv shows? 64gb may be a big upgrade from 32 but it's still nothing when you realize how large some hd movies and shows can be. I really don't understand...

People who don't know the products they're giving advice on probably shouldn't.

 

[Carl]

I have an iPad 2 (64gb) with 3G through Verizon.

1) Well, considering I already have the cellular data option, of course I would recommend it! From the sound of it, you could probably get by without it being that you'll be on a college campus and do already have a smartphone. However, I do find having 3G handy for those times I'm not in a wifi hotspot... Plus, I'd imagine resell value is higher with the data option for if and when you want to upgrade for iPad 4.. Whenever that is.

And to set the record straight, there is no contract for cellular data on iPads. You pick a provider for hardware purposes when you buy one (AT&T or Verizon) (edit: i believe iPad 3 supports either carrier without having to choose) and then you can turn on or shut off data whenever you like. With Verizon, I have 4 "monthly" data options: 1gb for $20, 2gb for $30, 5gb for $50, 10gb for $80. Essentially, when you want 3G, you go into settings, turn on cell data, pick your "plan" and then you have 3G access with that data limit for the month. It will auto renew every month unless you cancel the plan... but that's the thing, you CAN cancel whenever so you only pay for the service that you want or need. You're not locked into a monthly payment if you don't want to be. It's basically pay as you go.

2) I went with the maximum storage with the logic that I can't add more later. At the time I got mine (roughly a year ago), that was fairly true. Now Apple offers the whole cloud service thing so I'm sure you could get less storage and be alright... Though admittedly I have never used it myself. The downside to that is, of course, if you don't have access to internet... It's really a preference and intended use thing with storage. If you'll have a lot of apps and media on your device, by all means, ramp up and get the added space.

3) No, I usually don't read books on my iPad but I'm the type of person that likes to physically have the text in my hands when I read. I do use my iPad for a lot of my regular web browsing and article reading, though, and it's great for that. I've read that the new model's retina display is much better to your eyes for reading if that's any consolation.


In general, I agree with some of the previous posters and would recommend going iPad 2 over the new iPad. The better quality screen and 4G option are the only two major selling points the latest edition has and there have been a surprising amount of issues. I guess it also has the better camera but really who uses an iPad to take pictures? I'm sure you'd be fine, get a warranty, etc. if you got the new iPad but if you want to save some cash, this might be the area to look at first.

 

[Glen]

idk dude I figured people bought iPads because they're a. hipsters or b. "gamers"

yeah nothing says hipster like buying the most ubiquitous piece of technology available

 

[Carl]

i was going to say something to that effect, too, but refrained. well put, glen.

a snarky comment could be made about b as well, i'm sure.

 

[X5Dragon]

I have my 16 gig, Ipad2 with WiFi/3G (without facetime). I chose the 3G because I needed to trade stocks while at work and you know how work computers are administrated (no youtube, etc). I also like to surf web on this thing and it's really fun, I also didn't like the fandom of Apple but I got to admit this is pretty nifty.

If you can guarantee WiFi connection most of the time then no need for 3G and you prolly need to get either the 32 or 64 gig version for the TV show (why don't people just say anime? It's not a taboo anymore).

 

[Eraddd]

Just a heads up, using a textbook on an iPad won't be as good as having one in paper form if you have sensitive eyes like me; I've tried using my brother's tablet for textbooks, and just staring at the screen for hours really hurt my eyes, as opposed to using a paper textbook. Not sure if the retina display fixes this or not, but if you have sensitive eyes, I'd stay away from using it as a textbook.

 

[Matthew]

People who don't know the products they're giving advice on probably shouldn't.

People who don't know what I do or do not actually own shouldn't be calling me out. As a shameful owner of an iPad I can assure you that reading books on them is absolutely terrible.

 

[Yoshi King]

People who don't know what I do or do not actually own shouldn't be calling me out. As a shameful owner of an iPad I can assure you that reading books on them is absolutely terrible.

Also chiming in to say that it should be perfectly fine to offer advice on a particular product if you've done your research and know what it does-- I have had extensive experience with Xbox 360 through my friends and am certain I would never want one, nor would I recommend it to anyone unless every one of their friends also had LIVE.

Firestorm does make a point though guys, even if you hate Apple/its products at least try to stay on topic.

"treat serious threads the way they deserve to be treated"

 

[Bad Ass]

well speaking from a storage standpoint, the ipad might not be your best bet. 64 GB ones are pretty expensive compared to an transformer prime or something that has an SD slot. you may want to look into that, they are pretty cool!

on the other hand, my laptop only has 128 GB and i do fine. i just have an external drive that i keep ALL of my movies/tv on and then rotate out the couple of shows / movies that i am watching. i don't have space issues. so with that, you could go for a 32 GB ipad even and just limit what you keep on it. 2-3 movies and a couple of episodes of a few TV series and you still have PLENTY of room left.

my 2c

 

[moot]

People who don't know what I do or do not actually own shouldn't be calling me out. As a shameful owner of an iPad I can assure you that reading books on them is absolutely terrible.

as another owner of an ipad (2, 16GB wifi) i would like to state that it is actually not too difficult to read books on an ipad. if you are too easily distracted, well, that is honestly your own damn fault for not being able to concentrate on a book for more than 10 minutes without checking facebook (no offense matt).

i use my ipad mainly for taking notes (via Notability, one of THE best applications for note taking i've ever seen), ebooks, and as a laptop replacement (my laptop is a desktop replacement and it doesn't have the battery draw to be very portable) and it is a very good tool if you are using it mainly in a school environment.

 

[Blkmage0253]

after thinking on it, i'll probably get the ipad 2. From what I gather, the 32 and 64 GB models are out of production. I'm a bit hesitant to buy a used one. I've been meaning to call the apple store to see if they have them in stock but I'm guessing that they don't. So if I want a new one, what's my best bet? Amazon? They seem to have them at normal price.

I went to Best Buy today and they basically told me that they only carry the 16 GB model of the iPad2 now and you can't order them from their website.

 

[Carl]

Apple sells refurbished iPads from their website with a 1 year warranty. Also includes a new battery and new outer casing. Not sure if their prices are worth it though when you could go brand new in the latest model instead. Guess that's up to you and how much you're willing to spend.

http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/ipad

 

[Blkmage0253]

so i actually got the new ipad instead and couldn't be happier. there's a crater in my wallet now though.

i got a stylus and notability is actually really nifty for taking handwritten notes. the resolution and display are amazing, but i don't have anything to compare it to. i actually find that i'm using my laptop a lot less. if it weren't for the fact that i need stuff like matlab, solidworks, fortran etc. for school, i would almost consider ipad-only.

i loaded my kindle account and tried reading a book but i stopped after a few minutes since it strained my eyes even with brightness down. textbooks were totally fine though. any app suggestions? not into gaming that much. i have dropbox, a bunch of note and pdf-annotation apps, some news apps, flickr, etc

 

[moot]

ibooks takes some getting used to if that's what you're using for reading - try sepia mode at around 30-40% brightness in medium light.

what kind of apps were you wanting / would you be using most frequently?

 

[Eraddd]

i loaded my kindle account and tried reading a book but i stopped after a few minutes since it strained my eyes even with brightness down. textbooks were totally fine though. any app suggestions? not into gaming that much. i have dropbox, a bunch of note and pdf-annotation apps, some news apps, flickr, etc

For sensitive eyes, it's going to be difficult using the iPad for extensive reading. I usually like to read for hours on end, and that really hurts the eyes, regardless of whatever setting you put it on (the kindle has an advantage over the iPad for those with sensitive eyes). Either you get some sort of lubricant for the eyes, or you'll probably want to switch to another source for reading.

 

[Shinryu]

so i actually got the new ipad instead and couldn't be happier. there's a crater in my wallet now though.

i got a stylus and notability is actually really nifty for taking handwritten notes. the resolution and display are amazing, but i don't have anything to compare it to. i actually find that i'm using my laptop a lot less. if it weren't for the fact that i need stuff like matlab, solidworks, fortran etc. for school, i would almost consider ipad-only.

i loaded my kindle account and tried reading a book but i stopped after a few minutes since it strained my eyes even with brightness down. textbooks were totally fine though. any app suggestions? not into gaming that much. i have dropbox, a bunch of note and pdf-annotation apps, some news apps, flickr, etc

Grats on your purchase. What version of the iPad did you finally settle on out of curiosity?

 

[Dragonpolabear]

Reading books on an iPad doesn't work. You get way too easily distracted with social media or Web browsing. If you want to read e-books then your basic kindle is the best bet

Reading books on the Kindle is also a little hard. As a proud owner of a Kindle Touch since Christmas, I can say that the Kindle also has Internet connection, and can surf the web. (Believe me, I've done it many times at school)