Which iPad to Buy – What a Difficult Choice to Make

Apple  iPad 2Even though the iPad has been available for a while now, and there are still some people wondering which iPad to buy. Seeing as there are now two versions of iPad out there, there is actually even more choice than there was before. When the original iPad came out, you only had to decide how much money you had to spend, then select the iPad which fitted within the budget. Maybe before you came to that decision, you would choose whether you needed to have 3G, as well as Wi-Fi connection. For iPad business use, then 3G connectivity would be great to have.

When I made my purchase of a new iPad 1, I decided that I did not need the 3G connection. Now, after using an iPad for a while, I have decided that when I buy the next version of the iPad, the iPad 3, I will certainly buy one that has 3G connection. Mifi or 3G on the iPad? It really is very valuable to be able to connect wherever you are, even when there is no Wi-Fi available. Up until now I have got around this limitation by using a MiFi. The MiFi is an incredibly useful small device, that takes in the 3G signal, and pumps it out as a Wi-Fi signal, so that up to five Wi-Fi devices can connect to it. The only disadvantage to the MiFi, is that it has a battery that does need charging after about 4 hours, although that amount of time is usually enough for my mobile computing with the iPad. Of course the other thing is, that you have to carry around another device. So you can see that having the 3G built into the iPad is probably worth the extra cost.

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Which iPad to buy – How much memory do you need?

Another choice that you will have to make, with regards to buying an iPad, is how much memory you will have installed in it. We made the choice of getting a 32GB Wi-Fi only, iPad and we chose 32GB, partly because it was mid-range and partly because we felt we would need to have more than the 16GB that I had in my iPhone, seeing as we were likely to have more video stored on the iPad. The truth of the matter is that, if you are organised in the way that you store files containing your data, video, audio and other documents, then you may likely get away with having just 16 GB.

Now that there is the iPad 2 available, and it has a dual core A5 chip, which makes it faster than the iPad1 and there are also other upgrades to the iPad which make it better, Such as the addition of a camera or two. You have to decide whether you want to go with the new iPad, and buying it direct from Apple, either from the online store, the retail stores or getting a discount from the refurbished store. I can highly recommend the refurbishment store with Apple, because you do get a discount on buying an iPad that is as good as, or better than new. Or do you look for a secondhand original iPad?

Will the addition of a pair of cameras in the iPad to influence your decision about which iPad to buy

With the latest version of the iPad, version 2, you can use the iPad camera, or should I say cameras, because there is one on the front and one on the back, to be able to take photographs, and also to be able to use Face Time. With the camera on the rear you may also record video. The ability to record video and then do edits using iMovie for the iPad, is extremely useful if you would like to be able to do all of that while you are out and about, and do not have access to a desktop computer. You would be able to even get it uploaded to YouTube and have it available for your audience very quickly, because of not having to transfer files from one computer to another.

Aside from the iPad2 being thinner and lighter, weighing 15 percent lighter than the original, you also have the new iPad smart cover. The smart cover actually does the job of waking up the iPad and sending it back to sleep again, when you attach it magnetically to the iPad. So that the iPad smart cover is not just to cover and stand. Many users of the iPad 2 have found though, that they also prefer to have a cover of some sort, which protects the rear of the iPad. So as you can see, there are a number of things to consider, when you are thinking about which iPad to buy.

 

Maybe a good option would be to buy a second-hand iPad 1

IPad on lap2

Obviously, if you are on a tighter budget, and you feel that you do not really need all of the extra features as found on the iPad 2, then you could opt to buy a second-hand iPad 1. This is quite a good option when you consider that all of the Mac fan boys will want to have the latest version and will be selling the original iPad, that is if they don’t pass the iPad on, to a another family member. Passing the iPad down to another family member could be fairly likely, seeing as it is a computer that even your granny could use.

The thing to do when looking for a good second-hand iPad, would be to first of all ask your Mac fanboy friends what they are going to do with their iPad1 when they purchase their new one. If you talk to them nicely, you may find that you get a bargain, as well as knowing the lineage of the iPad and the fact that it will have been taken care of. You can grill them on the question of – What can an iPad do?

Which iPad to Buy – Take care on Ebay or Craigslist

Don’t forget also, that when deciding which iPad to buy, that there is also the possibility of buying iPads through eBay, Craigslist, and various other second-hand marketplaces. The usual comment of buyer beware, has to be taken into consideration, when buying an iPad from one of these sources. It may be a better option to go for an iPad from the refurbished store from Apple and instead of buying a more expensive model, get one that has less memory, or without the 3G. The Amazing iPad