The “New” iPad was announced a week ago yesterday. While it looks essentially the same as the iPad 2, it boasts a significantly better screen, an improved camera, improved graphics and performance, and 4G LTE networking. It ships in the same capacities and configurations as before – 16, 32, or 64 GB and WiFi only or WiFi + 4G. I currently own an original iPad and really love it. It’s a great device that makes for an enjoyable web browsing, eBaying, Facebooking, and gaming experience. I held off on the iPad 2 when it came out even though it was thinner, faster, had a camera, and packed more memory than my iPad. It had the same screen as my iPad and I knew that Apple would release one with a crisp Retina quality display at some point so I decided to wait.
Fast forward to last week and my dream came true – Apple released a Retina iPad. This was big. It was going to make pretty much everything with text or an image on it look amazing. If I was going to upgrade, this was the time. I was fortunate to receive a bonus at work this year and decided to put some of it toward a new iPad. When I got my original iPad I wanted the absolute top-end model. That meant the 64 GB model with WiFi and 3G. I advised anyone that I knew to spend the extra $130 on the WiFi + 3G model of the capacity they wanted to purchase. My argument was that you didn’t have to use the 3G if you didn’t want to, but you couldn’t add it later if you didn’t purchase it up front. It was a good argument, but ironically I have never used 3G on my iPad in the year and a half that I’ve owned it. If I need to use the internet and I don’t have WiFi, I just use my iPhone. As for storage, my iPad is about 75% full, but most of it is my 30 GB music collection. I don’t really need every song that I own stored on my iPad – it doesn’t have a very good speaker and I have it all on my iPhone anyway.
All of this means that I don’t need a high end iPad the second time around. A mid-range model will do fine. So yesterday I placed my order for a 32 GB White WiFi only model and a red leather Smart Cover. I’m really excited to have a white iPad because it looks unique in comparison to other tablets and it matches my phone as well. I’m also really excited about the Smart Cover. I think they are great and was really bummed that I couldn’t get something as elegant for my original iPad. It may be surprising to some that I didn’t pre-order my iPad so that I’d get it on Friday when the first wave ships, but I wasn’t sure if I would have the money to buy it until I knew what my bonus was. According to Apple, my iPad should ship in 2-3 weeks. My Smart cover, of course, shipped today.
Relatively Ambitious 