iPad's drop $50, most likely in preperation of the iPad 3. WIll you buy an iPad3? (1 Viewer)

[Kevin Collins]

With the debut of the next iteration of the iPad nearly upon us (the iPad 3), some of Apple’s big-box retail partners are starting to clear out their iPad 2 inventory in preparation for its arrival.
On Sunday, http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Tablets-iPads-E-Readers/iPad/pcmcat209000050007.c?id=pcmcat209000050007&searchresults=1&searchterm=ipad2

I wonder if the price will drop more?!

I have the original iPad and an iPad 2. The early underground photos comparing an iPad 2 to an iPad 3 show a thicker iPad, supposedly because of the higher resolution screen requiring more light, thus more battery. I guess we will find out in March, the rumored iPad 3 launch date, to find out the truth.

 

[Joseph Bolus]

Apple will officially announce the iPad 3 on March 7th. Rumors indicate that it could "street" as early as March 9th. And, yes: I intend to purchase one!

 

[dpippel]

Rumor also has it that Apple will drop the MSRP on the iPad 2 significantly when the 3 hits the street. Patience may be a virtue if you're thinking about buying an iPad 2.

 

[Matt Hough]

I have been seriously considering an iPad, so I will wait to see where the prices fall.

 

[mattCR]

Microcenter has been selling at 449 for months.

 

[dmiller68]

I fully intend to buy one the biggest disk hoping 128GB model with 3G.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Will have my iPad 3 on release date.

 

[Mr645]

March 7 Apple is having a press release regarding iPad and AppleTV.
The iPad 3 and J33 version of the Apple TV will be announced. The AppleTV will have an A5X processor and stream 1080p video

 

[Robert Crawford]

Originally Posted by Ronald Epstein /t/318901/ipads-drop-50-most-likely-in-preperation-of-the-ipad-3-will-you-buy-an-ipad3#post_3902036
Will have my iPad 3 on release date.

Ron,

What does the iPad do for you?

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Good question.
Let me use the upcoming HTF meet as an example.

I will be bringing both my Macbook laptop and iPad.

However, it will be the iPad that I grab first for quick use.

Let me explain...

All the information I need for our upcoming event is loaded
on my iPad. I can access anything on the fly, without having
to lug around and plug in a large, heavy laptop that takes up to 4
minutes to boot up.

If someone approaches me to check in for the event, I
simply push a button to power on the iPad, bring up an
EXCEL document, and mark the attendance sheet.

If I need to look at the schedule or the carpool list, I don't
have to wade through a huge notebook of papers to find
the document. I just open my iPad and there it is.

The iPad is portable and lightweight. I can slip it in and
out of a small pouch (or carry it in my hand) and instantly
have access to email via its cellular connection. If I have
just seated myself at a venue, and waiting for the event to
begin, I can quickly turn on the iPad and respond to email
or place a video phone call with a colleague.

Sure, this can be all done with some of the best smartphones
out there, but the iPad does it bigger and better.

In essence, just about everything you do on your computer
can now be done on the iPad. Your entire office becomes
portable. No need to lug around papers/files. When you
need to access something on the iPad, it can be done instantly
without having to wait for a computer to boot.

If you are a jailbreaker (which is legal as of today) like me,
you can really go to town and customize your iPad with all
sorts of enhancements that not only makes your device more
useful than ever before, but really personalizes it to your
individual taste. Your iPad will be a unique representation of
who you are. Your iPad won't look like the same device your
neighbor owns. It's amazing how many people I have turned
on to jailbreaking after they have seen how cool my iPhone
and iPad look.

Of course, not everyone chooses to jailbreak.

Your iPad can be used as a GPS device in your hand as
you walk, or travel in the car. The iPad comes with Google
Maps, which has free GPS capability included. There are
also great apps from TomTom and Navigon that replicate
the car GPS units you have come to know. Though I would
prefer to use a smaller device such as my iPhone to place
on my dash while I drive, it's not uncommon for people to
use their iPad.

My favorite use for the iPad is during flight travel. Instead
of pulling out my 17" laptop and laying it across a small tray
space, I can comfortably enjoy 3 movies or play my favorite
games during a 6-hour flight without having to worry about
battery life. The iPad gets about 7-9 hours worth of battery
life without charge (and it will probably improve with the iPad 3).

With the good possibility that SIRI will be integrated into
the iPad 3, the value of the device greatly increases. You
can push a button and dictate an email or SMS without typing
a single word. You can ask SIRI simple questions and get
the answers you need. If you jailbreak, you can download
plug-ins that will allow you to talk to SIRI and have her launch
and close programs, toggle settings (such as brightness and WiFi)
and even read your email or announce who is contacting you.
In time, I would expect these features to be integrated into
SIRI without the need to jailbreak.

If you are an iPhone user, it's a no-brainer to buy an iPad.
All your purchased apps are shared across both devices.
With iCloud, all your information stays in sync not only
between your iPhone and iPad, but Macbook as well.
Add a contact or calendar event on one device, it instantly
appears on the other. Add a reminder or delete an email
on one, and you'll find that action already done on the other.

iOS is an amazing platform. It is one of the most incredible
software successes Apple has ever created. Over a few
short years, Apple has used iOS to merge the iPhone and
iPad with their desktops and laptop. With the upcoming
release of the Mountain Lion OS X operating system, the
portable iOS experience now comes to Mac desktops and
laptops. All your devices become merged. Many people
who buy their first Apple product, whether it be iPhone or
iPad, migrate to the iMac or Macbook simply because all
these devices perfectly sync together and operate as one
entity.

So why bring a laptop? Well, there are still things that are
easier to do on a laptop than an iPad. For instance, since
I deal with press releases, I can easily bring up Photoshop
on my laptop, resize photos and post them to the forum.
I am sure it can be done nearly as easily on the iPad, but I
just haven't had time to figure out how to do it. Plus, at the
end of the day, I still enjoy sitting at a desk and using a
full-fledged computer.

Of course, you can buy a keyboard that your iPad fits
into and turn it into something that closely resembles a
laptop.

It's rather amazing how you just reach for your iPad and
you are instantly doing something. You can sit with the
lightweight tablet on your lap, surfing the Internet while
you watch television. You can even control your entire
home theater, using the iPad as a Harmony remote.

Finally, the best reason for buying an iPad is that it's an
Apple device. There is a reason why Apple products are
the most loved devices in our society. I don't think anyone
makes better computers, phones or tablets than Apple.
When you buy an Apple product you are purchasing
something significantly better than the competition. The
experience of using an Apple product is like anything
anybody else has been able to replicate. Of course,
everyone's personal experiences and needs are different --
and such a bold statement is going to met with controversy.

Hope that somewhat answers your question.

 

[Joseph Bolus]

Ron,
That was a *tremendous* synopsis of the utility of the iPad!
And I currently use my iPad for all of those things (less the jailbreaking functions you described).
But let's not forget it's other (generic) uses, such as consuming digital media, internet browsing, and game playing.
With it's 10" screen, it's perfect for reading books, technical journals, magazines, newspapers, and graphic novels. And due to it's popularity it has tremendous support from publishers in all of those areas. For example, all of the Time Inc. weekly magazines (TIme, Entertainment Weekly, Sports Illustrated) are now available for *free* on the iPad with a print subscription. And all of them contain iPad-exclusive enhancements to the print iterations.
DC and Marvel have recently "caved" and are now offering many of their more popular graphic novel lines on the same day they're published. And I recently purchased the digital editions of many of the earliest (1940 era) Batman "comics" at a fraction of their current trading prices. DC has really stepped up to the plate and re-mastered these old comics for the digital realm. (Their first efforts looked dreadfully dull with faded colors and indistinct lines.) They really "pop" on the iPad screen now in both standard and "guided view" modes. The clarity is so good that you can really appreciate the work of the artists and inkers. And I can read these as many times as I wish without worrying about the "paper" fading or wrinkling.
I keep all of my technical journals (about 25 books and about 50 publications) on my iPad for quick reference when I'm at work. And if something new is published which I need to read I can purchase it and be reading it within minutes. Truly invaluable!!
Game support on the iPad has now *exploded* and will only get better with the iPad 3 with its (rumored) quad-core processor and dedicated graphics chip (rumored to allow for 20 times the processing power of the first-gen iPad). My favorite new game on the iPad is "Pinball Arcade" with *exact* digital simulations of *real* 80's and 90's Pinball tables! Some of the more sophisticated tables, though, are going to need the power of the iPad 3 for really good frame rates. One of the tables they're working on now is "ATTACK FROM MARS". I'm sure it will play on the iPad 2; but I'm also sure that it will play a lot better on an iPad 3!
All of this, and we haven't mentioned all of the great apps for the iPad like "Flipboard", "IMDb", "HBO-GO", and on and on!

 

[Ronald Epstein]

I love HBO-GO.

If you are an HBO subscriber, you can access all of
HBO's programming from original content to current
movies playing on that service. You can just sit and
stream all of to your iPad at no additional charge, anytime
and anywhere you are.

 

[WillG]

I love HBO-GO.
If you are an HBO subscriber, you can access all of
HBO's programming from original content to current
movies playing on that service. You can just sit and
stream all of to your iPad at no additional charge, anytime
and anywhere you are.

Although, not all service providers seem to be available for HBO-GO. I have HBO and I use Cablevision which is not on the list of providers that can utilize HBO-GO

 

[mattCR]

Originally Posted by Ronald Epstein /t/318901/ipads-drop-50-most-likely-in-preperation-of-the-ipad-3-will-you-buy-an-ipad3#post_3902122
I love HBO-GO.

If you are an HBO subscriber, you can access all of
HBO's programming from original content to current
movies playing on that service. You can just sit and
stream all of to your iPad at no additional charge, anytime
and anywhere you are.

This is only true if you're carrier is in the list. (take this from a SureWest HBO subscriber.. HBO-Go is a No-Go for us

 

[Robert Crawford]

Ron,

Thank you for your comments. As you probably guess, since, I got my iPhone 4 which I hope to replace with the iPhone 5 later this year, I've been thinking about iPad since it's initial rollout. I don't have a laptop, but a desktop PC, but having let's say a iPad 3 will give me some flexibility, especially, if I'm downstairs in my main HT away from my desktop. I look forward to talking with you further about this at our HT Meet.






Crawdaddy

 

[TonyD]

I live my iPad 2.
One other benefit for me is that it saves wear and tear on my 6 year old MacBook.
That thing is practically falling apart in my hands but still works great, but using the iPad is adding to the length of its life greatly.
Only two things don't work on the iPad, flash video, not that important. And HTF.
Safari crashed three times just simply while reading Ron's long post and twice while reading he next post. Oh well someday I suppose.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

As you probably guess, since, I got my iPhone 4 which I hope to replace with the iPhone 5 later this year, I've been thinking about iPad since it's initial rollout.

Ah, okay, so you have an iPhone.

So, I could have just written a one-line response to you instead
and said, "Oh, it's just a big iPhone, that's all."

And, really, I gave you the newbie speech on why I think an
iPad is so incredible. But if you have an iPhone, you already
know what to expect from iOS. The iPad is just a larger version
of what you have that gives you the convenience of doing things
more comfortably on a 9" screen rather than a tiny iPhone screen.

I am aware of the iPad issues, though sadly, I can't test it out
on mine because I sold it three weeks ago in anticipation of the
new model. We have forwarded the complaints to Huddler.

 

[mattCR]

Originally Posted by TonyD /t/318901/ipads-drop-50-most-likely-in-preperation-of-the-ipad-3-will-you-buy-an-ipad3#post_3902282
I live my iPad 2.
One other benefit for me is that it saves wear and tear on my 6 year old MacBook.
That thing is practically falling apart in my hands but still works great, but using the iPad is adding to the length of its life greatly.
Only two things don't work on the iPad, flash video, not that important. And HTF.
Safari crashed three times just simply while reading Ron's long post and twice while reading he next post. Oh well someday I suppose.

Yeah, I run into the same thing.
Though Tapa has updated their app twice this last week, and it seems to be more reliable now using HTF... plus they came out with an iPad version

 

[Joseph Bolus]

Tapatalk HD is cool, but I've actually had zero problems accessing and posting into this Forum with Safari for the iPad. (I still have my first-gen iPad since it's going to the wife when I acquire the iPad 3 -- daughter already owns an iPad 2).
If Safari is crashing I usually just go into settings, clear the cache, and then perform a reboot. That clears things up 100% of the time. It's probably a real tribute to the design of the iPad that it's owners rarely think about turning it all the way off and/or rebooting it.
BTW, owning an iPhone only gives one a small "taste" of the iPad experience. The combination of the iPad-optimized apps and the much larger screen provides a multiple order of magnitude better overall user experience for consuming digital media (or playing pinball games!). The iPad is also much better suited for manipulating spreadsheets and/or word processing than the iPhone.

 

[JohnS]

After having many failed laptops that either crash or just end up having be repaired, and wanting a good multi device, I have finally bought a Ipad3.
Mine will be on it's way in a few days.
I love reading all the comments, especially the extensive comments from what you can do with it from Ron.
I'm so ready to ditch my crappy PC that I can't even function with.