What tablet should I buy?

[truthseeker]

Thanks for the replies folks. As I suspected, it's a bit of a jungle out there and it's very much a matter of personal choice and what you intend using the tablet for. I think I'll follow Woodie's suggestion and pop into a store and try out a couple of tablets and try to filter what the salesmen are telling me.

Thats the key.

There are websites that you can do a series of questions on that recommend you a tablet based on your answers - here is , that also gives comprehensive info from user reviews.

Also it might be worth talking to any friends about what they actually do on them, I have one friend who really wanted one, but then when she got it, she didnt like that the internet wasnt as easy to use as on her laptop and has more or less left it aside.

 

[Homer]

Bought an iPad 2 today. Thanks for all the help and advice.

Homer

 

[Homer]

Bought an iPad 2 today. Thanks for all the help and advice.

Homer

I'm starting to second guess my decision. I haven't taken it out of the box yet. Should I pay the extra €110 for the IPad 4? As I mentined previously, budget is not the primary driver, but on the other hand I don't want to pay extra for features I'm never going to use just because it's the latest version of a particular model.


As far as I can tell from all the research I've done, the main differences are:

• Higher resolution display
• Better camera (front and rear)
• Higher speed connection for downloading songs, pictures, etc.
• Faster processor, but no real difference in speed because higher resolution uses up most of speed differential.

I would really welcome any advice on this.

Thanks
Homer

 

[Woodie]

Which one did you buy Homer? Wifi or SIM/Wifi and how much memory?
Problem with technology really is that tomorrow their will always be a better version. Moores Law is in full swing when many thought it had it's day in the nineties! If you wait you will always get something better but then you have nothing in the mean time.

Personally I think that the software is going to be the more important focus in the next phases. Like how many more gadgets can you put into these devices. The real thing to remember is; does the product you chose do the job for you now at a reasonable price.
Same is true for much of technology unless you are actually going to need the features of the newer version and are you going to be able to use them. So a newer model may have 4G but you might have no 4G access for years or may end up using Wifi the whole time. I bought a iPAD mini top of the range not because i really need it but I know I won't change it for a while and just because I don't want to be limited and don't mind paying.
About the higher speed connections for example, people are obsessed with that when really a modest connection speeds, with low contention and good quality network is more important IMHO.

 

[dub_nerd]

I had a similar dilemma - had waited until new iPad came out, intending to buy the old one cheap. But then, since my exclusive reason for buying was reading books, I decided the retina display was worth having.

 

[Latrade]

I'm starting to second guess my decision. I haven't taken it out of the box yet. Should I pay the extra €110 for the IPad 4? As I mentined previously, budget is not the primary driver, but on the other hand I don't want to pay extra for features I'm never going to use just because it's the latest version of a particular model.



As far as I can tell from all the research I've done, the main differences are:

• Higher resolution display
• Better camera (front and rear)
• Higher speed connection for downloading songs, pictures, etc.
• Faster processor, but no real difference in speed because higher resolution uses up most of speed differential.

I would really welcome any advice on this.

Thanks
Homer

If budget isn't an issue, then yes, I would go for the ipad 4. It's a big step up from the 2, especially when you compare them side-by-side.

 

[Homer]

Thanks everyone.

I've decided to change to the iPad. I was struggling with the decision, but once I decided to change, I felt better about it, so that tells me (I think?) that I'm making the right decision. I think if I stayed with the iPad 2, I would spend the next six months second guessing my decision and wishing I had decided to go for the newer version.

My only remaining decision is how much storage. I had a look at my iPad today and the songs on it would more than use up the entire 16GB storage, but then again, a lot of them are "junk" songs I inherited from my kids. I've been told that there is a very large level of iCloud storage available (is this true?) and that 16GB is plenty for personal use. As with the decision to change to the iPad 4, I don't want to regret deciding to stay with 16GB in a couple of months time, but neither do I want to waste money on something that won't really be of any benefit to me.

 

[Latrade]

As with going for the iPad 4, I'd go with the highest gb you can afford. It's not just music, the iCloud service is ok but isn't streaming, so it still (to my knowledge) downloads songs to the device you can just access your library from iCloud, but I mainly use spotify rather than my itunes library now.

The other thing is that app developers will be developing on the basis of iOS 6 and the capabilities of the iPad4. That means bigger apps taking up more room. Games are getting much bigger in size.

Add in videos and pictures and 16gb doesn't get you far at all.

If you're intending to put movies on there, I'd be inclined to go for the 64gb if you could afford it. If it's mainly music, photos, apps and such, 32 is usually comfortable enough for most people, but you may have to do occasional housekeeping and clear out a few things.

 

[tallpaul]

Thanks everyone.

I've decided to change to the iPad. I was struggling with the decision, but once I decided to change, I felt better about it, so that tells me (I think?) that I'm making the right decision. I think if I stayed with the iPad 2, I would spend the next six months second guessing my decision and wishing I had decided to go for the newer version.

My only remaining decision is how much storage. I had a look at my iPad today and the songs on it would more than use up the entire 16GB storage, but then again, a lot of them are "junk" songs I inherited from my kids. I've been told that there is a very large level of iCloud storage available (is this true?) and that 16GB is plenty for personal use. As with the decision to change to the iPad 4, I don't want to regret deciding to stay with 16GB in a couple of months time, but neither do I want to waste money on something that won't really be of any benefit to me.

I think you have made a very wise choice going for the latest version. As Apple add more and more features to their operating system, older devices get left behind. For example, the voice assistant Siri, is not available on iPad 2 but is on newer versions. The screen resolution is also significantly better.

As reqards storage, the old maxim is get as much as you can afford. I have a 16gb and find it very tight. If I was buying again, I would definitely go 32gb. In terms of your music, depending on your collection, you should look into iTunes Match. For €25 a year, you can keep all your music in 'the cloud' (*shudder*) and it is then available pretty much when you want it without taking up space on your device.

 

[dub_nerd]

I went for 16Gb on the basis that I can copy stuff on or off it very quickly over WiFi or cable (although I've never needed to) and Apple charge a crazy premium for what should be cheap memory (and don't give you an SD slot where you could have provided your own).

 

[Woodie]

I would always go for the most memory you can afford. Not being up-gradable you may find yourself cursing lack of space eventually. I am totally ticked off with other devices where I am constantly running out of core memory; cloud and local network is all well and good but it's still always more convenient to have as much of your data with you if you can.

 

[Homer]

Thanks everyone. I went with the 16GB model on the basis that I'm not planning to keep loads of songs, pictures or movies on it and the cost of the extra memory seemed like a waste of money. I hope I don't regret it.

 

[Latrade]

Thanks everyone. I went with the 16GB model on the basis that I'm not planning to keep loads of songs, pictures or movies on it and the cost of the extra memory seemed like a waste of money. I hope I don't regret it.

There are plenty of apps so you can have photos and video on the cloud and always available so they don't take up space and Itunes match is ok, but I use Spotify more these days and that streams directly from the cloud.

HD Movies do take up a lot of room, but again with iTune match they're available and you can download them as needed then remove from the device.

We've a 16gb and it can get tight depending on what apps are on it and movies/tv shows the son has been watching, but it's only a quick bit of housekeeping to get it back to a comfortable level.

 

[Sue Ellen]

Never owned an iPad

 

[Homer]

Never owned an iPad

 

[monagt]

IPAD Advice from ipad users...............16GB or 32GB or 64GB

In retrospect, is it worth is going for the bigger GB?

Intend usage is Browsing, reading, and maybe take a few films away on hold.

Whats the drawbacks of having low storage?

Can you attach a USB to it in any way?

 

[Latrade]

IPAD Advice from ipad users...............16GB or 32GB or 64GB

In retrospect, is it worth is going for the bigger GB?

Intend usage is Browsing, reading, and maybe take a few films away on hold.

Whats the drawbacks of having low storage?

Can you attach a USB to it in any way?

As advised on this post, go for the biggest GB you can afford. However, 64GB is probably a little overkill for the average user, 32 seems fair enough for most.

You'd be surprised at how quickly the memory is taken up with apps, etc.

However, the drawbacks of the 16gb aren't major. No you can't attach a USB, so it's 16gb and nothing else.

To be honest I don't find the iPad a great "reading" device, but then I don't really like the Kindle either. If I had to chose between the two, I'd say Kindle for reading.

Bear in mind though, books through iTunes and the Kindle app are stored in the cloud too, so as long as you've access to wifi or have 3G, you can download them as needed rather than having them preloaded.

Movies the same if rented or bought through iTunes, but depending on the size and your data plan could take time/be expensive. So I would usually preload the movies.

However, they will take up a lot of room if they're HD. An average HD movie on iTunes is 4gb. So after 4 movies you're out of room with a 16gb (providing you have nothing else on there).

As above though, I think even for casual use 32gb is a much better option if you can afford it.

 

[monagt]

Thanks Latrade, now I'm looking at Nexus 7 for travelling and then invest in PC at home as I also have Mac Book Pro.
Ant thoughts on a N7 or 7" in general?

 

[TarfHead]

Thanks Latrade, now I'm looking at Nexus 7 for travelling and then invest in PC at home as I also have Mac Book Pro.
Ant thoughts on a N7 or 7" in general?

In the lead-in to Christmas 2012, the Google Nexus 7 was commonly rated the best 7" Android tablet on the market. Not aware of anything launched since then that would change that view.

 

[Latrade]

Thanks Latrade, now I'm looking at Nexus 7 for travelling and then invest in PC at home as I also have Mac Book Pro.
Ant thoughts on a N7 or 7" in general?

The Nexus 7 is a fine tablet, but unlike phones, I genuinely think from personal useage that the iPad is still the best tablet out there.