A week or so ago I was telling my friend Juan (who owns the Vineria San Telmo, one of my top-five fave tapas bars in Sevilla) that I was seriously considering getting an iPad. He’s had one for a couple of years and, in his opinion, thought I’d do better getting a small MacBook Air. And well, I could see his point because an iPad is kind of just a big iPhone, except you can’t make phone calls on it.
BUT… it really would be useful for when I want to visit clients and show them my social media presentations, or their page on my Sevilla Tapas blog. It would easily fit into my handbag and doesn’t weigh much, so I could pretty much always have it with me. I wouldn’t always carry around a small computer, no matter how lightweight. And besides, the MacBook Air costs twice as much as an iPad. But Juan insisted that it was worth it because it was actually a computer, whereas the iPad is, well, just a big iPhone.
BUT… I already have two laptops. And if I have to upgrade at some point, which may actually happen soonish, I’d want a proper laptop with a decent sized screen, not a mini-sized MacBook.
And so I was telling all this to Juan and he suggested that I borrow his iPad for a few days to see if it was actually suited to my needs. What a generous offer! So I picked it up on Saturday (photo was taken outside Juan’s restaurant) and within five minutes I was hooked. I LOVE it. But now that this decision has been made I am suddenly faced with another dilemma, because apparently the iPad3 is coming out in March. So do I wait until March to put myself into debt 600€ or do it now? Will the iPad3 be that much better that it’ll be worth the wait? What if it’s even more expensive? Or maybe I should wait until March and pick up an iPad2 for a song (if possible)?
What should I do? What would you do?
casa azahar 
I received an iPad1 as a gift 2 months before the iPad 2 came out. The 2 had a camera which I thought I was cool but now that I think about it I can’t see using it as a camera because of its size. Who knows what new features the 3 might have…. maybe something you can’t live without….maybe not. It’s a crap shoot.
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You can buy an iPad for £280 on Amazon. You know, last year’s model.
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Juan’s is an iPad1. I’d definitely want the camera option.
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Bob got me an iPad 2 for birthday/Christmas. I love it. It would be a wonderful tool for you, it has been for me and I barely use it for work. It would be PERFECT for what you do and you can just slip it into your bag. No bulk. It’s sweeeeeet. I’ve played with lots of tablets and none of them are as elegant as the iPad 2.
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I like my iPad2, but I don’t use the camera very much. Too clumsy. Got some nice kitteh videos though.
I’d say go for one with both 3G and wifi, and a lot of storage. My iTunes library lives here as well, sort of extra backup.
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I was thinking of getting the 32 GB model with 3G. I can use my same 3G contract with Vodafone and pay an extra 5€ a month to add the iPad. Seems worth it.
And it would fit perfectly into the bag I got to go to London last year (and am still using every day).
So far the iPad3 still seems to be a rumour, like the iPhone5 was, and may end up just being the iPad3S…
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Well, I’d like to have an iPad, not because I need it in any way at all but because it seems like such a fun toy. However, by the time I save up that much money, I’ll be thinking maybe it’s time we had a banjo or a guitar in the house, or maybe a used Cajun accordion or maybe I could save more and buy a Chemnitzer concertina. In other words, I iPads are really cool, but we just bought a new computer and it works well for us, and when push comes to shove, and I had to choose between an iPad and a banjo, there’s no contest.
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There’s nothing else I want more than an iPad right now. Except maybe a trip to Florence…
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I have seen people framing shots with iPads in a way I thought very impressive. For someone like me who’s half blind it’s a wonderful upgrade from the small image window on a typical point and shoot or even a phone; caveat, I have no experience with iPhone or iPad photography personally. You would be able to take photos and seamlessly transfer to a blog page, no-squint.
My probable plan would be to let the new model come out and snap up the last version.
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So I took the iPad back to Juan tonight. He also recommends waiting for the iPad3 in March and pointed out that I’ve already gone this long without one… but you know, now that I’ve had one at home it feels weird not to have it. I think he’s right though.
The great thing is that having done a “test drive” I now know that I not only want an iPad but that it is actually going to be a very useful tool for me. Can’t wait to wow future clients with my flipboard presentations!
Also can’t wait for March…
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A trip to Florence would be a lot of fun!
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It would. I’ve been invited to stay at a friend’s extra apartment so will only have to pay airfare and “travelling expenses”. Would be great to take an iPad with me! 🙂
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The big electronics show, CES 2012, is in a few weeks — rumors get heavily covered then, and you might also find out more about what’s coming in March, iPad3 or iPad2S. I follow a lot of different tech sites around the time of CES, just because I’m such a wannahave Geek.
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Well let me know if you hear anything. Still mulling this decision over…
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