Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. I am guilty of buying without thinking.
That’s right. I’m having buyer’s remorse. Don’t get me wrong. I love my iPad, but I could have lived without it…well, this model at least. I have found so many uses for my iPad that require me to be more mobile than what WiFi allows that I dearly and desperately need mobile connectivity. *gasp*
I’m still not an Apple Fan Girl. I still have not bowed at the Apple Altar and pledged my first born (although at times I have been dangerously close to selling him to the carnies). The iPad is not perfect. Anyone who tells you it is, is a liar, delusional or clearly confused. There are some bugs in the firmware that don’t impact all owners. Many of the apps are in need of optimization, so I’m holding off purchasing them until they are more mature. There is the typography issue, but that’s more of a minor issue to me because I’m not a glyph geek. Multitasking is (obviously) no deal breaker for me, but I am curious about the fall release of the OS 4.0 upgrade. And a camera on my iPad? Seriously? I don’t need it. I don’t care about it. I would very likely never use it.
While I do not worship my iPad, it has quickly become an integral part of my life. I prefer it for websurfing. I use it for email, watching movies and tv shows, and I am reading more than I have in a long time. Yes, I even use it for some gaming because I’m geek like that. Like my phone, it goes with me everywhere although I can’t use it everywhere which makes me feel a bit >.<
So there’s the conundrum. What to do? In steps the UberGeek Husband with the solution – Just buy the 3G models when they finally come out and sell the existing iPads to someone who will give them a good home. Rehoming of the iPads. Interesting concept really, but very possible. Scratch that. It’s pretty much guaranteed, especially since the other geek half in the household has been lamenting the lack of connectivity in every corner of our geeky universe.
As far as whether an iPad is for you, I will restate what I said previously: Check it out live and in person. You shouldn’t base your opinion of or need for any device on anyone else’s opinion. You also shouldn’t care one iota if some blowhard wanna be celebrity type has taken their iPad back.
Maybe that HP Slate that’s due out at some point in the future is a better bet. Maybe none of these devices meet your need. Don’t decide until you try it for yourself. It’s not a cheap item. It’s not a necessity. It’s definitely a win for me and for our family which is why we have them.
From a purely technical perspective, I can see how the 3G does help the solid always on aspects of the iPad, but I just couldn’t justify the $15/$30 a month for another wireless plan from AT&T. I already pay $30 a month for my iPhone plan and having to buy again wasn’t worth the extra premium for the bigger screen. Plus, I didn’t typically use the 3G for videos/music anyway because it is so bad in NYC anyway and there’s no way I’m giving them any more of my money. From a cost/benefit perspective, the extra cost just isn’t worth it. No 3G to me doesn’t make the iPad useless, it just changes the content you can consume.
I agree 100% Matthew, and if we weren’t trying to use them so much remotely, I wouldn’t even consider the additional cost. The one thing I do like about it is that there is no contract. That makes it even more attractive.
I think that the 3G model is much less attractive to most people, but for us it makes sense. If lived in NYC, after all that I’ve heard, there is no way I would fork over the extra $$
This sounds pretty similar to my iPod Touch reactions. I thought when I bought “It seems like everywhere I go there is wifi. So it will be almost like I have an iPhone.” I was lying to myself or confused. The longer I own it the more I wish I had the cellular connectivity. That isn’t to say its not a useful tool. I still am happy with the purchase just pining for more.
Seemingly the answer is just go get an iPhone, but AT&T gets in the way. I used a customer and had a pretty good experience overall with them. However, the reason we left is that they don’t have the coverage that I need. My mom lives in a small town in North Carolina. AT&T has spotty coverage there and so does sprint. Verizon is pretty much 95% covered. I’m there about 1 weekend a month. AT&T just won’t work for me, so no iPhone
I have another possible solution though. But I don’t think it will work for you. The Palm Pre + works as wifi router for up to 4 or 5 connections. This would allow me to use the Touch and other devices where ever I have Verizon data signal. Sounds like a Win? Two problems. First I will need to purchase a new phone and my contract is still good for awhile, limits discounts. Second I have to talk my wife into $30 extra dollars a month or more. My one major problem with Verizon is their plans aren’t as good as any of the other cellular carriers, at least that was true IMHO about a year ago when I was researching changing companies.
Thanks for the write up it was a great read. I’m glad you guys like the iPad so much. They are damn sexy.
Just get a battery operated portable 3G/4G wifi router and a sprint, Clear or Verizon account…then you keep your existing iPad and don’t have to be locked into a single carrier for your mobile Internet.
Dan,
The cost of that is prohibitive for us. The cost of the service alone is $60/month and you are locked into a contract. What I do like is that I won’t be locked into a contract w/the 3G option.