# Why Ipad???



## karsha (7 Oct 2011)

I have been looking at the various different tablets on the market but seem to be drawn back to the Ipad all the time (brand maybe!!!!) but I still think they are expensive.  
Went to a IT store recently and the guy there talked about Toshiba's product, saying that this is above the spec of Ipad 2 and between the Ipad 2 and 3 and not a good time to buy an Ipad - is there an Ipad 3 coming out soon???  He also showed me the Sony version.  I also have been trying to get info on Amazon's new tablet but from what I can see all the apps/books etc would not be available to use in Ireland due to publishing rights etc but the price is really good.
Can someone please give me some advice and maybe a clear unbiased explanation on the different options available in Ireland 
Also would there is any negative in purchasing an Ipad in the States?
Thanks


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## hastalavista (8 Oct 2011)

*why not iPad*

see here
[broken link removed]
once you have answered the question why you need one


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## tiger (9 Oct 2011)

Not an owner of any tablet, nor an expert, but I would focus more on applications rather than specs.
The reason an ipad would be the first choice over another tablet is the range of apps on the apple appstore.
Android market does have alot of apps also, but very few are tablet specific/optimised, so all your doing is running the same app that can run on your smart phone on a bigger screen.


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## sustanon (9 Oct 2011)

I have an iPad2 and I'm very happy with it, I also have a DriodX. The apple apps are pretty polished and they weed out the crap, The android market is full of useless rubbish and Asian apps. I use a powerful Windows laptop for business, but the ipad is my go to device when  travelling for internet and e-mail. While I use the laptop for 3D design, and gaming on my downtime, i use the iPad to deliver my 3D models in a presentation format, as a repository of documents I can present to customers, and it's great for showing photographs. Also, my 2 year old Son loves it. he plays loads of great kids apps, memory games, counting, letters, rhymes and stories. 

Apple is great for providing a device that's in toddler mode by default.


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## Gekko (9 Oct 2011)

alfie27 said:


> Went to a IT store recently and the guy there talked about Toshiba's product, saying that this is above the spec of Ipad 2 and between the Ipad 2 and 3 and not a good time to buy an Ipad


 
Sounds like classic salesman's patter, the sole aim of which is to deflect you away from the lower margin product (the iPad2) and towards the higher margin product (the Toshiba) on which he earns a tidy commission.

NEVER trust those guys.


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## Latrade (10 Oct 2011)

alfie27 said:


> Went to a IT store recently and the guy there talked about Toshiba's product, saying that this is above the spec of Ipad 2 and between the Ipad 2 and 3 and not a good time to buy an Ipad - is there an Ipad 3 coming out soon??? He also showed me the Sony version. I also have been trying to get info on Amazon's new tablet but from what I can see all the apps/books etc would not be available to use in Ireland due to publishing rights etc but the price is really good.
> Can someone please give me some advice and maybe a clear unbiased explanation on the different options available in Ireland
> Also would there is any negative in purchasing an Ipad in the States?
> Thanks


 
As mentioned, the Toshiba pitch was just a pitch ignore it. 

The reality with any tablet is that at the very best the version you buy will be an 18 month product before a new one is introduced. So the chances are whenever you buy one, pretty soon after a better one will be available. So yes, Apple probably working on an iPad 3 right now, but the current model is still great.

Spec-wise, it's just like the PC market at the moment in that the iPad is top spec and therefore more expensive and then others may be cheaper but have less. Those tablets that are a similar price to the iPad will be similar performance and then it's a matter of personal preference.

The best way to really describe the current tablet market though is that most non-iPad manufacturers are just about catching up to the original iPad in terms of design and capability, they're still behind on the iPad 2.

The only thing I'd say is maybe hold off to see if HP come back in. There's rumours they might (after the success of the fire sale) with a rerelease of their tablet, and they were always the most likely to really come up with something to compete with the iPad. The Palm WebOS is superb OS, better than iOS, would love to see Palm given the money to really have a run at a tablet.

Forget Balckberry, forget toshiba for the moment. Samsung have had a good stab, but they've done some muck too. The Kindle Fire is being pitched as a tablet, I don't think it is at all. It's a portable Amazon shopping cart. A bloody good one, but it isn't going to be a true tablet.

The iPad 2 is probably the best around at the moment, so if you have the money and want a tablet, that'd be my call. There is no problem with purchasing from US, both my iPhone and iPad are from US, simple matter of getting SIM card here if you get 3G version.


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## TarfHead (10 Oct 2011)

alfie27 said:


> Went to a IT store recently and the guy there talked about Toshiba's product, saying that this is above the spec of Ipad 2 and between the Ipad 2 and 3 and not a good time to buy an Ipad - is there an Ipad 3 coming out soon?


 
He's a spoofer !

There is no iPAD 3, so what is he comparing against. apple's next product announcement will be next year, so there won't be an update to the iPAD before then.

And technology buys have to factor in that there'll be a better model available some time in the near future. If you held back waiting for the new new one, you'd never buy anything.

I dont own any apple product, but am a big fan of theirs. Their stuff just works. In some respects, you surrender freedom and flexibility (e.g. it's iTunes, or nothing), but, on balance, you won't regret choosing their stuff.


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## Mongola (10 Oct 2011)

Ipad 3??? Where did he get that one from? My advice would to never ever buy a first generation product...that is why I have waited for the Ipad 2. I have always been a Mac/Apple user and I have not looked back.


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## Latrade (10 Oct 2011)

Mongola said:


> Ipad 3??? Where did he get that one from? My advice would to never ever buy a first generation product...that is why I have waited for the Ipad 2. I have always been a Mac/Apple user and I have not looked back.


 
I'd be very surprised if the iPhone 4S tech wasn't being put into an iPad 3 and that we'll have something for September 2012. But yeah, considering we've not had the usual product announcement, this guy is talking rubbish. But then that was obvious buy trying to push the Toshiba.


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## michaelm (10 Oct 2011)

The best current alternative to the iPad2 is probably the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, reviewed here. However, there seems to be a hugely off-putting screen issue (oil slick) with some of the units shipped thus far.


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## Ballyman (11 Oct 2011)

You could also try the Motorola Xoom. It got bad press when it was released first but its a new machine now due to the recent android updates. I have one and I have to say I am delighted with it and i only paid €330 for it!
I used to have an iphone but I got rid if it because of all the stupid restrictions to even do the simplest of things at times so the XOOM and my phone (htc desire) are now 100% syncd together. It also has usb ports and a file structure so its simple to put stuff on it.


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## MrMan (12 Oct 2011)

Gekko said:


> Sounds like classic salesman's patter, the sole aim of which is to deflect you away from the lower margin product (the iPad2) and towards the higher margin product (the Toshiba) on which he earns a *tidy* commission.
> 
> NEVER trust those guys.



I would imagine that you could change that word to tiny, as the profit margins on either will be low, more probable that he had Tosh in stock and not the ipad. 
It's hard to know who to trust given the amount of guff written online, and there are alot of people who only see with apple tinted glasses.


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## wazee1974 (12 Oct 2011)

Go to: www.buyersguide.macrumors.com/#iPad

According to this the iPad 2 is mid cycle so you should get a good year/year and a half before a new version comes out.

Good website for checking where in the life cycle each apple product is.


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## GuitarDave (14 Oct 2011)

A quick googling of iPad 3 returns quite a number of results most noticeably of today's news on iClarified.com that an iPad 3 could well be on the cards for next year.


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## briste (18 Oct 2011)

Of course iPad 3 will be available next year but that's not the point.

If I was in the market for a tablet I would wait till the next slew of Android ones that have Ice Cream Sandwich on them. This is the next version of Android and is sure to lead to a load of better Android tablets.

But to answer the OP, pick iPad if you completely non-techie or if you already use iTunes.

Pick Android if you are reasonably techie and want more functionality (e.g. usb, flash, no proscribed software).


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## GuitarDave (18 Oct 2011)

briste said:


> But to answer the OP, pick iPad if you completely non-techie or if you already use iTunes.
> 
> Pick Android if you are reasonably techie and want more functionality (e.g. usb, flash, no proscribed software).


 
HOWEVER, jailbreak the iPad and its effectively a completely different machine allowing for a lot more functionality than normal.


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## TarfHead (18 Oct 2011)

GuitarDave said:


> HOWEVER, jailbreak the iPad and its effectively a completely different machine allowing for a lot more functionality than normal.


 
Or a lot less functionallity (e.g. a brick, a doorstop) if you get it wrong  !


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## karsha (20 Oct 2011)

Thanks for all the info, certainly alot to digest!  
I think I am actually going to go for the Ipad, it seems to still have everything I'm looking for and also I'm getting it from the States so at least saving abit by doing that! Thanks again


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