ipadfilter: buy now or wait
November 24, 2010 2:08 PM   Subscribe

I want to buy an iPad. They've been out for a while, and I'm wondering what the gossip is on whether or not Apple will be releasing an upgraded model soon. Do I buy now or do I wait?
posted by tim_in_oz to Technology (12 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
I asked the same question earlier this month.
posted by mingodingo at 2:11 PM on November 24, 2010


Response by poster: Crap. I searched, truly. Mods: feel free to knock this one on the head.
posted by tim_in_oz at 2:13 PM on November 24, 2010


The linked thread has lots of useful comments, but if you want an ongoing place to check, the standard go-to place for this sort of gossip is the MacRumors Buyers Guide. Since the iPad hasn't been added to their roll yet, I'd keep an eye out here.
posted by mykescipark at 2:13 PM on November 24, 2010


If you have the money for one and you like the feature set, get one now. Otherwise, you'll always be waiting for the next one.
posted by inturnaround at 2:14 PM on November 24, 2010 [1 favorite]


There will not be a new iPad before the holidays. Most estimates are for a new iPad to be announced a year after the first. The original was announced at the end of January 2010, but didn't ship until mid-April. I suspect there won't be a new version until Summer 2011.
posted by sharkfu at 2:15 PM on November 24, 2010


If you need one now then buy one. Otherwise it always makes sense to wait for the next one.
posted by JJ86 at 2:17 PM on November 24, 2010


Rumor sites are saying January to April (I'm leaning towards the later part of that, so as to avoid utterly cheesing off holiday purchasers). Expected feature will be FaceTime camera, landscape dock connector, and (hopefully) a RAM bump.

Although Apple's current update cycle is (roughly) 1Q - iPad, 2Q iMac, 3Q iPod, 4Q Macbook Pro, I wouldn't be surprised if Apple let this or the next hardware revision of the iPad linger to better position new models for holiday shopping.
posted by entropicamericana at 2:44 PM on November 24, 2010


Expect it when the Christmas ones are non-returnable.
posted by Artw at 3:07 PM on November 24, 2010


If the product cycle is going to be anything like the iPhone, and I suspect it will be, look for new iPads roughly every April-ish.
posted by spilon at 3:37 PM on November 24, 2010


The next-gen iPad will indeed come out in spring 2011. Apple's consumer electronics have been on a yearly release cycle for a decade now. iPods in the fall, iPhones in the summer, and now iPads in the spring.

But I bet if you wait until mid-January you can pick up a barely used current-gen model for cheap after someone's kids get bored of their Christmas present.
posted by Zozo at 10:12 AM on November 25, 2010


i always say wait for 2nd gen. the upgrades that you will wish the 1st gen had will be in the 2nd and it's not that far off to wait until april. plus, often times apple drops price on the following generation of things, so that's another incentive.
posted by itsacover at 10:15 AM on November 25, 2010


If you want it now, buy it now. I'd get the 3G+WiFi model, and keep the box; if you see the newer model and want it, when it comes out, you should be able to sell the current one for a large portion of what you paid. And you'll have the use of the device between now and then. I have an acquaintance who has kept up with every version of the iPhone by re-selling his previous version for nearly what he paid for them. I'm sure the iPad will be in high demand on the resale market, should you want to go that way.

I bought one on the first possible day to get the 3G version, and I've been extremely happy with it; even if the newer model is thinner and has a front-facing camera I won't regret the months of constant use I've had with this one. (Plus I'm sure I won't want to video chat with anyone ever, so camera be damned.)
posted by TochterAusElysium at 10:29 AM on November 25, 2010


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