Buy ipad 2 now or wait?
 

I don't have an ipad at all. I plan to replace my iphone 3GS and get an ipad. As for the phone I'll definitely wait until after the september announcement (if there is one). But ipad? Some rumors say there will be a new one this fall. Other's say it won't be until spring. If the latter I'll get one asap.

I need it for site development checks and quick site updates when getting the laptop and mi-fi running is not an option.

So, what would you do?

Macrumors has an excellent page dedicated to this question, here's the portion of the page dedicated to the ipad

Yup, I know but seems a bit late in updates. other sites are now saying ipad 3 only in spring with new A6 processor.

I could pick up ipad 1 really cheap now but why do that? I might as well get one with the two cameras etc.

Another rumor:

http://www.appleinsider.com/articles..._canceled.html

Get the iPad2 now, even if the iPad3 comes out [which probably won't occur till next spring], you can always sell and get a decent price for it. They have fairly good residual value.

I just got one as a birthday gift; wouldn't have bought it myself. But it's now the family entertainment center after dinner. We facetime with our son overseas, we play angry birds, we read newspapers and magazines, use epicurious app to find neat recipes for future dinners. Haven't even learned more that 25% of the functions and it's FUN :)

Most recent 'rumor'
http://www.geohot.us/2011/08/ipad-3-...le+Feedfetcher

Echo the previous post. Wife got hers first. Me month later. Gps works great on trips. I just did first trip without laptop. I have ripped dvd's and music. The camera underwhelmed me. Ibooks are much easier to read on plane than a paperback. So do it now. We used some of our points for both ipads. The apps are variable in quality.

Get it today; don't deny yourself a simple joy.

If the ipad3 has something compelling (e.g. the ipad2 has smart cover support, which I see as a major improvement over the ipad1) then as others say, you can sell your ipad2.

but if the new ipad is coming out in a month, isn't it worth it to wait to not have to incur the ~$150 in costs of selling the old one etc?

I'm in the same boat, trying whether to save up and invest in one by September or wait.

After reading the latest news on the iPad 3, I'm pretty confident now that we're not going to see it till next year, due to the retina display not being up to spec to satisfy Apple's requirements and a few other factors. Honestly, it just didn't make sense for them to release a new update merely 6 months after the iPad 2. Because of this I feel better about getting one sooner rather than later. :)

Now the iPhone 5 by the way, THAT will definitely make its debut in the fall. :D

I would wait unless you really need one, and if so I would probably just get an iPad 1 cheap. Only real reason to get an iPad 2 now is if you need it for FaceTime. I really needed an iPad to study for an exam and got the iPad 2, now I wish I had saved my money and gotten the original and waited until the iPad 3 came out. Then again I already have an iPhone 4. After using the Retina display it just makes the iPad's display look bad (my 3 year old laptop also has much better pixel density as a 15" WSXGA+ screen).

I am not an Apple guy, but the advice I give anyone in this sort of thing is to always skip a generation unless you have a real and compelling reason to do so. Yes, fanboys need to have any new slight tweek, but changes are really most evident every second generation, so buy a 2, but don't even look at the 3 and wait for the 4.

That's always been my advice as well, certainly with the iPhone it's been the 'even releases' which have had significant improvements. But, the tablet market is running hot at the moment and Apple will want to protect it. Given it's relatively young, with plenty of share to be won or lost, I suspect apple will go 'all in' for the next 2 or 3 releases to stay ahead.

On that basis I'd be tempted to wait unless you urgently needed one now. I definitely wouldn't buy a 1,the 2 will preserve the price difference second hand.

Apple refreshes ip* products all the time, often with little notice. This is no different than any other maker of electronic toys. I assure you that no matter what you buy and when, it will be obsolete a year later.

If $150 is a big deal for you, then an ipad is not for you. Wait 10 years when tablets will be commodity items.

When it comes to buying gadgets like these, you're only making a somewhat bad decision to buy one when you're getting it say, a mere week before a brand new upgrade comes out. Macrumors.com has a buyers guide to let you know where in the development cycle Apple's products currently are, so you can check it every now to get a better idea of whether you should make a purchase now, or wait a little longer. My rule of thumb is if I need something and an update is a matter of months, rather than weeks away, I get it now.

Apple refurbs
 

I usually wait until refubs show up on Apple's site before I spring for anything. Same warranty and nothing really overwhelming between generations to me for usually about a 10-20% discount.

3 iPods and two iPads later, I am happy. One iPod bricked about three months after I got it, took it to the local Apple store and walked out with a new one no questions asked.

Cheers