[macvoiceover] Re: (Maybe a little OT) How to talk yourself into a less expensive iPad model
- From: Bryan Smart <bryansmart@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "macvoiceover@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <macvoiceover@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 15 Mar 2010 13:04:47 -0400
These are some good points to consider. I don't think that the largest is the
best. I always lean toward the largest device in these classes (iPhone/iPad),
largely because, unlike other devices, Apple doesn't see fit to permit us to
expand the memory with memory cards.
Particularly when it comes to the memory on an iPad, though, why would most
people need 64GB? I don't think that I would use it for being a media device. I
have better devices for carrying my music collection or listening to audio
books, for example. Those are usually the largest consumers of storage. Sighted
people stack up the pictures and videos, but blind people won't have as many of
those, either. Programs don't take up much space at all. So, what's left?
Books? Tiny.
16GB seems like lots of space for the type of situations where most people
would use an iPad. An iPad seems like it will work best for blind people as a
simple device, running simple apps, with a big touch surface. Most new
information will come from the Internet, not files that you already own. The
internal memory is mainly just a temporary holding area for material that
you've recently downloaded, and to store items that you create yourself on the
iPad. I think that 16GB will be great for that.
I've used Symbian phones for a long time. They have a music player. It isn't an
iPod, but it does have lots of nice features: album/artist views, search
features, equalizer, play lists, etc. The phones will accept up to 32GB memory
cards. Multiple cards sounds like a great way to carry around your media.
Listening to your media on your phone also sounds convenient. I've never gone
all the way to a 32GB card, but I have tried and 8GB card. With a card like
that, full of music, the Music Player takes probably half an hour to rescan
your music library, and that was with a very new S60 device with a fast
processor and lots of memory (as far as phones go). So, just because the phone
can carry 32GB of music, doesn't mean that it is a good idea to use it that way.
That's how I think the iPad will be. I think it will be best as a portable
touchable Internet terminal, or for running simple and practical apps, not as
any sort of mobile media machine that needs lots of storage. No need to fork
over the cash for the huge one.
Bryan
-----Original Message-----
From: macvoiceover-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:macvoiceover-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Cheryl Homiak
Sent: Monday, March 15, 2010 9:58 AM
To: macvoiceover@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [macvoiceover] (Maybe a little OT) How to talk yourself into a less
expensive iPad model
I'm posting this because I think it might help somebody else who wants an iPad
but doesn't want to spend $1000 more or less. I haven't taken the plunge yet
but I'm closer, and here's my reasoning.
I started out wanting the 3G 64GB model. All things being equal, and money not
being an object (ha ha!!!), this makes sense. Since all things are definitely
NOT equal and Since money is an object of which I have alimited amount, I
started chipping away at my expectations.
First, I told myself: This isn't your primary computer. You have a Windows xp
machine (an old Thinkpad T23) and a couple of linux machines, (also old
Thinkpad T23s); they are al in working order. And you have a mini that's a
little over two years old. You have a couple of external drives for backup and
storage. You do not NEED a 64 gB iPad. Okay, so i'm down to a 16GB and have cut
$200 off the price.
Next, I attacked my insistence that I had to have 3G. Since I have a Sprint
broadband aircard instead of dsl or cable, I decided to buy a personal hotspot.
At first glance, this doesn't appear to save me money since the hotspot
actually costs a bit more than the difference between 3G and wifi. HOWEVER, I'm
saving myself a minimum of $15 a month in data plan costs and the hotspot is
portable and can run on battery power so I have at least some ability to take
my iPad on the road and access the Internet. A further benefit is that I can
use the hotspot to bring all my computers at home online on a network whereas I
have just been bringing two at a time online using internet sharing via
ethernet. True, I have a 5GB limit on downloads per month with the aircard but
I've been living with that successfully now for several months. so off comes
another $130 off the iPad price tag.
My next battlefront was that of tempting accessories. Here I gave in just a
little bit. I do have a very nice old bluetooth keyboard with numeric keypad I
could use and probably will use sometimes. But I reasoned that if I wanted to
put the iPad on a desk or on a fold-out table at church for taking notes, the
dock would be more comfortable than havin the iPad and bluetooth keyboard
jockeying for space and I would avoid at least a slight drain of battery power
that might accompany bluetooth use. So I grudgingly allowed myself to justify
the $69 for the keyboard dock.
I was able to reason myself out of other accessories. The only other ones that
really tempted me were the case and the power adaptor. But there will be a
charger with the iPad so I don't need the adaptor. The case would be nice, but
it isn't like I don't have anything satisfactory to use for carrying and
protecting it. If I really want a case later, I can buy it down the road a few
months.
My final issue was Apple Care. Now don't get me wrong; I believe in having
Apple Care. For the iPad, your limited warranty covers labor and parts for 1
year and phone support for 90 days; Apple Care extends this to two years (for
computers it's three years). Apple strongly urges you to buy Apple Care with
your product and registration is automatic and thus a lot easier. But you can
actually purchase Apple Care throughout that first year and if that $99 is a
real added obstacle, postponing a few months probably isn't a horrible
calamity. So I crossed Apple Care off my list, just temporarily--still a little
ambivalent about that one!!!
So now I've whittled my cost down from at least $995--at times I think I
considered an even higher price--to $568--plus taxes of course!! I have not yet
taken the plunge, but I'm much more likely to do so for $568+ than $1000+!!!
One more word. About financing. I considered applying for the special 6 or
12-month financing and decided against it. I thought about how much I'd have to
pay just on that card in order to finish the payments in 6 months---you have to
spend $900 to get the 12-month. I thought about the variable interest rate, now
at 22.9%, if there was one late payment or I failed to pay it off in six
months--an interest rate which I believe then kicks in for the total amount not
just what I haven't payed. I considered the fact that I've been paying off
cards and canceling them so that i'm now down to one card and I considered the
reality that if I got another card in order to buy an iPad, I'd then be tempted
to use that line of credit for other purchases. I decided that if indeed I use
a card, I'd be better off in the long run by not having to sruggle with
payments on a separate card, that while it would temporarily further inflate a
card i'm diligently trying to pay completely down, the damage would be far les
than the potential damage of the special offer. Others' reasoning--and
mileage--may vary.
If any of you, like me, have the tendency to justify going beyond your
realistic means for a new technological device, maybe hearing my thought
processes in this matter will help you to make some necessary but creative
choices so that you can still make a purchase without having terrible buyer's
remorse five seconds after you click that order button--*smile*!!!! Of course,
the final realization is that, if one really can't afford an iPad right now
even with the cutbacks I've enumerated, the iPad will still be available in a
few months or a few years, barring major world-changing events (which as a
Christian I believe are altogether possible at any second) or the iPad turning
out to be a lemmon (also possible but I think less likely).
Hope you all get a good Monday morning laugh out of this if nothing else!!!
--
Cheryl
"Let the words of my mouth,
and the meditation of my heart,
be acceptable in thy sight,
O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer."
(Psalm 19:14 Bible KJV)
>
> Click on the link below to go to our homepage.
> http://www.icanworkthisthing.com
>
> Manage your subscription by using the web interface on the link below.
> //www.freelists.org/list/macvoiceover
>
> Users can subscribe to this list by sending email to
> macvoiceover-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> with 'subscribe' in the Subject field OR by logging into the Web
> interface at //www.freelists.org/list/macvoiceover
>
>
> Click on the link below to go to our homepage.
> http://www.icanworkthisthing.com
>
> Manage your subscription by using the web interface on the link below.
> //www.freelists.org/list/macvoiceover
>
> Users can subscribe to this list by sending email to
> macvoiceover-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> with 'subscribe' in the Subject field OR by logging into the Web
> interface at //www.freelists.org/list/macvoiceover
>
Other related posts:
