Cheryl, et al, Thanks for posting this "process of elimination." I have surmised, for myself, I would be using the iPad primarily for reading books with VoiceOver and sending and receiving e-mail while on the road, or in my case (living in Alaska) flying statewide. My question is, even though I have a data plan for another phone with AT&T, do I have to sign up for yet another one to use the iPad? If this is the case, then I have canceled out my need for an iPad. I, too, have an Air Card from my Internet provider, which my son is using at the moment. 32GB's would be the most I would need for my personal use; no need for 64 for me. My wife is of the philosophyh that, if I'm going to "take the plunge," get the best features available, even if you don't use them right now; one never knows but what you will need them when you least expect it. Of course, my wife is much more practical and realistic than I; however, I'm not looking to get something with features I know I won't use. And since the built-in games are not accessible with VO, that eliminates the 64-GB model, anyway. I have audio content from DVD's on my hatd drive which I will transfer to the iPad, should I decide to get one, so when I'm flying, I have something with which to entertain me beside books and e-mail. But again, until I find out the question about whether or not I'll have to sign up for yet another data plan, that answer alone will determine whether or not I decide to order an iPad. Richie Gardenhire, Anchorage, Alaska.
On Mar 15, 2010, at 5:58 AM, Cheryl Homiak wrote: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)
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