[macvoiceover] Re: (Maybe a little OT) How to talk yourself into a less expensive iPad model
- From: Olivia Norman <olivianorman@xxxxxx>
- To: macvoiceover@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 16 Mar 2010 08:16:32 -0400
The answer is yes, you do have to sign up for another data plan even if you've
already got one with at&t.
Olivia
On Mar 16, 2010, at 2:54 AM, Richie Gardenhire wrote:
> 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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