Dear Aunt TUAW: Does size matter (when it comes to iPads)?

And the entire question would be moot if featuresnazi Jobs had
allowed the inclusion of a built-in SDHC slot.

For me, the answer to "which iPad?" is "none of the above". I'm going to
wait until Apple gets its collective head out of Jobs' nether regions
and produces the device that folks really want.

Dear Auntie T,

Can I borrow 2 grand please.

The argument for the low end,

its cheaper,

you plan to get a better one when apple makes one like with a camera, and you then have a spare for an extra room. My original iPhone is merely an alarm clock at this point.

You are really not ever going to consume 16 gigs of media between possible sync charge cycles

In order of consideration...

I'm considering the 32 just because I could sync it without an issue using the same setup I use for my 32 gig iPhone 3gs.

I'm considering the 64 because iPad apps might be larger in nature.

I'm considering the 16 because it is cheap, and I might want to wait for an iPad with a Camera. Cheapest now as spare when Better Revision comes along.

I might go with the other choices if forced to by availability. I think many would have this decision tree complicated more if ALL varieties were available at once, if the 3g models were available on the same day.

I really don't see me ever using the 3g service from ATT, but I am such a hound for GPS apps I am considering the cellular iPad. It would be nice if the cheaper iPad could do GPS too. And I'm not especially keen popping 15 bucks for the mere privelege of using the GPS.

Apple is actually using the correct naming conventions. And I'm not sure what you're asking here... are you talking file size or storage size? Because EVERYONE who produces storage uses the base-10 standard for sizing. 64GB = 64,000,000,000 bytes

Your comment "biting off your nose to spite you face" is not only factually wrong but inappropriate. The correct verbiage is "cutting off your nose to spite your face."

The origin of this comes from when the Viking hordes led by Atilia the Hun were ransacking Europe. The Church told the Nuns if they were raped they would go to hell. If however they cut off their nose and were raped, God would forgive them and they would be allowed in heaven. Hence the phrase. Of course as one can surmise, no doubt the Vikings just flipped them over and went on about their business.

So unless you're a Nun fearing rape from an invading Viking horde, the comment is totally inappropriate.

If you are a true apple fan, you must get a 3G 64gig top of the line ipd

It's not the most important thing, but it's worth considering resale value. This site http://www.nextworth.com/ is one of many that buys used iPhones. If you look at, for example, 8 and 16 GB 3G iPhones, there's a $48 difference in price--compared to the $100 price difference at the time of purchase. Not a huge deal, but something to be aware of. People who buy used are often looking for "cheap" more than "good" or "big" and are unwilling to pay extra for space they don't want or need. Just like any other upgrade--you could spend $1,000 or $10,000 on rims for your car, but when you sell it you can't expect to recoup all that cost--whoever buys it just wants WHEELS, period, and doesn't care how fancy they are.

On a related note, if you're the kind of person who "gets on the treadmill"--you buy an Apple product, then sell it and upgrade when the product is revised--then going with smaller is better, both because of the resale value mentioned above, and because you're less likely to fill it in the short amount of time you own it. If you have 8 GB of data now you might fill 16 in a year and 32 the year after that, but if you're only going to have it for one year, go small. PLUS, the next ones will be bigger anyway. I bought a 4 GB iPhone (the smallest and cheapest available) shortly after it came out, sold it a year later and got an 8 GB 3G (the smallest and cheapest available), and then sold that another year later and got a 16 GB 3GS--again, the smallest and cheapest available. So I doubled my space each time without even trying and without spending any extra.

If the Zoomit SD Card Reader works with the iPad, I may end up with the 16 GB iPad and put movies and music on an SD card.

http://magicaltablet.com/2010/02/08/zoomit-lets-you-read-sd-cards-on-your-iphone-will-it-work-with-ipad/

I've only had an 8 GB SSD in my netbook and it's been fine - especially since most of my stuff is in the cloud.

Some of the custom book and magazine apps (Vook, Wired mag, etc.) may create a storage burden but I'll figure that out as I go. Hmmm. Maybe the 32 GB model is the way to go... ;)

So nobody except "ishcabittle" has pointed out that the device is really an appliance, not a storage device. To store all my music, pictures and videos even my MBPro doesn't have enough storage with the internal drive. Wouldn't you keep most of your storage on an external appliance that is meant for storage? Then you would only keep the most recent/relevant stuff on the iPad. Especially with respect to video. So to me there is little difference between 16 and 64 when 64 is still not enough.