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Dear Aunt TUAW: Should I buy a refurb iPad?

by Erica Sadun Mar 9th 2011 at 4:00PM

Dear Aunt TUAW,

I'm torn between the iPad 2 and the newly re-priced iPad 1. I need to know whether or not it's worth buying the updated iPad 2 or picking up an original iPad at $100 off ... or a refurb model for even less. I'm really on the fence. A $349 16 GB iPad sounds quite attractive.

Please help!

Love & kissies,

Your nephew Paul

Dear Paul,

If you have cash to burn, there's no question. Go ahead and pick up the new iPad 2. Its cameras and upgraded hardware make it the must have of the year. But if you're not made of money (and who among us is?) then the $349 refurbished original Wi-Fi iPad offers an incredible bargain, especially to anyone who also owns an iPhone and is looking for an iPad that doesn't require data service on its own.

Most users fall somewhere in between, I'm afraid. You've got to ask yourself, how important are those cameras? If you can live without them, then the original iPad offers all the horsepower and iPad elegance you need. It will run the upcoming 4.3 update without issues, and the only other sacrifices you're making are processing power and RAM.

Mind you, these things are great -- which is why I recommend the iPad 2 over the iPad 1 if you have the cash -- but they are not so life-changingly staggeringly awesome that your iPad 1 use would be significantly diminished by their absence.

For some, the question lies more in the data abilities of the unit -- Wi-Fi or 3G capable, with the cost bump and data plans that go along with that. Having a 3G iPad is particularly awesome for anyone who lacks a smart phone or whose phone does not provide hotspot support. I generally recommend the 3G model for anyone who is making their first entry into iOS and who has the funds to support the data costs.

The camera, of course, will play into FaceTime use -- which will be a big sell for many kids, teens and seniors. In addition, expect any number of augmented reality apps to use it as well (think "Star Walk" on steroids).

More memory and processing power means things will run more smoothly on the whole, even if the majority of users will not be able to tell the difference.

The bigger question is: what's next. Although the refresh cycle for iPad to iPad 2 was one year, rumors abound that the next refresh may be more significant and may hit in the fall. Spending less on your first iPad may free up funds for whenever the next great device will hit.

To sum this all up: the original iPad was an amazing device and continues to be so. Nothing in the iPad 2 negates the wonderful unicorn-pony-happiness of the first model. Unless you need the camera, the refurbished original iPad represents a really, really good price for a really, really good device.

Love & hugs,

Auntie T.



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Dear Aunt TUAW, I'm torn between the iPad 2 and the newly re-priced iPad 1. I need to know whether or not it's worth buying the...
 

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18 Comments

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brian

I'm pretty sure Apple's release pattern is now set: iPads early in the year, iPhones in the summer, iPods in the fall. It makes sense for many reasons, up to and including manufacturing.
http://idevices.org/2011/03/a-pattern-emerges/

March 10 2011 at 12:24 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
jaquin

Why would you repeat the rumor that there is likely a new Ipad in the fall??
Have you any reliable sources, any at all that can point to such a development??
You don't, do you. Gruber himself says its a hunch.
When the source of the rumor says its a hunch, admit that, or better yet don't add it to the conversation.

March 09 2011 at 11:40 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Rego

Erica I seem to recall that you bought a 16 gig ipad 1. Which memory will your ipAd 2 have and why?

March 09 2011 at 11:32 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Paul Smtih

Looks like 16GB $349 model is sold out already. I shoulda grabbed one... I know they discounted the new ones $100 off - but really I think it should be a bit more. A $100 discount (while significant) doesn't make sense to me for a year old model.

I'm actually considering a iPad 2 16GB instead of the iPad 32GB refurb - $70 price difference. I already have an iphone 4 so putting music on it isn't a deal breaker.

March 09 2011 at 8:49 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Juramentado

Picked up one of the 16GB refurbs. I think some of you are missing the point. Given the relative stability and success of the iPad and The App Store, $349 as an entry point for a first time Tablet owner is an incredible deal. I have a Mifi device so connectivity on the go is not an issue. Many consumers are driven by the price-point and not the specs. Everyone's usage model is also unique, so to say you're penny-wise and pound-foolish by buying a previous gen model is pretty arrogant. To top it off, that exact model is now sold outa at the Refurb Store, just a little less than a week from the successor's announcement, so who's really to say?

March 09 2011 at 5:39 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Eamonn

My friend bought a refurb iPad the other day, got it delivered today, had it opened about 2 and a half minutes before he noticed dead pixels in the centre of the screen so now apples replacing it with a new one

March 09 2011 at 5:22 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Alex

Does the iPad 2 camera have a flash? I can't seem to find a real answer.

What about Wireless N? 5gHz?

March 09 2011 at 4:49 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to Alex's comment
nxiv

NO flash. Only iPhone 4 has flash for rear camera.
YES to 5GHz 802.11n, same as iPad 1.

March 09 2011 at 4:53 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Joe

If a new iPad is announced in the fall and you want to upgrade to it, then your path is going to be the same no matter which you get now: sell it to offset the cost of the new one. You'll have effectively rented the iPad during that time, and it may actually be cheaper to "rent" the iPad 2 than the original iPad, considering it will be just a few months old as opposed to 18ish months.

March 09 2011 at 4:28 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
3 replies to Joe's comment
dagamer34

You're not just buying cameras with an iPad 2 but an extra year of updates to iOS. Buying the 3G when the 3GS came out in 2009 may have saved you $100 but here are the following features you are missing (off the top of my head):

1) Game Center
2) AirPlay
3) Multi-tasking
4) iTunes Home Sharing

Plus whatever new features iOS 5.0 will bring. It's best not to think about right now, but the future as well.

March 09 2011 at 4:15 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to dagamer34's comment
nxiv

This shouldn't be a major cause for concern with the iPad 2. The iPhone 3G was basically the same as the 1st Gen iPhone except it had a different shell and 3G capabilities (virtually same cpu, gpu, ram). Whatever iOS update is released in the next year, the iPad 1 should be able to handle it. Beyond 2012 is another story since iPad 3 will be out then.

March 09 2011 at 5:06 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Joey

If you can save $350 then surely you can save another $150 to buy the new one. If I were in your shoes i'd save up a little more and buy the new one.

March 09 2011 at 4:14 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to Joey's comment
Greg Roberts

This is my though as well. If I saved up $350, I'd just go ahead and save the additional $150. Now if the iPad 1 was selling for $199 or $249, that might be different.

March 09 2011 at 7:31 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
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