My old Macbook is on it’s last legs after six years (it no longer supports the latest browsers as the software is out of date, the screen flickers and the case is cracked) so I’m considering using it as a music server and buying a tablet for surfing and apps. Is the iPad the best option, and if so is the Retina display worth the extra money ? As I don’t intend to use it to store music or images, what sort of memory would you recommend ?

Thanks in advance.

16gb wifi.

Just bought a v3 for work to replace a v2. There is very little in it but the display is nice.

16 gb wifi will do he job. The v3 is nice but I guess you need to see one to figure out if the screen in worth the extra cost.

Well I deliberately held off buying an iPad till the Retina version.

To me it needs to be close to print resolution to be viable as a “digital magazine”.
That seems justified now as Singletrack digital looks great on it.

Older iPads (and cheaper tablets) look very blocky in comparison but it will depend on your usage whether that matters to you or not.

The Nexus 10 should be out soon and looks like it will be made by Samsung with better resolution than the iPad, may be worth holding back a bit.

The Nexus 10 should be out soon and looks like it will be made by Samsung with better resolution than the iPad, may be worth holding back a bit.

😆

and microsoft surface out at the end of the month (possibly!)

Don’t buy a 1st generation iPad, my iPad 1 is now slow as a dog, plus they no longer support it – iOS 5 was the last SW update for it.

I agree that if you’re not storing things on the iPad (only apps), then 16GB is plenty.
There seem to be offers around bringing the iPad3 to £369 which seems pretty good to me for all the uses it has.

No brainer.

If I was looking for an alternative, I’d wait for a 10″ Nexus (from Samsung), but there’s no date on that yet.

footflaps – Member

Don’t buy a 1st generation iPad, my iPad 1 is now slow as a dog, plus they no longer support it – iOS 5 was the last SW update for it.
My iPad 1 is still pretty good!
Did you do a full restore after upgrading to iOS5? If you use iTunes to restore, it puts everything back where it was, but I noticed a speed boost from doing it.

There are a few times, I’ve wished there was an option to turn off fancy transitions, etc. But nothing dealbreaking.

Anyway my 2c

Theres some refurbs on the Apple site at the moment for 359

made by Samsung with better resolution than the iPad

Note: not definite yet (I always take these tech rumours with a pinch of salt after numerous “the next iPhone will fly and be invisible” type thing).

But.. if it does then the Nexus 10 will be an excellent tablet and a very definite threat to the iPad.
Be interesting to see how the price compares.

For me Apple still wins it on apps, particularly in the tablet market, but Android is closing that gap fast.

It’s been widely reported Nexus 10 by Samsung.

Yep, but notice rather the cagey wording:

Google is reportedly partnering with Samsung to make a 10in version of the Nexus 7 tablet.
..
The tablet will supposedly have a display with a pixel density higher than Apple’s new iPad. What could be called the Nexus 10 will use a resolution of 2560 x 1600.

Be great if true though. For me the two main advantages of the iPad over current tablets are size and resolution.

A 10″ high res Nexus would address those nicely and just leave the matter of available good quality apps, which are getting better all the time.

In short, competition is good!

I’m not really answering your question 🙂 but if you do plump for an iPad bear in mind not all functionality of iOS 6 is available on an iPad 2 (e.g. Siri), so you may prefer to spend a bit more for an iPad 3.

Scroll to the bottom of this to learn more.

I’ve just got an Asus Transformer TF300 with Jellybean

I like it. – USB and SD slots & clip-on keyboard with additional battery won me over.

Cost me £330 for a reconditioned one.

Not really used any other tablet, incl ipad, properly so can’t compare.

10″ nexus doesn’t really matter… it’s not for lack of hardware android tablets aren’t as good, it’s the breadth and quality of the software.

Apparantly not http://news.sky.com/story/995063/t3-gadget-awards-nexus-7-wins-top-honour

it’s not for lack of hardware android tablets aren’t as good, it’s the breadth and quality of the software.

+1

unless you are an über-nerd who gets a boner about gigaflops and whatnot, it’s all about the App Store – and Apple is years ahead.

http://www.metro.co.uk/tech/914437-t3-gadget-awards-asus-scoops-five-awards-boosted-by-nexus-success

oh, same as above…

it’s not for lack of hardware android tablets aren’t as good, it’s the breadth and quality of the software.

First bit is true imo, but not the second bit.

You can find pretty much everything you want on the android store, however I think the lack of standardised hardware has been the problem, hence why the Nexus has been so well received.
People just want to buy ‘the one’.

Still the best, yes. Retina worth the extra, yes. 16GB is plenty unless you want lots of big games (GTA and suchlike) – *IMO* (YMMV) if you need more storage you’re better off buying an AirStash, Wi-Drive or GoFlex. The 3G version (which also has GPS) is more bang for your buck over the base model.

I agree that if you’re not storing things on the iPad (only apps), then 16GB is plenty.

This depends on the apps, some iPad 3 apps take more space due to the increased resolution.

http://www.theverge.com/2012/3/14/2870374/new-ipad-apps-larger-size-retina-display

I would recommend getting the 32Gb as a minimum. This should be fine used in conjunction with something like DropBox.

You can find pretty much everything you want on the android store

Serious question: Anything similar quality/functionality to keynote and iMovie?

Note quality – I know there are office apps. But keynote is properly good on an ipad, about the only limitation is movies. There also (used to be, not checked recently) no good simplenote client. Is there a tablet version of the instapaper app yet?

I think the lack of standardised hardware has been the problem

Yep. The biggest issue IMO. Fragmentation.

Developers writing stuff for iPads (and iPhones) only have a couple of hardware configurations to consider and a couple of screen sizes/resolutions.

So they can tailor stuff to fit exactly, look nice, and always work.

Devs on Android have to cater for a wide range of displays and hardware capabilities, as well as heavily changing OS support.

I think this is a big reason why iOS tends to get new apps before Android does.

All of which makes me despair at Apple introducing new resolutions (iPhone 5 and presumably iPad Mini)

The 3G version (which also has GPS) is more bang for your buck over the base model.

Disagree. Tethering to a smartphone renders the 3G model pointless unless you really need a tablet that supports GPS.

@raindog – I have an iPad1 64GB WiFi only, love it, since getting it I gave away my MacBook as I never used it (I do have desktop machine MacMini). I have no speed issue with it at all (comment above about it being slow). True iOS6 upgrade wasn’t available but iOS5 is working very well and I don’t notice any material difference vs iOS6 on my iPhone.

Yes the new screen is worth it, have a look at the two side by side. The Pad1 screen is very good but when you see it next to the retina …

If you are not storing music/images (or I imagine movies which are the biggest hog at 4-6GB each for HD) then a 16GB may be OK (I’d still be tempted to go bigger though)

As you are buying new I’d get an iPad3 for sure

“Disagree. Tethering to a smartphone renders the 3G model pointless unless you really need a tablet that supports GPS. “

Arguably so, if your phone contract allows tethering and your iPad always follows your smartphone (my missus uses the iPad a lot but doesn’t have a smartphone). And GPS is nice to have if you’re using the pad for any mapping purposes.

Personally I think external wifi storage renders the more capacious models pointless. YMMV, natch 🙂

Personally I think external wifi storage renders the more capacious models pointless.

If you travel and won’t have access to data for extended periods all the cloud storage in the world is useless!

Therefore I went for the 32GB as its just that extra bit of comfort that I don’t have to worry about managing my storage. I also have no need for 3G as I’m not willing to pay extra for the data and can tether my smartphone.

However everyone is different.

That is why Apple sell six different versions of the iPad. No one choice is right. (I understand this isn’t an acceptable position for STW!)

And GPS is nice to have if you’re using the pad for any mapping purposes.

True, but it seems to get my position accurately enough from wifi to put the map in the right area. You only really need GPS if you are tracking routes or using it as a sat-nav. I use my phone for that.

iPad 3 here, 16GB is plenty for me, but I don’t store and music/video on it, except from some multimedia that came with an OU iTunes U Astrophysics course.

Retina display is stunning, but non-retina apps will annoy you immensely if you’re like me…

“If you travel and won’t have access to data for extended periods all the cloud storage in the world is useless!“

That’s why I didn’t say cloud storage, I said external wifi storage 😉

Take the GoFlex Satellite for instance. 500GB is enough for all my music plus a whole heap of photos and movies etc. Provided I’ve understood all the blurb correctly, it works as a USB drive, and as a home and portable NAS, so you can take the whole lot wherever you go. Which means that for the stuff that requires large amounts of storage space, you’ve got plenty of space for it and you can share it with whatever other phones/tablets/PCs/TVs you have, wherever you are, without having to copy stuff or sync anything. All for not a huge amount more than an extra 16GB in the pad.

“That is why Apple sell six different versions of the iPad. No one choice is right. (I understand this isn’t an acceptable position for STW!) “

Indeed. I was just airing an opinion that spending the extra on the additional functionality of 3G and GPS seems like better value than spending it on the additional non-functionality of 16GB. But I do of course understand that voicing an opinion isn’t acceptable here either 😉

The iPad is a 4:3 aspect ratio as well, which many people prefer for reading than the 16:10, and 16:9, or some Android tablets.

Using it in portrait makes more sense.

The Nexus 10 will be 16:10.

titusrider – Member
and microsoft surface out at the end of the month (possibly!)

I’ve used one and I have to say it was pretty good. Certainly very smooth and quick and nice in that it runs full PC software on it. Pricing will be interesting to see.

You are a local, sorta CCM so I’ll do you the CCM deal on a 1st gen 32gb WiFi one if you are interested. I will wipe it and let you have a try if you want as means I haven’t got to bugger about advertising/posting etc

As people have said yes its got slower with the ongoing updates now to IOS5 however if you are getting a good deal on it and it meets your requirements why worry?

Only reason I’m selling is that I’ve got the 3rd Gen thru work cheap.

Microsoft Surface pricing announced today

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/oct/16/microsoft-surface-price

Why do we seem to get screwed on price in this county?

Starts from $499 which is £310 converted. On sale for £399 in this country, I know there’s a difference in tax etc but we do seemed to get done over on price. iPad is the same.

Edit, we do get an extra 16GB storage for our money though. Disappointing the keyboard cover is an extra £80

Well stripping out VAT of 20% gives the UK cost of £332 which really isn’t that much higher than the US prices. US prices do not generally include any sales tax. Factor in currency fluctuation risk and it kind of makes sense.

@rwc03 – like Rain Man said (sort of) Microsoft (Walmart) sucks. They are so far behind now why bother with them, its an Apple and Google/Android game now.

@gonefishin: Fair point, always seems disproportionate. Maybe we’re getting a better deal then.

@jambalaya: I liked the sound of being able to do office a bit more easily but might as well get a thin laptop or even a macbook air at those prices. Screen resolution of the surface bit of a let down too.

Why do we seem to get screwed on price in this county?

In general, stuff is a bit cheaper in the US (don’t forget to add local sales tax onto the US price) but that’s because of the market conditions. In general, stuff is much crapper in the US (take mobile phone and cable companies for instance.. if you think Vodafone or Natwest or whatever is crap, you’ve seen nothing) which is how they keep prices down overall.

like Rain Man said (sort of) Microsoft (Walmart) sucks. They are so far behind now why bother with them, its an Apple and Google/Android game now.

What an odd thing to say. Why would a major company not be able to release a significant new product to gain market share and become a player?

Both the companies you mentioned did just that. Apple had faded seriously til the iMac, the iPod and the iPad. Google were a search engine and Android was a completely new product.