iPad Which Size?

[valb2953]

From my experience,you'll always find a way to use any extra memory in a computer.Go for the most you can afford.
valentin bazavan

[Xanthe]

Lots of good information here, thanks everyone. I think that I will start saving my pennies and get the largest size I can. I may not need the extra storage at this point in time, but software isn't designed with storage limitations in mind anymore, so I suppose it is better to be prepared for future large programs.

[mgmueller]

Originally Posted by Xanthe

Finally played around with an iPad and now I suffer from iPad lust. If I do wind up getting one, it will be the WiFi only version. I need some advice though, regarding which size to get. I can see myself using it to read those large image-intensive PDF files or for letting the little ones play games on it, and for surfing the net. I've never had any Apple products, so I don't know which size would be optimal for those actions.

Any suggestions?

Definitely the biggest one.
I've got the 16GB iPhone4 and I permanently have to delete stuff. My first iPad was 32GB - and permanently too small as well.
Check out a HD movie of 8GB and you'll see how little space even 64GB will be...
You'll regret, going for smaller model all the time.

And: I'd carefully consider 3G as well.
I bought the WiFi only model at first as well.
I simply didn't want to have another provider, flatrate and all those troubles.
But quickly I fell for GPS. iPad (like any other tablet as well) makes for a great travel companion. 3G might be an unnecessary luxury. But imagine, being on vacation and checking out hotels, restaurants, museums and all those other hidden treasures while on the road...
(For example in combination with iPhone tethering or a MiFi hotspot).
I clearly favor my WiFi+3G model in the meantime.
And I'll go for GPS in any mobile unit from now...

[devastat]

I own an 16GB 3G iPad. I have planty of apps, ebooks, films and mp3's on the device. I still have 5GB available in the memory. I am very glad I went for the 16GB version and spent the extra 100$ into apps instead..

So my recommendation is unless you are working heavily on photography, or unless you are buying it as your main device, get the 16GB version and spend the extra money on ebooks instead!

[Rob_E]

Originally Posted by mgmueller

And: I'd carefully consider 3G as well.
I bought the WiFi only model at first as well.
I simply didn't want to have another provider, flatrate and all those troubles.
But quickly I fell for GPS. iPad (like any other tablet as well) makes for a great travel companion. 3G might be an unnecessary luxury. But imagine, being on vacation and checking out hotels, restaurants, museums and all those other hidden treasures while on the road...

I agree with this. I got the 64 gb 3G version because of the GPS and for traveling. Some GPS apps will download and save maps locally, so if you plan ahead, you'll still have maps even if you aren't paying for cellular data, and the GPS will still function. Maps, however, are another item that might eat into your available memory. I had mine for almost a month before signing up for the 3G, but we signed up right before a road trip, and it was great to have on the road. When my month was up, I canceled the plan, and I've been fine. I'll probably sign up again soon at the lower level because there are a few places I frequent without wifi, but it's entirely unnecessary most of the time, but very nice to have when you're traveling.

Originally Posted by devastat

So my recommendation is unless you are working heavily on photography, or unless you are buying it as your main device, get the 16GB version and spend the extra money on ebooks instead!

I don't do photography, and I still have my desktop, but I've still used 40 GB of space. I know that I could get by with less. I could avoid putting files on it until I'm sure I'm going to use them, and I could delete files when I'm done with them. But I like the freedom that comes with having more space. If I might want to look at file in the next month, it goes on the iPad. If I might want to see a file again, I keep it on the iPad. You can definitely manage your data to allow for smaller capacity, especially if it's used primarily for web surfing and ebooks, but you can definitely fill it up quickly, too, if you use it for other items. It took me a little time to hit that 32 GB mark that "justified" purchasing the 64 GB, but I hit 16 GB pretty early on, as I knew I would.

If you break it down into price per gigabyte of memory, it's always a better deal to buy the higher capacity version. But, of course, if you don't use that capacity, you've still wasted your money. If I was someone who could upgrade their devices annually, I'd consider starting out with a lower capacity device to see if it met my needs, but since I usually hang on to my devices until the bitter end, I usually try to get the highest capacity so that I don't find myself cramped for space down the road.

[devastat]

Originally Posted by Rob_E

You can definitely manage your data to allow for smaller capacity, especially if it's used primarily for web surfing and ebooks, but you can definitely fill it up quickly, too, if you use it for other items. It took me a little time to hit that 32 GB mark that "justified" purchasing the 64 GB, but I hit 16 GB pretty early on, as I knew I would.

I do use my iPad to a lot more than just surfing and ebooks. In fact I could argue that I use my iPad more these days than my Macbook Pro. I still haven't had to restrict my disk space usage in iPad at all and I still have 5GB left. Only way I would see myself exceeding the 16GB memory is by putting all my existing music, videos and photos into the device. I don't see the need to do that as even I do carry some music, videos and photos on the iPad, I mainly use Spotify and Airvideo for such needs and they are streaming based..

To me paying 100$ per 16GB of storage would be a lot. If I would need extra space, I would probably use cloud base services such as Dropbox to help my needs until Apple cuts the price of extra storage in half - but like I said I don't think i'll ever exceed the 16GB limit on my device. Off course everyone use their device differently so I can only speak on my behalf. If you want to carry a lot of photos, music and video with you at all times, get the 32GB version (or even 64GB).

However, I would recommend everyone to get the 3G version, even just for the ability to use GPS features on iPad. For me portability is also one of the main selling points for the iPad and I love the fact that I can use it anywhere I go within the range of wifi or not.