Bye-bye iPad2, welcome back iPad4

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by pl001

I disagree. They target the upgrades to people who are unconcerned about price. Like fjtorres states, their base price, on the iPad at least, has always been relatively low, and are still competitive for a premium tablet.

IPods, too.
That's why the shuffle exists -- to get buyers invested in the ecosystem and then upsell them the higher price models.

[Gazella]

Yup, that's Apple's clever marketing strategy.

[pl001]

The Ford/Mercedes analogy is ridiculous. Ford's dependability ranks ahead of "premium" makes such as BMW and Infinity. Plus a typical Ford will be easier to use and maintain, and aftermarket accessories will be more plentiful. Hmm, where am I going with this?

Again, the base price of an iPad is NOT a premium price. Things that should be cheap like memory or LTE are what drives the price into premium territory. And I can assure you there is nothing premium or exclusive about their memory or wireless abilities. The iPad hardware itself is nothing all that special, and the OS is simplistic and outdated compared to every competitor. Sure it all works together quite well and is a great overall package, but you are certainly NOT getting the kind of premium materials, technology, safety, performance, and build quality you would get with buying a Mercedes over a Ford. And the base price reflects that.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by pl001

Again, the base price of an iPad is NOT a premium price. Things that should be cheap like memory or LTE are what drives the price into premium territory. And I can assure you there is nothing premium or exclusive about their memory or wireless abilities.

Who else actually makes a tablet with 128GB storage, LTE, and a 350dpi screen? Genuine question - I don't know of anyone who does.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Who else actually makes a tablet with 128GB storage, LTE, and a 350dpi screen? Genuine question - I don't know of anyone who does.

350dpi?

Pixel densities for the iPads are: Air & 4 = 264 ppi, mini 2 = 326 ppi, and mini 1 = 163 ppi.

[HarryT]

Ok, then, 326dpi. The question stands - who else makes a tablet with equivalent hardware?

[David Munch]

Originally Posted by Gazella

I still remember when I bought an iPad 3 and later read that Apple decided to discontinue it. I was annoyed and sort of puzzled. From my understanding, the iPad 2 was like a budget option.

Unless you want the latest 3D games, read *a lot* or does video/music editing, the iPad2 does it all perfectly. It also charges must faster, which some may like.. But yes, it should have been cheaper, as with all Apple hardware. But for some people, 100$ saved for an upgrade they'll never need, well..

I love my iPad 2.. No need for me to upgrade.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by HarryT

The question stands - who else makes a tablet with equivalent hardware?

No one that I'm aware of. Other makers quit at 64GB.

[pl001]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

No one that I'm aware of. Other makers quit at 64GB.

Yes, but several can use 64GB SD cards in addition to 64GB internally. Or even add the new 128GB microSD card to 64GB internal.

Does seem to be difficult to find all that together though. LTE lineups seem to have some holes and are difficult to find. On the other hand, there is no 7" iPad or an iPad with a 16:10 screen. So it's not like they cover everything either.

[HarryT]

I would question the validity of your statement that "The iPad hardware itself is nothing all that special", given that there doesn't actually appear to be any alternative choice, should one desire the particular combination of hardware that the iPad provides.

[Josieb1]

I bought a Nook HD tablet last June for £160. At the time the iPad mini with Retina screen wasn't out. I sold it on Saturday for £60 (with a case and separate mains charger) and bought an iPad mini with retina screen. The Nook was a colossal waste of money, even though it had full Google Play access. Nothing I could do seamlessly on my iPad could be done on the Nook. A different make of Android tablet would not have made any difference.

I now have both an Air and a Retina Mini, I don't need both tbh but I couldn't stand Android any longer and I need a small iPad. At the end of the day you get what you pay for and for what I need a small iPad for Android just doesn't have the apps.

[HarryT]

I too have tried various Android tablets, but always come back to the iPad. Its OS may (in the view of some) be "simplistic and outdated", but it gets the job done, whereas Android (for me personally) doesn't. It's good to have the choice.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by pl001

Yes, but several can use 64GB SD cards in addition to 64GB internally. Or even add the new 128GB microSD card to 64GB internal.

While a card slot would be nice to have in my Nexus 7, I don't stray that far from WiFi to require it; therefore, 32GB is more than adequate for my needs.

[tubemonkey]

I prefer Android for two reasons: Google Nexus and Kindle Fire.

[Prestidigitweeze]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

While a card slot would be nice to have in my Nexus 7, I don't stray that far from WiFi to require it; therefore, 32GB is more than adequate for my needs.

And if it weren't enough, you could add 64GB with a meenova mSD card reader, bringing the total up to 96GB.