Please help me with the iPad...

[PrinceCharmingsMom]

I am college student and Stay at Home Mom...I need something to help keep me organized and do my work somewhere other than the main computer. I was looking into the new KNO tablet but they are having delivery issues and I am getting behind in my school work.

I need to know what is the difference between the $499 iPad and the $899 one...is the 3G really going to make that big of a difference and what is the deal with the new ones coming out in April?

Any help is greatly appreciated....TIA

 

[vicki_c]

If you only want to use it on your home wireless Internet (or other places with wireless, like Starbucks), you don't need 3G.

If you plan on using it away from your own wireless or places that might not have wireless, you need to have the 3G service.

 

[3-MER]

Also remember that 3G service has a cost associated with it!

 

[racechick8293]

I'm waiting for the 2nd gen iPad. I'm going to get the 3G model. IMO, it's not worth $130 to end up kicking myself later for either not having it or not being able to resell because of the lack of 3G.

Last semester, I had several students using iPads in my classes. They use the eTexts (when available), and many recommended getting a keyboard dock for typing (there's a nice one from Apple for about $69). Apps such as Pages, Numbers, and Keynote are available for $10 each, which are similar to Word, Excel, PPT, and offer compatibility with them provided you save your files as such. For my purposes as a teacher, I don't believe I'll be able to fully give up my MacBook Pro once I get the iPad, but I do believe I'll have a much lighter load to carry with me for overall use.

 

[linnylu]

That's good to know that students are using them in class. How can you find out which textbooks could be read on the Ipad? My ds is a high school senior and I think an Ipad would be a great gift for him. What are other ways that students can use the Ipad?

 

[racechick8293]

The text publishers websites are usually where I go to find out if an ebook is available. I'm finding that more and more are available each semester. Everyone seems to be getting on the etext bandwagon.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

You might want to consider a netbook instead. You'll save some money.

Also, since the new iPad is rumored to be released in just a few months, I would hold off buying one right now.

 

[racechick8293]

You might want to consider a netbook instead. You'll save some money.

Also, since the new iPad is rumored to be released in just a few months, I would hold off buying one right now.

If cost is not a factor, I would have to vote to wait for the iPad. I bought a Toshiba NB305 about 1 year ago. While it's small and light, and has a full size keyboard, I found that the 1GB of RAM was just too slow for the multitasking that I need to do routinely. I would likely not recommend a netbook for a student, especially a college student. The whole thing stinks for me because it was one of the more expensive models available, and it's a really good machine, just not suitable for my purposes. I should have just bought the computer that I really wanted to at that time (MBP 13). I need to either expand the RAM to 2GB or just sell the netbook. It's a shame because it hardly got any use.

 

[whois figment]

The difference in the models of the ipads are storage capacity and wifi vs. 3g.
The storage can't be upgraded but you could always get a mobile hotspot such as a mifi to connect to wireless if you needed it later. Apple has some good deals going right now on refurbs. There is also a company that just relased a dock that makes the ipad work more like a laptop. It has a laptop shaped case and bluetooth keyboard.

 

[linnylu]

The difference in the models of the ipads are storage capacity and wifi vs. 3g.
The storage can't be upgraded but you could always get a mobile hotspot such as a mifi to connect to wireless if you needed it later. Apple has some good deals going right now on refurbs. There is also a company that just relased a dock that makes the ipad work more like a laptop. It has a laptop shaped case and bluetooth keyboard.

Can you tell us the company or give us a link? This sounds useful.

 

[luvthemouse71]

I believe the iPad 2 may have a camera and be slightly thinner/smaller. And of course, they may not come out with a new one either soon. I have a 64GB wifi model- I use it all the time. I took it to WDW last September (along with a mifi device) and it was great.

I agree- try to see if you can find a refurb from Apple first.

 

[TWyn]

I really hope they release the second gen iPad soon. I'm chomping at the bit to buy one. I'll definitely go with the 3G model.

 

[PrinceCharmingsMom]

Thanks so much for all this info.. I had been looking at the KNO tablet to use but they are having manufacturing issues. It's supposed to be targeted to students with dual touch screens. I think I am just going to wait til April and see if the KNO catches up with production and if not get a new gen ipad

 

[racechick8293]

Thanks so much for all this info.. I had been looking at the KNO tablet to use but they are having manufacturing issues. It's supposed to be targeted to students with dual touch screens. I think I am just going to wait til April and see if the KNO catches up with production and if not get a new gen ipad

IMHO, I would go with the iPad. The KNO seems a bit large to me, and I wonder if it will be a product that "sticks". I would hold off on the KNO until there would be more information on the actual use/resale/etc. At least with an iPad, you are almost assured a decent resale value, and support from a company that has been around for years.

http://www.businessinsider.com/humongous-kno-tablet-for-students-starts-shipping-tomorrow-2010-12

 

[whois figment]

Can you tell us the company or give us a link? This sounds useful.

Sure the product is a clam case. I don't work for th company but plan on buying for my own personal use.

http://clamcase.com/

 

[cslittle999]

If you get the iPad take a look at Evernote. A great way to have your notes and to-do lists on the iPad and on your main computer. If you have a smartphone you can access them from there too.

 

[OhMari]

Makes me wonder why so many are being fixed and resold for refurbished machines.

 

[RMBittner]

I am college student and Stay at Home Mom...I need something to help keep me organized and do my work somewhere other than the main computer. I was looking into the new KNO tablet but they are having delivery issues and I am getting behind in my school work.

I need to know what is the difference between the $499 iPad and the $899 one...is the 3G really going to make that big of a difference and what is the deal with the new ones coming out in April?

Any help is greatly appreciated....TIA

I've had my 32GB, 3G iPad since Thanksgiving, and I can't now imagine living without it. It's an amazing device. Just a few points to consider, since I'm coming late to the discussion:

There's no certainty that Apple will be releasing the next-gen iPad in "a few months." But the rumors I've heard is that it's expected to be a touch slimmer and offer at least one camera, if not two (front- and back-facing). To my mind -- and, of course, your needs may differ -- neither one of those "features" is important enough to put off a purchase.

The on-screen iPad keyboard is *very* good for short e-mails, Facebook updates, Tweets, etc. For anything longer, I'd highly recommend Apple's Bluetooth keyboard. It syncs flawlessly with the iPad -- and, amazingly, it seems to work up to at least 50 feet away! (Although I can't imagine anyone wanting to type that far from the screen! That said, though, the iPad's software wasn't really designed for lengthy or specialized text input; there's no Tab key on-screen, for instance.

You *can* read e-books on the iPad, of course. But if you're planning on reading lots of books, you might be better served by getting a Kindle. I'm a big fan of the Kindle as the perfect e-reader; it won't tire your eyes, which can happen with the iPad's very vibrant screen, and it's much lighter to hold for long periods.

For me, the iPad is almost the perfect laptop/netbook replacement. I carry it constantly: to stream movies from Netflix, watch videos, surf the Web, handle e-mail and update my social sites, play games, and much more. If that's the kind of thing you need/want, I really can't praise it more highly. (But if you're mainly looking for an e-reader, I also can't recommend the Kindle more highly.)

Bob

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

There's no certainty that Apple will be releasing the next-gen iPad in "a few months."

I think it's pretty certain a new iPad will be released within 3-4 months, following Apple's historical pattern of upgrading their devices and the many reliable rumors. The next release is bound to have improved features that would make it worth it to wait a short time to purchase rather than getting the original version now.

 

[AndreaDM]

I got my iPad for Christmas and love it!! Im glad I don't have to wait "several months" or more and get to use it every day now!