Is a screen protector necessary or not? Asked two of my sons this question--one said yes, the other said no--therefore I need an outside opinion. If yes, what do you consider the best and if no, why not?

For me, It is a must to have items, I prefer to spent extra money to protect a such high cost iPad so, why don't get one? no regret in the future

I will not be using a screen protector on my iPad. The optical glass used is extremely scratch resistant. I have had an iPhone since they came out. I haven't had even a tiny scratch on the glass. The case and bezel are another story . IMHO, most people don't need a screen protector.

Here is a vid of PC World testing the durability of the original iPhone.
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUR70xhmqv4]YouTube - iPhone Torture Tests -- Will it Survive?[/ame]

Apple has removed screen protectors from their site, and are saying they are not needed. My thought is that I would rather have a cover for the whole iPad with a flip open lid.

This is a touch operating system not a stylus one.

It also depends of what one does with the iPad. If it stays home most of the time like mine will, there will be minimal chances of scratching.

I would be more afraid of dropping it to the ground. I'm pretty sure this would be the biggest source of damages.

Originally Posted by iVan

This is a touch operating system not a stylus one.

It also depends of what one does with the iPad. If it stays home most of the time like mine will, there will be minimal chances of scratching.

I would be more afraid of dropping it to the ground. I'm pretty sure this would be the biggest source of damages.

I agree. That's why I got a SquareTrade warranty for mine. I think I will use my iPad a lot so drops are inevitable. It is nice to know that if one of those drops breaks the device, I am covered.

The only reason I would possibly get a screen protector for the iPad would be to decrease the amount of smudges the screen accumulates. The oleophobic coating of the 3GS wore out which led to some issues but I haven't heard or read anything about the iPad having a similar feature.

From the tech specs for the iPad

Display
9.7-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit glossy widescreen Multi-Touch display with IPS technology
1024-by-768-pixel resolution at 132 pixels per inch (ppi)
Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating
Support for display of multiple languages and characters simultaneously

Did your coating really wear off? I use my iPhone a lot and I can't tell the difference from when I bought it.

Originally Posted by wot_fan

Did your coating really wear off? I use my iPhone a lot and I can't tell the difference from when I bought it.

Not mine, but there were reports of it wearing off.
Source: iPhone 3GS oleophobic coating wearing off? | iPhone Atlas - CNET Reviews

Originally Posted by cimousa

The only reason I would possibly get a screen protector for the iPad would be to decrease the amount of smudges the screen accumulates. The oleophobic coating of the 3GS wore out which led to some issues but I haven't heard or read anything about the iPad having a similar feature.

I remember seeing that the iPad has an oleophobic coating on the Apple site. It's in the screen description.

Display

• 9.7-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit glossy widescreen Multi-Touch display with IPS technology
• 1024-by-768-pixel resolution at 132 pixels per inch (ppi)
• Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating
• Support for display of multiple languages and characters simultaneously