Thanks. Yes I intend to get a data plan from my carrier for $20.00a month-maybe up to $35.00 for 5 gigs. That should be enough as I just want to check email, google and maybe take some pics. Do people generally just replace their iPad with the latest version. Seems awfully expensive and wasteful to me to do this every 3 years. Am thinking I may notbget one after all. I've lived 63years without one.
Replacements are often a personal choice, based on your uses and budget.
The technical things that might force a change: At some point with every device, the manufacturer stops updating the firmware. How that affects you depends on whether the content you use needs updated firmware. For basic stuff like email and surfing, that shouldn't be a problem for a number of years. But app developers try to keep up and take advantage of new firmware, so some apps might no longer be supported if you don't upgrade. If your needs are vanilla, I wouldn't worry about it.
Remember, though, that tablets have only recently gained momentum with iPad, so tablets are developing faster than more established technology.
Current iPad camera quality is limited, too. If you need it to take photos, you should search and read photography threads on the forum before buying.
