Need help deciding on which one to buy...

[Debi F.]

Hi,

I've always been a Windows user, but think I might like the compactness and "all in one" of the Ipad. Problem is I spoke with an Apple representative online, one in a store and a personal friend of mine who has an Ipad, and they all gave me different answers. For background, I have a 5-1/2 year old daughter so my husband and I both tend to take ALOT of pictures. Then there's the videos (school plays, dance recitals, school sporting events, etc).

With that said, I don't know if I should go with the 16 gb, 32 gb or 64 gb. Also not really understanding the whole 4G LTE/Wi-Fi with Cellular thing. This is what I would need the Ipad to do for me in deciding on GB at least

1. Movies...Uploading a couple of movies (Toy Story, Cinderella, episodes of Spongebob, etc.)

2. Pictures...Need to hold about 500 pictures.

3. Videos...Need to hold about 5-6 hours of video.

4. Transfer...Can I transfer pictures/videos/movies from the Ipad to a Windows 7 laptop, or even better yet, burn it to a CD??

5. If I get the WiFi with Cellular (4G LTE) does that mean I can get an internet connection anywhere? I.e, while driving, in a hotel, at someone else's house, my backyard?

6. Is it user friendly? Other than my laptop, camera, camcorder, I'm honestly just not technology savy. My cell phone is even barely used, so the whole "app" thing is mind boggling.

Many thanks for any help!!

 

[sjleworthy]

1, 2 and 3 - sounds like a 64 would be ideal. 32 is average for most, but several vids and a few 100 phots would nicely fit on 64. It's not exactly a massive cost difference.

4 - yes, you can sync stuff over from iPad to pc, then burn to DVD

5 - yes. If you get yourself a cellular account your cellular iPad can connect absolutely anywhere. Depending on where you are, geographically speaking, determines your connection speed.

6 - the iPad is SUPER friendly. Even my aged mother can master it within an hour. That's Apples biggest selling point. It's uber über user friendliness. I'm a 20 year pc man myself, and don't much like my apple computer, but the iPad and iPhone is a dream to use. Soooo easy. Different than windows, which takes some getting used to, but a fantastic experience. A joy to learn and get into.

 

[AQ_OC]

I agree with sjleworthy post. I would mention that you should check your location to see who offers the best service for LTE. Where I live, Verizon has good LTE cover so I get fast speeds on a cellular connection. I say get the 32 or 64 GB LTE model. Note this is like having a plan from a cellular company....but you can also (and should) use WIFI when at home or visiting friends/family (is possible). If you go over on your cellular you get charged for it.

 

[Debi F.]

Thank you so much for the replies. I'm hoping prices (whether holiday sales or whatever) come down a little so i can get one under the $1K mark -- as once I add some needed accessories I'm just a smidgen over budget. At least now I have the needed information, thanks to you guys. I have to admit though some of the other posts about problems make me a tad nervous.

 

[Wolfpuppies3]

That's a given for you as the WiFi only 64 GB is $699, the WiFi4G 64 GB version is $829. Either one is well under $1,000. I personally have the new iPad 64 GB wiFi/4G which replaced my iPad 2 which replaced my iPad, all 64 GB for the reasons you mention.

 

[giradman]

Hi Debi - welcome to the forum!

Cannot add much to the already excellent responses, but just several more comments: 1) The 'new' iPad (3?) now has a decent camera - won't replace your standard digital ones but now a better quality option (video recording is also excellent); and 2) If you choose the 'cellular' option, then carefully price your choices and needs - could be a costly addition, especially if not used that often?

For me, I have the iPad 2 w/ just Wi-Fi, but this has served our internet needs; at home, my Wi-Fi router allows connection, and 'on the road' we usually stay at hotels/inns that offer Wi-Fi - not trying to talk you out of not going 'all the way', but keep your potential uses and look at the extra cost - good luck in your choice and please post back your experience(s)!

 

[Greygoose_ipad]

Hi Debi - welcome to the forum!

Cannot add much to the already excellent responses, but just several more comments: 1) The 'new' iPad (3?) now has a decent camera - won't replace your standard digital ones but now a better quality option (video recording is also excellent); and 2) If you choose the 'cellular' option, then carefully price your choices and needs - could be a costly addition, especially if not used that often?

For me, I have the iPad 2 w/ just Wi-Fi, but this has served our internet needs; at home, my Wi-Fi router allows connection, and 'on the road' we usually stay at hotels/inns that offer Wi-Fi - not trying to talk you out of not going 'all the way', but keep your potential uses and look at the extra cost - good luck in your choice and please post back your experience(s)!

I agree with giradman on this one. , but even go a step farther. I've got the 16gb model and find that I can easily manage,the space by removing previously watched videos. If your lOoking for a "store and forget" device, you need to maximize your space potential , otherwise, you dont really need that kind of space. I don't mind deleting and updating, so I can use the minimum and save the cash. If you "really"need connectivity on the road, cell plans are nice, but I've found it to be slow and not used that often. If I really need to get connected before I reach the hotel, I simply plug Starbucks,into my gps and connect within about 10 minutes from wherever I am.

Greygoose

 

[Debi F.]

Thank you again everyone for the added input/information. =) I was personally thinking I can get away with the smaller GB because I do intend to go home and move everything to my laptop to either burn or just store on it -- however my reluctance (and additional question for you all) - if I go away for a week rather than a weekend, I have a habit of getting carried away with video/picture taking and am concerned I'll run out of room until I get home to transfer them over.

One question Apple couldn't give me information on is just how much in way of video/pictures/movies can the 16/32/64 really hold? Apple's answer was "it depends on how long the video/movies are" which wasn't very helpful at all, and also why I gave the examples above hoping you guys can better answer the question.

As for the mobility "cellular" option (4G LTE), I thought adding it would increase the eventual resale value than one without it just in case I want to sell it at a later date. Also is there any other "perks" to a 4G LTE vs. a Wifi other than mobility?

Many thanks again!!

ETA: Is the Ipad a sufficient point and shoot camera? I'm starting to hate my Lumix and don't want to buy another one if I'm getting the Ipad that has one.

 

[Gabriel1]

Thank you again everyone for the added input/information. =) I was personally thinking I can get away with the smaller GB because I do intend to go home and move everything to my laptop to either burn or just store on it -- however my reluctance (and additional question for you all) - if I go away for a week rather than a weekend, I have a habit of getting carried away with video/picture taking and am concerned I'll run out of room until I get home to transfer them over.

One question Apple couldn't give me information on is just how much in way of video/pictures/movies can the 16/32/64 really hold? Apple's answer was "it depends on how long the video/movies are" which wasn't very helpful at all, and also why I gave the examples above hoping you guys can better answer the question.

As for the mobility "cellular" option (4G LTE), I thought adding it would increase the eventual resale value than one without it just in case I want to sell it at a later date. Also is there any other "perks" to a 4G LTE vs. a Wifi other than mobility?

Many thanks again!!

ETA: Is the Ipad a sufficient point and shoot camera? I'm starting to hate my Lumix and don't want to buy another one if I'm getting the Ipad that has one.

In terms of getting those images off your iPad and onto another drive whilst away there are a number of options. This thread will give you an idea of what can be done to achieve good memory management http://www.ipadforums.net/network-attached-storage-nas/74006-personal-cloud-storage.html check out in particular post 1 and post 21 along with the suggestions in the thread by others.

The Archangel

 

[akiyamarx7]

if you want to upload a lot of video and pix you should consider seagate goflex. it is a portable hard drive with built in wifi. you don't need to connect it to a laptop to work.

 

[Debi F.]

Does that mean the Ipad with a 16 gb/32 gb, won't hold that many photos/video until I get back home?

 

[Gabriel1]

Does that mean the Ipad with a 16 gb/32 gb, won't hold that many photos/video until I get back home?

That depends on the file size of the photos/videos?

The Archangel

 

[Debi F.]

Ah ok, that's the same thing the guy at Apple said. Not sure how to determine how big a regular everyday photo/video would be esp. since Im not doing anything out of the ordinary...just videos and pics of my kid participating in various activities and at end of vacation time, going through it all and deciding what to keep/trash and then move that over to the laptop.

 

[AQ_OC]

Better to have too much space than too little. Having to constantly shuffle stuff around to use the iPad will be no fun. Even if you never used all your space, it will be there when you need it. You can decide to save several movies on there when you get ready to travel. My 64 GB LTE iPad is telling me I have 1110 photos on there (geez whiz!) and 15.6 GB free.

A high res screen shot on my iPad takes 4MB. That is probably on the large side. The size of jpg really does depend on what is in the image. I just took a camera shot and the 3.2MP image takes 549.5KB. But a 3.1MP image of a screen shot I took from the Guardian takes 1.6MB. So, no one can really tell you how much space you will use for images.

Why not wait an additional month and get the big one or just get the 32 GB model. And remember, if you get teh LTE version you can suspend your cellular service until you get ready to take a vacation or something and the un-suspend it so you can use the cellular. That way, you don't have to have a monthly bill for your iPad if you don't need it. But when you do need it you will have it, and if you are in a LTE service area, it will be nice. But even 3G is nice next to nothing.

 

[cellur111]

64 gb because videos and movies tend to take up a lot of space..and just in case you download apps seeing that there are apps for kids