Because the iPad 2.0 has the features it has: DO NOT BUY IT. Yes Apple has a new iPad with new features, but now is not the time to buy. First of all Apple had no competition when it released the first iPad. At this point in time Apple's competition is still not even close. Apple had 84% of the sales of tablets last year. While this number is going down, with the release of the iPad 2.0, the sales will once again favor Apple. As of right now Apple only needs to hold its own. It does not need to make a spectacular iPad 2.0. The iPad upgrade is similar to the MacBook Pro upgrade (mostly an upgrade in processor and nothing really interesting). Apple upgraded the processor and the RAM, and added two cameras. Honestly it is not worth $500 or more to upgrade a system that works fine already. The only other upgrade Apple made is slimming down the iPad and adding an option for another color. There is a very good chance that Apple will release another iPad around September. If they do this think of all of the new features they might be able to include: Retina display screen, another processor and RAM upgrade, SD slot, replacing the home screen button with mulit-gestures, a thunderbolt port (which by that time will have a wide selection of products and will allow the iPad to connect to you TV, monitor, printer, external hard drive, ect.), and even more apps designed specifically for the newer version of the iPad. This makes sense because Apple needs a new iPad now to keep up with the tablet market, but with an even newer version of the iPad in September, they will be able to sell the iPad as a Christmas gift. This sequence makes sense for Apple, however it is horrible for all the people who buy an iPad 2.0 now. So do not buy an iPad 2.0.
If you disagree tell me by making a comment.
2 IPAD RELEASES IN THE SAME YEAR NOT LIKELY APPLE HAS STUCK WITH AN ANNUAL PRODUCT REFRESH IPAD 3 IN SEPTEMBER WOULD KILL NEW IPODS THAT DROP AROUND THAT TIME IF THERE IS ANYTHING IPAD LIKE EXPECT A 7 INCH MODEL AROUND THE HOLIDAYS SINCE MOST OF THE COMPETITION HAS A UNIT IN THAT SIZE APPLE WOULD NOT CANABOLIZE IT'S OTHER PRODUCT LINES AND PISS OFF IT'S CUSTOMERS BY RELEASING A HUGE UPGRADE 5 MONTHS APART BY THEN MOST COMPETITORS WILL HAVE THEIR NEW TABLETS RELEASED LEAVING APPLE ALL ALONE IN THE SPRING TO RELEASE IPAD 3 WITH NO NEW PRODUCTS TO WORRY ABOUT THE REST OF THE INDUSTRY WILL WAIT FOR IPAD 3 SO THEY CAN ONE UP THAT MODEL NOT A APPLE FAN BUT THEY ARE THE MOST COPIED COMPANY IN THE GADGET INDUSTRY! THEY CREATE AND EVERYONE ELSE TRIES TO PRODUCE A SLIGHTLY BETTER COPY OF THE ORIGINAL
ReplyDelete2 iPad releases in the same year actually make sense for Apple. First of all the tablet market and the ipod/iphone market are two different markets. This means that a release of a new iPad in September will not hurt the ipod sales. And Apple's competetors are not waiting for Apple to release a new iPad before making their own version. Xoom is an example of a company not waiting for the iPad 2 to come out before releasing a tablet.
ReplyDeleteHow do you have a tech blog if you have not seen the way Apple releases their products in cycles.
ReplyDelete#notwinning
Apple generally releases their products on a year cycle, you are correct to think that, but Apple does not follow that as a law. Just one example is that Apple released the ipod shuffle 3g just six months after releasing the second generation. That is just one example. Please get your facts right before making a comment telling me that I don't know my facts.
ReplyDeleteI bought one just because you told me not to.
ReplyDeleteTo Kerry
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoy your iPad. I think that it is a good product, just that now is not the best time to buy an iPad.
Are you saying this to existing owners? I know many who waited for the facetime piece before buying it. The thing about gadgets is that people want it now.
ReplyDeleteSD card is a thing of the past. I guarantee you Apple will never put a slot in the iPad. Tablets will likely be "cloud" centric.
@kerry
Where? it's not for sale yet
My guestimate is that there will be another device kinda like the iPad released for Christmas. Perhaps an iPod with a much bigger screen and retina display. I for one am disappointed in the iPad 2 for it's crummy digital camera with resolution available 10+ years ago and without flash, lack of revised iOS notification system, no improvement in resolution - and an all around boring upgrade. I sold my iPad about a month ago for a decent price in anticipation of buying a an iPad 2. Today I re-bought an iPad 1 for $250 less than I sold the other one for and am going to hold out for something better than the iPad 2. I agree. I am waiting.
ReplyDeleteHey Matt! I listed some of the changes and upgrades on my site and linked to sites listing a lot more. There's many changes besides the color. I like the new features, especially the camera. There's not a burning reason to upgrade, but for those getting an iPad for the first time, it's great.
ReplyDeleteI intend to buy the new one and give my old one to my wife, so we'll each have one. After that, I'll probably wait until version 4 before upgrading again.
Besides, it's only a waste of money to those who don't have the money to spend!
The iPad is a cool device, and the camera and HDMI out are nice feature, but I think that later iPads will have key features that this iPad does not have. If you are satisfied with the upgrades that Apple made, then I would say that it is a good buy.
ReplyDeletematt how old are you? are you happy with your life?
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you are saying Matt.
ReplyDeleteI think people can get a more bang for their buck waiting for the next one. That's how i tend to buy my apple products I usually skip a generation. like when i had my Iphone 3g I didn't bother with the 3gs and no have the four I'm glad i waited since i cant afford to buy every single new one. I think the next Ipod touch will have a much larger display which i guess could be seen as a mini Ipad since they run the same Ios
If you already have an ipad at target go return it.(hoefully you are within the 90 days). Buy an Ipad 2 then return it in 2 months then do it again and again. and TRUST ME ull get the next ipad. It is the best to purchase the ipad 2 at target no stocking fees! and u'll get to enjoy your ipad 2 for the next few months..
ReplyDeleteSo, let me make sure I've got this right: Don't buy the iPad2 because the iPad3 will be a better product.
ReplyDeleteWow. What insight.
You can say this about every single tech product. The fact that there are rumors of Apple releasing another iPad within 2011 is the exception to their product cycle, but look at other devices. There are new Galaxy Tabs on the way, Windows is hinting at Windows8 for tablets before Windows7 tablets are even on the market. Android phones typically have a 6-9 month life span...
If you spend your life waiting for the next / better / cheaper model of any tech you'll never buy anything.
If you're in the market for a tablet, look at what's available NOW any buy the one that best suits your needs. I'm sure for a lot of ordinary users, that will be an iPad2.
My point is that we should not buy a product if it does not have the features that we want in it. If you need a table PC right now, then buy the iPad 2, but otherwise it makes more sense to wait a little while for much better features.
ReplyDeleteYou should read your blog your telling people not to buy because Ipad 3 or something better is coming. This is true it will also be true when Ipad 4 is released! Will you blog not buy because the next model will have better or more features, xoom, playbook, streak, and galaxy will all have 2nd and 3rd gen out. People like you said the same thing about Ipad 1 wait for the next one it will be better. If people listen to you they will never buy anything because the next one will be better. In 13 hours when sales go live on apple.com I wont wait
ReplyDeleteI will buy and when the next gen is released I will sell the current model for 85% retail and pay the 15% difference. Apple products do have high resale value. So I'm really renting it for a year at 15% retail.
Gavin hit it. If you wait, tech will pass you by.
ReplyDeletePity, Matt, that you referred to Daring Fireball and didn't fact check.
'How could Apple release a third-generation iPad just six months or so after the second one? Maybe it won’t be an actual next generation model. Maybe it’s more like an iPad 2.5, or iPad 2 Pro' ~ Gruber.
In other words, an addition to a product line.
Things like the Retina display (not gonna happen due to cost and other factors), SD card slot (not in high demand so not gonna happen), and Thunderbolt (based on the PCI Express and DisplayPort architectures that iOS devices don’t use. PCI Express architecture, which would presumably make it difficult to simply stick a Thunderbolt port on an iPad: plus the dock-connector port on iOS devices provides TONS of additional functionality—it’s got 30 connection pins for a reason. It’s far more likely that Apple will eventually sell an optional Thunderbolt-to-dock-connector cable for charging and syncing.
'…Apple needs a new iPad now to keep up with the tablet market'? No. The market is trying to keep up with Apple. You have to remember, it's a race to the bottom and Apple can't go there. You saw what happened to the Mp3 market; that barely exist -apart from Apple; and the nearest thing to the iPod Touch is the Zune… and that's only in N.America. Apple isn't like these 'other' tech companies; every 3 weeks a new product and hope one sticks. They have $60 Billion; shops; cred.
You have spunk. It's your suggestion. Do a bit more research.
We're enlightened enough to know Apple and others' product refresh schedule, but here is how most Americans probably feel:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.hulu.com/watch/217320/saturday-night-live-miley-cyrus?c=2457:2487
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteTrey,
ReplyDeleteLet me clue YOU in. When you post on the interweb, it goes WORLD wide, not just the USA. Link 'YouTube'.
@Brian Ward;
Flash? That old bit of plug-in tech (circa1998)? Come on, Flash is not gonna happen. What's the point of trying to take quality photos with something this LARGE? It's a 'consumer device' for at this moment. 'Lack of revised iOS notification system'? So you want Apple to tell you to upgrade over the cloud and you upgrade over the cloud? Android doesn't even do that -well, except delete trojan apps; but they all do that.
The iPad 2 was made for those that waited or are new so no real big changes were needed; just speed and cameras; not those that want an upgrade. Apple wasn't expecting the first iPad to be a major hit anyway but look what happened?
Did you received your $100 rebate?
70% of the 700,000 iPads sold over the weekend were to first time iPad buyers. Those buyers aren't tech and gadget nerds. The masses are ready to turn the corner when it comes to tech. I think we are all tired the out dated laptops and desktops that windows OS has shoved down our throats that really don't work. The iPad 2 is a great improvement from the first iPad. Even if it is mostly CPU power. Telling people not to buy it is a foolish assumption they don't know by now there will always be something better down the road. Why would you spend the time to even write such an article?
ReplyDeleteAlthough I do agree that it would be a total waste of money to upgrade from an iPad 1 to an iPad 2, I do not agree that buying an iPad 2 as a first tablet would be a waste. Not only is it clearly better than the iPad 1, but it is also clearly one of the best deals available now. I also highly doubt that apple would release another iPad in 6 months. Apple normally has an annual release schedule, and although iPad 2 was released less than a year after the original, it was more than 10 months after, and it would make absolutely no sense to release another in such a short period of time.
ReplyDeleteLook you're wrong, everything new is made to upgrade something old. The iPad 2 has many features tht the original did not have so technically it is an upg. The iPad defined this very industry, there were Window Tablets b4 the iPad but did not make such a demand for the technology until Apple took it and created something fresh and original. In the tech world everything is just slightly better then it's predessor the new features piggy back off the original and so on and so 4th. For exp, in the SMART PHONE era the was a huge demand on tethering, 1st they had infrared, 2nd USB, 3rd Bluetooth and now most phones can become a mobile access point using WiFi. You think that would've been possible without the slight upg? It needed to start somewhere. If the iPad 2 could get up and walk away when you're finished and doubled as a flying UFO then would that make it an upg in your eyes? Apple marketed the iPad via website and word of mouth they didn't spend mad money brainwashing people yet the demand is there and not going anywhere anytime soon. You may think what you want and I'll never stumble onto this blog again so I don't really care what you think but the numbers speak for themselve. We created the demand and the market, not Apple.
ReplyDelete