My iPad Dilemma

It’s kind of an “in joke” that I am indecisive when it comes to any kind of purchasing decision. I will often agonise about shopping. And there is a very direct correlation with value of a product and the time taken (as well as the amount of verbal comparison) that needs to be spent before a purchase is made.

You should see me when I’m looking to buy a house or car….the lead time can take years.

Technology can also cause similar thought agony. It seems that having just a little expertise in this area has led to an over-complication of the issues involved with a purchase and I get bogged down with the numerous choices.

Current Situation

And now it is time to upgrade my iPad and I find myself in a similar quandry. Too many choices, all with valid pros and cons.

Let me try to summarise:

I currently have an iPad Air ( the first one….not the iPad Air 2). Although the device has been on sale for over two years, I have had mine for about 18 months. It was bought as an emergency replacement for my iPad mini (version) that was presumed lost. The iPad mini was eventually found, and I ran two iPad for a number of months before gifting the smaller device to the boy.

( Subsequently the mini had a case failure and was smashed on the driveway )

So why do I want to upgrade? Two features that I’m missing….which although not critical…are annoying not to have. These are TouchID and SplitView. Using my current iPad is great, but does require the entry of too many passcodes and passwords. There are a number of apps that I use that support SlideOver, including OmniFocus, Tweetbot and Evernote/Byword. I would certainly benefit for being able to interact with apps at the same time.

Also, I have always seen the regular iPad as being a stay-at-home tablet….the kind of device that get left on the coffee table. The mini, with its paper-back form factor was always the device that traveled.

Which one to get next

To summarise the three main requirements:
  • TouchID - preferably the new faster one, as seen on the iPhone 6s.
  • SplitView - but not too much of a cramped view to prove unusable.
  • Portability - need to fit in my man-bag.
( I would like to put cost in here….but I’m heavily invested in the Apple ecosystem…so I don’t have that luxury….whatever I buy is going to be expensive ).

This kinda means that I will only be considering the latest generation device, of which there are three:

  • iPad mini 4
  • iPad Air 2
  • iPad Pro
And that is where the indecision sets in… All I can hear is my little inner troubled shopper, repeating over and over “too small, too old, too big/expensive”.

Can’t make the decision in isolation

Not only are these perceived failing always on my mind, but if I scratch the surface a little more, I know that I need to consider past decisions made by Apple and play the guessing game that is their future product line. Again, I summarise my inner angst:

Although I have clearly set out my primary requirements….there is another list of requirements that could be counted as “nice to have”. Things like stylus/pencil support or 3DTouch.

And without a clear road map, or even a predictable release schedule ( there are a rumours of a Q1 2016 iPad release ), there is always the potential of buying a quickly out-dated model. That would never do when you absolutely must have the latest and greatest thing.

I’ll let you know what I decide and if I make a purchase.

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Dave’s Downtime @davesdowntime