For awhile now, I’ve had ‘iPad envy’ watching people enjoy their slick, cool iPads. Last week the iPad 2 was announced and I wrote this post about the Pros and Cons of the iPad and why I wasn’t going to get one. There were many comments posted and it felt good to see other people agreed with my conclusion. But alas, the allure of the iPad combined with a good deal proved too strong for me to resist! With the release of the iPad 2 on my birthday, it was just meant to be right? So here’s how I wound up buying an iPad….
A Real Business Use
ZAGGmate case with Keyboard
I knew I could use the iPad for my business for email, calendar, contacts and other apps like Evernote and Dropbox for access to business documents and files. But, that didn’t seem like enough to justify buying one since I work from home and can use my laptop or my iPhone for those things too.
Kathy Coffman, a fellow Sleeter Group member, posted a link to a slide show from PC Magazine of ‘Cool Uses of the iPad‘ for businesses. It mentioned how reporters or news anchors were using iPads for their notes instead of paper. The next day, I realized that I could use the iPad for my speaker’s notes. I present a lot of seminars about QuickBooks and other topics so I really need the laptop for those presentations. However, it would be great to use the iPad for speakers notes! Plus, I can use it to review the presentations and notes on the plane easier than with a laptop since the iPad’s battery lasts much longer than my laptop. Finally, I have identified a unique business use of the iPad that would be very beneficial for me.
No Need for the 3G iPad
I learned that my new iPhone from Verizon can be a Wi-Fi hotspot for up to 5 devices for $20 per month for up to 2GB of data (on a monthly basis — no subscription required). Thus, I don’t need an iPad with 3G. This helps keep the cost of the iPad down since 3G adds $130 to the price. Plus, I wouldn’t need the 3G data plan either. You should analyze what you really need for your situation and don’t buy more than you need.
16 GB is Sufficient
The next question is how much memory is required. A 16gb iPad will hold about 4,000 songs or about 20 hours of video (I’m told that’s about 4 HD movies or 10 regular movies). I don’t have many songs at all and won’t have many movies on it either. Plus with Dropbox and other online file sharing services, I can expand the storage capacity (I currently have 10 GB with Dropbox free). Analyze the needs for your business and this can help you keep the cost down too.
ZAGGmate case with keyboard
Discounted Price
With the release of the iPad 2, Best Buy lowered the price on the original iPad $100. Plus, there was an ‘opened item’ which was reduced another 10% (someone returned one they just bought when they learned about the iPad 2). It was essentially new and unused and had a full guarantee but with $40 off the price. Check out Best Buy quick before they are all sold out and check for opened items too. You might get lucky too!
Allure + Great Deal = iPad for me!
I really don’t need the new features of the iPad 2 nor the higher price. But, now that I have identified a beneficial use for my business, understand which model and features I actually need combined with a price reduction, it was just too good to resist! So, I’m now the proud owner of an iPad, 16GB for only $360! Not bad at all! Also, I purchased the ZAGGmate case with keyboard (in pics above) so I’m all set now!
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Don’t Miss: Pros and Cons of iPad 2 & What about QuickBooks? and