I'm not wrong -- tablets are still incapable of replacing PCs, but I purchased one anyway. Local Black Friday sales got the best of me, and the end result is the iPad 2 that's laying on my couch right now. Before you start calling me names for buying an older product or "betraying the Android army", let me put it like this -- Apple's tablet was cheaper than a Google Nexus 7.
Price is a very strong incentive in any of my buying decisions. Because of it I couldn't even think about purchasing an iPad, as it normally runs for $550 in my area. But that changed when I read the price tag during the Black Friday sale -- it was roughly $285. Suddenly priorities changed and an older, otherwise overpriced, product made sense. I just had to get it, despite what logic may have tried to dictate at the time.
But let me rewind a day before. I originally planned to buy a Nexus 7 before pulling the trigger on the iPad 2. The Google-branded tablet runs for more than $290 locally, and it's an overall quality product that comes with my operating system of choice -- Android. All the right signs were there and at the time the Nexus 7 was the right choice for me, factoring the price and the bonus modding capabilities as well.
The Attraction of the "Deal"
But as good as the Nexus 7 might be getting an iPad 2 for almost 50 percent off is too good to pass up. Sure, there are a few drawbacks namely iOS 6 -- Apple Maps makes the case on my behalf quite well -- and the walled garden principle towards which most products from the Cupertino, Calif.-based corporation adhere to.
Yet there was something that suddenly put all else in the background -- the opportunity to get an iPad 2 at almost half the price. Like I've mentioned before I don't hold tablets in high regard namely for productivity woes, but the idea of paying considerably less than normal mysteriously lowered my expectations.
I simply wouldn't mind the "walled garden" and flawed iOS 6 anymore, because of the large display, quality hardware, large app selection and great battery life. I was made an offer that I could not refuse, even if it meant that I couldn't fiddle with a gadget anymore, like I could otherwise do if I had Nexus 7.
Older, Flawed and Better?
The main reason for purchasing the iPad 2, pricing aside, is the fact that I would get more for less. Compared to the Nexus 7 it's a bigger tablet with a larger display, the latter of which is more important to me than a small form factor.
A 9.7-inch display means that I can comfortably carry on my daily routine without resorting to my 17-inch laptop. I can watch short movies on YouTube, read books while resting on the couch, play a game to relax or even follow up on articles without touching my trusty HP 8710p. And then there's the app selection.
I'm not an active "social bunny" but I do use various people networks -- Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn and Twitter -- and each looks amazing on the iPad 2's 9.7-inch display, even better if I may say so than on the Nexus 7's 7-inch screen. It does not happen in plenty of cases, but there is a sense that developers pay more attention to iOS rather than Android, point being the Yahoo Messenger app (yes, someone does use it).
Another app that I've grown fond of is Mail. I do get plenty of messages each day, most of which contain large images that can be displayed best for my eyes on a large display. The iPad 2 ticks that box quite well.
The performance is plenty sufficient as well, without any hiccups since I got iPad 2. All the games that I have installed work great, even on 2011 hardware. The whole software and hardware combination offers a fluid experience, which even today, for instance, Android can't rival on my Galaxy Nexus.
The battery life is sort of an awakening call as well. The iPad 2 is amazing in this regard, but in all honesty my smartphone isn't a Motorola Droid Razr Maxx HD to begin with so the comparison is moot. With heavy use today, involving plenty of gaming and videos the tablet still has more than 45 percent battery life left.
I'm sure the Nexus 7 could have ticked some of those boxes just as well, but having used one for a brief period of time I am not going to regret getting the iPad 2 instead. There was no out-of-this-world discount either, so if I want to get rid of it in a few months I'd lose money whereas I could make a profit by selling the iPad 2.
This got me thinking. If I don't like the tablet I could just as well pass it on (at a cost of course) to someone else without any damage to my wallet. I enjoy a safety net, as much as the next pessimist guy, so having the financial go-ahead was a welcomed bonus.
Is Old technology Too Expensive?
Fact is the iPad 2 is two generation shy of Apple's latest tablet, with a price that far from shows it. In tech years my tablet is probably five with the software and hardware combination that it has, yet comes with a price tag that is rather arrogant.
The screen is not as crisp as the iPad 4, the hardware is not as fast and the app selection will be limited sooner than later compared to a newer iteration. All that for $100-$150 (depending on market) less that the newest generation seems a too small of a difference.
Without slashing the price in half I wouldn't have otherwise noticed 2011 technology when 2013 is approaching fast. Why Apple doesn't see the light is another question altogether, and I'm sure if the company wouldn't sell enough products at the advertised price the iPad 2 wouldn't be on the market right now.
Which Would You Get?
Somehow the Nexus 7 lost all of its appeal when an iPad 2 was available at the same price. Sure it's an apples to oranges comparison due to the two different market segments each is targeting, but when placed together side by side the Apple product won.
Faced with the same dilemma of choosing between a Nexus 7 and an iPad 2, both at the same price, which one would you pick?