I've backed myself into a corner this week. For some reason, the New Year did not spur me to make any resolutions; but it did spark an urge to sweep out the old and ring in the new. Which is my way of trying to make my impulsive decision to sell my 16GB iPad 1st gen sound more rational, or at least virtuous. It sold quickly on eBay, and for only slightly less than I paid for it last June (I bought it refurbed from Apple, so it was a good deal).
The moment I packed it in the box to ship to the new owner, however, I realized that maybe I had timed this all wrong. I always intended to upgrade to another iPad, this one with 64GB of storage. In November, Apple was selling 1st-generation refurbs of those for only $399, but at that point, I was content with what I had. But now I'm running out of storage space; hence the urge to upgrade.
But I should have checked the Apple Store before I sold my old one, because those $399 deals are long gone. And even if they come back in stock, Apple has raised the price to $499. And at that point, I may as well buy an iPad 2....
....Except yesterday I stumbled across several articles predicting the iPad 3 might be announced in March. And now I'm paralyzed by indecision. I probably wouldn't buy the iPad 3, but its release should drive down the refurb prices of the 64GB iPad 2s, so the frugal part of me thinks I should wait two months to see what happens. The geek part of me, however, is shrieking, "Two months? Two months! You can't deprive me of an iPad for two whole months." And it's true, now that I'm (temporarily) iPad-less, I do realize just how much I had come to use it.
I found a site online that tracks the price history of Apple refurbs, and looking at what happened last year, there was a huge drop over the course of seven months in the prices: as much as $250 in some cases. That's a lot of money (why, it could buy an Aeronaut or most of a Tri-Star). But on the other hand, I need to factor in the intangible cost of being without an iPad for a long time. So the question I'm pondering is what the balance is: at what point does the value to me of having an iPad in my hot little hands now cancel out any potential savings I might realize if I wait a few months to order a replacement?
I know that's a question that no one else can answer for me, but I'm curious if anyone else is facing a similar decision, and if so, what your thoughts are about it? What are you going to do?
Thanks,
~Nancy
The moment I packed it in the box to ship to the new owner, however, I realized that maybe I had timed this all wrong. I always intended to upgrade to another iPad, this one with 64GB of storage. In November, Apple was selling 1st-generation refurbs of those for only $399, but at that point, I was content with what I had. But now I'm running out of storage space; hence the urge to upgrade.
But I should have checked the Apple Store before I sold my old one, because those $399 deals are long gone. And even if they come back in stock, Apple has raised the price to $499. And at that point, I may as well buy an iPad 2....
....Except yesterday I stumbled across several articles predicting the iPad 3 might be announced in March. And now I'm paralyzed by indecision. I probably wouldn't buy the iPad 3, but its release should drive down the refurb prices of the 64GB iPad 2s, so the frugal part of me thinks I should wait two months to see what happens. The geek part of me, however, is shrieking, "Two months? Two months! You can't deprive me of an iPad for two whole months." And it's true, now that I'm (temporarily) iPad-less, I do realize just how much I had come to use it.
I found a site online that tracks the price history of Apple refurbs, and looking at what happened last year, there was a huge drop over the course of seven months in the prices: as much as $250 in some cases. That's a lot of money (why, it could buy an Aeronaut or most of a Tri-Star). But on the other hand, I need to factor in the intangible cost of being without an iPad for a long time. So the question I'm pondering is what the balance is: at what point does the value to me of having an iPad in my hot little hands now cancel out any potential savings I might realize if I wait a few months to order a replacement?
I know that's a question that no one else can answer for me, but I'm curious if anyone else is facing a similar decision, and if so, what your thoughts are about it? What are you going to do?
Thanks,
~Nancy
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