Changing from a yearly to a twice yearly model refresh is a good move, and not just if you're a playboy picking his girlfriends. Ultimately it means MORE refurbished and second hand iPads hitting the market at a discount, which the Apple fans have already paid a premium for. The more second hand units passed down the line, the cheaper they'll be. I can actually see a glut in second hand iPads dropping the price to ridiculously low levels. Perhaps even as low as a comparable Android tablet, new.
The Nexus phones and tablets are Google loss-leaders. They are the most bang for the buck hardware right now. The iTunes app store is by far and away the best walled garden and the iPad hardware and software is melded into a single experience that would make an angel weep at the perfection. You pays yer money and you takes yer choice.
I have an iPad 3 - the iPad 4 miffed me a bit, but not much and only briefly. I have my eye on a Nexus 4 and 10, but I can wait.