I am in the U,S on holiday and I am wondering if its worth getting a IPad or a iPad mini and so for anybody who has one is it worth it , have you got bored with it after a few months ?

I have a iPhone 5 so I assume its the same as that but a bigger screen and without the phone capabilitys.


Thanks for any advice given as I am in two minds still and I have a week to decide if its worth it !!

My wife has an iPad and uses it every day and has done since she got it a few months ago - so a good buy!

Basically, yes, it is a large iPhone 5 so it would probably only be worth getting if you would like the extra screen size.

id never waste money on an apple product

over priced junk

its just a giant phone that cant actually phone anyone

be better off upgrading her mobile phone or getting a cheapo lappy

Aren't comments like this just a little bit reminiscent of the whole "my X360 is better than your PS3!!" arguments of the past? It's all rather sad and immature to make such silly comments about how Apple products are "over-priced junk".

To answer the question - if you can afford one and find yourself often using a laptop/PC for casual web browsing, then yes, you'll definitely find use for one. All the little apps, etc. will also be useful.

An upgraded phone won't get the screen space though and a cheap laptop won't be as portable or as quick

Do you need one? A tablet is mostly for using content so that's browsing the web, social media, movies, ebooks and music for the most part. Most of that you can do on a phone but I have to say that other than music, doing the rest on the phone is crappy for the most part.

I often use an iPad or a smaller tablet rather than a laptop when I only really need to view stuff or perhaps do the odd email.

One thing I would say, if you do decide on a iPad if you want to have something to carry around go for the mini, if it's mostly to be used at home or carried in a bag then the full sized iPad is better.

The iPad is the one Apple product that isn't overpriced. Hell, until the Nexus 7, *every* quality tablet was priced the same as the iPad...


It's not a "giant phone" and it isn't meant for phoning anyone... Dismissing the iPad (and *any* other tablet!) as simply being a "giant phone" is completely missing the point...

I have an iPad 4 and it has replaced my laptop and is my most used computing device, or any device for that matter. Mine is on a cellular plan and I always have it with me. Absolutely love it.

The iPad mini is fantastic and perfect for those who want more portability. It just isn't as powerful as the full size iPad. Battery life on both is industry leading. I get 11.5 hours for my typical use. The mini is at least as good.

As to whether *you* should get one, only you can answer that.

Very few of Apple's products are "overpriced" when consider in detail what you are getting before and after purchase.

Nonsense post from an obvious Apple hater.

No, it is not like a large iPhone 5. A larger screen, for one thing, allows for differently designed and more useful apps.

I have an iPad mini, which I use all the time. I like it for the apps, especially the games. I also like the keyboard. My wife has also got one, which she also loves as it fits into her handbag. It depends what you want a piece of kit for. I don't see it as a phone, it's an iPad mini with a great keyboard for emails and forums. To say it's junk is just plain stupid, you evidently don't have one so how can you comment? A cheap lappy does a different job and would not be small and easily transported like an iPad mini is.

im not an apple hater, well not much, more an itunes hater ,

their products are over complicated, over priced , and lack features even basic mobiles have

ipads are so clumsy to use, yes the screen size is pretty good , but the iphone has better resolution
they dont even have usb slots

they get really hot if using the gpu
the wifi on it is terrible...i practically have to sit next to my router to use the thing
take forever to charge up, possibly longer than charge lasts

only good thing is apps...but the newer ones are take up a lot of hd space , which i cant upgrade if i fill up, or use usb to back stuff up

all in all i regret buying it , and wish i spent the money on upgrading my laptop, its easier to use, can do a million more things

but i must say, my son loves it , he uses it now as i gave up on it

To answer the question, I bought mine last March (a year ago) and have used it pretty much every day since. As a convenient means of consuming internet content it's brilliant, and for other tricks like being a handy camera, portable recording studio, music player etc it's proven its worth. Now that I've got a Sky tv package the Sky apps make it a useful and usable alternate means of watching stuff when the TV is in use for other purposes. The TV Catchup app was handy for the same reason, but Sky have made a better job of it.

I could live without it if it didn't exist but if this one broke I'd buy another one, I expect.

grps3 - there's nothing wring with the wifi. Mine works all over the house and in the garage without issue. Charging is slower but leave it overnight and it's always ready for the following day with a full charge. The rest of your rant is pointless.

No it isn't. I use mine every day and it is worth the money.

To the OP, it depends on what you intend to use it for.

Give us some more details and we can answer your question better.

I did wonder whether I really needed one as I already had a phone and a laptop, but I've used it every day since I've had it, and I'm constantly finding new uses for it.

It's become a useful work tool as well because of various cloud-based systems our team uses.

That said, there are other decent non-iPad tablets out there, but if you want an iPad and you can afford it, go for it. They hold their value well so if you find in a few months it's not for you, you'll likely get the majority of your money back if you flog it!

Don't forget that US sales tax will be added to published prices in shops - and beware of exceeding your duty free allowance for bringing goods into the UK from outside the EU (£390 total according to http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/customs/arriv...ivingnoneu.htm ). You also need to check whether the warranty will be valid, and whether you can get the device repaired or replaced if necessary without having to ship it back to the USA.

It seems too much hassle and risk to me to save a few quid, better to buy it at Tesco and get the Clubcard points

It's just a big phone
I'd be better of with a laptop
Etc etc

I use to think like that, until I got an ipad given as a birthday present and let me tell you I LOVE IT.

I use it everyday (Laptop never gets used) I take it with me wherever I go, just can't get enough of it. The browsing it awesome and the games on a big screen size is just perfection.

You either are or you are not.


Apple's products are the easiest to use products on the market, and well known for it, so I don't know where you get that from.

Apple's products are not overpriced if you are able to see anything beyond a price.

The only obvious feature they lack is SD card slots.


Again, the iPad is known for being easy to use.

The iPhone has better ppi. The iPad 4 has 264 ppi. Beyond that the difference in detail is not so easy to see.


Any computing device that maxes out the GPU is going to generate heat. You say that as if somehow you can't even hold it.


Then I would suggest you either have something wrong with your router or the device. My iPad 4 has excellent wifi sensitivity and speed.


Wrong! I have an iPad 4 and for typical use it lasts for 11.5 hours. A full charge is around 5 hours, and significantly less to 80%.


You should have bought a larger capacity iPad, assuming you own one to begin with. You can back up anything on your iPad,


Your laptop is nowhere near as light, compact, and can not last well over 10 hours of use. Assuming you are being truthful about owning an iPad I'd say your bias against Apple has grossly affected your judgement.

Our iPads are used on a daily basis. they are portable and combined with mifi they hardly ever leave our sides.

For us they are great value for money.

Just the Internet and apps . I don't have a laptop and only have a desk top so it would be nice to have something portable

Thank you - just googling and it says Hawaii does not have a general sales tax ?

Our iPad 1 is great. Very robust and is used daily (mostly by our 7yr old son!). It's taken a battering over the years. It doesn't take long to charge and when fully charged, lasts a long time. The wi-fi is decent enough, too.

From what you describe, there's probably something inherently wrong with your individual set-up, not necessarily with Apple products in general.

PS) Not sure what's wrong with iTunes, either??

PPS) I really don't get your 'overly complicated' comment either. Our son has Down syndrome and he finds navigating around the GUI very easy.

It looks like they call it by a different name, General Excise Tax (GET) and it's currently between 4.166% and 4.712% depending on location within Hawaii.
http://gohawaii.about.com/od/travelt...s-and-fees.htm