iPad 2: Black Or White? Wi-Fi Or 3G? How Much Storage? Our Ultimate Shopping Guide
March 11, 2011
We know many of you, enthusiasts and others, will be standing in line for the new iPad come Friday. But, when it's finally your turn you'll have a difficult decision to make. Indeed, the iPad 2 comes in 18 different variations.
To help you decide which one should be yours, we've considered all the aspects and made a simple, three-stage explanation that will bring you to the right decision, one you won't regret.
Black or White?
First, and that's an easy one, you need to pick the color. The iPad 2 comes in both Black, and White at launch. Actually, the only thing that differs between the two variations is the frame that surrounds the screen. Both model have the same brushed aluminium back, weight, and features.
You might think this is just a question of aesthetics, but there is more to it. To put it simply, you should be getting the black one. Or to be more explicit, you shouldn't get the white one.
Why so ? Well, the white iPad looks much nicer as an object, when it's off. For sustained usage however, it has a lot of drawbacks. First of all, it will you give the impression that the screen is dimmer, and has less contrast. The content won't stand out as much. Think about it, as Gruber said on the Talk Show, there is a reason why TVs come generally in Black, and letterbox content with black frames. White will make your movies and games look worse. Then, a white Frame will also reflect more light when you're outside, it will be more visibly dirty and worse of all, white Apple products have a long history of problems, from cracking, to light leaks and so on.
If you absolutely want to play the "difference" card, and think the look of the object is more important than anything else, then white might be for you. The Black iPad however is just as beautiful in your opinion, and a much better choice.
Wi-Fi or 3G?
The next step will be deciding whether you should go for the 3G version or just the Wi-Fi one. This might look like a tough choice, but there are a couple of things to consider that will make your decision simpler.
First of all, Apple is introducing with iOS 4.3 Personal Hotspot, a feature that allows you to share your iPhone's data connection over Wi-Fi, with your iPad for example. That is, if you have an iPhone 4, you'll still be able to simply access the web from your Wi-Fi iPad inside your country anytime. It comes with a cost in certain countries ($20/month in the US), but knowing that most operators allow you to activate the extra tethering on and off, and that the plan carries more data than an iPad monthly plan, it's a really good deal.
So what if you don't have an iPhone? Or can't have the Hotspot feature? In my experience, it's still really hard to justify the 3G iPad. As most iPad owners will tell you, you only use the 3G option a couple times over the lifespan of the device, as activating a month of data for that 2 hour train ride is often not worth it. I myself have used it only 3 times over a year, and I could have well lived without it. There are tons of apps, from the NYTimes to Instapaper that allow you to store text for offline reading, and video streaming is a no-go on 3G anyway. Email you say? If you're a heavy e-mailer, you probably have an iPhone already, or you'll actually be better off offline for a couple hours so you can catch up on old emails.
The only two drawbacks are that the iPad has a larger battery, and if you use it on 3G, it will last longer than your iPhone over Wi-Fi tethering. There is also the GPS, but you will not need it unless you mount your iPad into your car to use it as a navigation device. Also, one interesting aspect of the iPad 3G is that you can somewhat obtain pre-paid data plans for it around the world if you pick the GSM model. Imagine you're going to Spain for two weeks, you could get yourself a pre-paid data plan there and have cheap internet in your beachhouse during that time. You could actually even jailbreak your iPad and share that Internet over Wi-Fi to your entire beach house. This is however complex, and you most likely can live without it.
To put it simply, you should get yourself a Wi-Fi iPad. If you happen to have an iPhone with Personal Hotspot on the side, then don't give this another thought.
The only reason to justify the 3G is if you don't have an iPhone or any other device that can share its data, and you're often out of Wi-Fi coverage and absolutely need to be connected. If you're this kind of person however, you'll know it, otherwise go for the Wi-Fi.
As for Verizon versus AT&T, it depends on the coverage in your area. I'd recommend the GSM version however as you can more easily sell it afterwards and it's compatible all over the world.
Storage
Now that you've most likely settled for a black Wi-fi iPad 2, you'll have to decide how much storage you need. We all have a tendency to overestimate how much storage we really need. For all you know, the 16GB version will store everything you need and more. That is all your apps, documents, podcasts, music and some video. Even if you take the plane across the Atlantic a couple times a year.
Let me do the math for you.
If you have a reasonable amount of music and apps, you'll still be able to squeeze about 10GB of video in DivX on your iPad 16GB, using an app like CinemaXplayer. To give you an idea, an episode of Two and a Half Men weights 180MB. That means that in 10GB, you'll be able to put 55 episodes, or just about two and half seasons. Even if you love Charlie Sheen as much as I do, that's gonna be more than enough for you to go from Las Vegas to Zurich and back a couple times.
That's why so far I'd recommend getting the 16GB. Apple however added a couple of cameras in the new iPad 2. Their resolution is low, so photos shouldn't be a concern. Video however tends to be spacey, so you're going to want to consider that.
Basically, the rule of thumb is that you should go with the 16GB, and maybe 32GB if you're planning to take a lot of video clips.
The only exception is if you have a very large music library, which you absolutely need to carry around. I myself don't put any of my music on the iPad, as it's simply not the place it should be. It's not a music player. As for video, the only advantage for having more memory, is that you won't have to delete old videos when you add new ones. If you just do a little effort every time your pack for a trip however, you'll be fine as 16GB is a lot of content.
Conclusion
If you made it all the way here, you probably already know what to get. If you skipped over however, here are the basic points again:
- Black rather than white, it's a better experience and it won't get dirty
- Wi-Fi rather than 3G, as it's cheaper and you will never use 3G, especially with Personal Hotspot.
- 16GB, unless you plan to take a lot of video (unlikely), you're lazy or a music/photo freak.