iPad 2 vs. New iPad: Which Should I Buy?

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I've never owned a tablet of any kind before. All I have is an iPod Touch 4g which I love but my needs require something bigger. I am looking into buying an iPad for the very first time but am confused about which I should get.

I went to Amazon's website and found an iPad 2 64gb for less than the iPad 3 32 gb. If I were to buy brand new, I could only afford the 32gb wifi only as I would like to buy some accessories such as a keyboard.

The benefit to buying the iPad 2 is that I get a 64gb but the downside is that it will be out of date sooner. I am worried that new apps will be made that the iPad 2 can't handle but the new iPad can.

The kind of stuff I want to do on an iPad are web browsing, watching videos on Netflix, HBO Go, etc and playing simulator games such as Trainz, X-Plane, Infinite Flight and F-Sim Space Shuttle.

I am not sure how those games will play on the new iPad as I was doing research for the device and read about games causing the iPad to get hot.

I really need some advice as to which is the better investment long term. Because whichever one I buy will need to last me for 2 to 3 years and I also need to know what is the likelihood that new apps will be made that the older iPad generations cannot support?
 
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I always say, buy the best you can afford at the time. Keep in mind, there are life expectancies with all these devices, and there will come a time when you can no longer upgrade the OS on them, like with the iPad Gen 1 now. Considering the iPad gen 1 is 2 years old, that is pretty short span on upgrades. Now, the iPad Gen 1 will continue to work, just wont be upgraded.

Personally, get the iPad Gen 3, even with it costing $100 more.

I went from the iPad Gen 1 to the Gen 3 last week, got the 32GB Wifi only and love it. I tether it to my iPhone for data and it works seamlessly.
 
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chas_m

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I bought an iPad 1, skipped the 2, and got the new one the day it came out. The screen quality is definitely worth the $100 difference to me, but the iPad 2 is noticeably lighter and thinner. I always get the 32GB option because I only keep a few shows/movies on it at a time so it never fills up.

Either the 2 or the 2012 one are good choices that you will enjoy greatly, but since I view HD stuff on mine, I really wanted a screen that could handle true HD and not downscale it.
 
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I was in a similar position and opted for the new iPad 32gb.

I can't say I find the weight or size difference discernible between the 2 and '3' but the screen quality makes up for any shortcomings IMO.

I know there have been reports of the back getting hot but that's not something I've experienced. Even after protracted session of infinity blade II, Real Racing 2 or Air supremacy the back gets to a temperature I can only describe as vaguely warm.
 

chscag

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One feature of the new iPad 3rd generation that I absolutely love is being able to create a "hot spot" (Verizon 4G). Recently, I had to call out my ISP in home service when my internet went down. (A critter had eaten through the main cable.) It took them several days to respond and re-wire my connection and additionally to install new equipment.

During that time I was able to stay up using my iPad as a WiFi hot spot with LTE speeds. A very convenient feature.
 
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Retina display - it's worth the extra cost and miniscule extra weight - especially if you're going to use it as a reader.
 
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Go for the 2012 iPad.
 

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