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Is it dumb to get a 64 GB iPad Air when for just $100 more you can get 128 GB?

I will be selling an odd-lot of iPads, both bought and received, and upgrading to an iPad Air I think. My current iPad is an iPad 2, 32 GB and I would like Siri and the retina display and the lighter weight.


The thing is, even with all the music, photos and apps I use I am only using a little over 1/2 the storage of my iPad 2.


I'm thinking 64 GB "to be safe" will be more than enough.


But what is $100 in the scheme of things? Dinner out with some friends here in Tokyo? In that case I might as well get the 128 GB model. But I know I'll never use anywhere near that capacity. I always over-buy capacity.


On the other hand, maybe the iPad Air is so light and convenient I'll use it more, and so might as well get the highest capacity available. Plus when it comes time to resell, it might have more value.


Complicating this is the way these are sold here in Japan. If you get a cellular model with a shared data plan with your smartphone, you don't put any cash down and they just divide the cost of the device, with zero interest, into 24 small payments on your phone bill. So the difference of $100 over 24 months is just $4.16/month - a little over 400 yen.


On the other hand, $4 here and $4 there... I could use that money for the super-duper AppleCare warranty which covers everything, including if the device is lost or stolen.


One other note: The 64 GB model is currently widely available, but the 128 GB model seems to be on back-order. Does anybody know if that's because it has proven to be the most popular model?


And a final note: It seems a bit crazy to spend almost as much on a tablet as I would on a real computer. In that case, why not go for the 32 GB model?


Thoughts welcome. I'm just thinking out loud.


Thanks,


Doug

iMac, Mac OS 9.0.x, iMac (21.5-inch Late 2009, 12 GB)

Posted on Dec 25, 2013 4:06 PM

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20 replies

Dec 25, 2013 5:15 PM in response to tonefox

tonefox wrote:


Get the biggest that you think is affordable. Just do it. Nobody here can advise you re earnings / savings / requirements / wants....


But it's still interesting to talk about, which is what the forums are for. And people might have some interesting technical points to make about why, for example, the retina display iPad Air might actually use more space for screenshots or photos / videos because it has a higher resolution camera, or other things I may not be taking into account.


So input is welcome. Especially experiences and technical information.


Thanks,


doug

Dec 25, 2013 5:40 PM in response to bobseufert

bobseufert wrote:


Aloha Doug, if you buy the 128GB and don't use all the space it's no big deal. If you buy the 64GB and find out you need 70GB there's nothing you can do about it. Something is telling me you have that 128GB on order already. Have a Merry Christmas. Bob.


Hah. No, nothing on order yet. I was sort of considering wandering over to the local AU (my carrier) shop though. They only have 64 GB ones in stock though, so I would have to actually make an order.


I was also sort of wondering whether it's worth getting the cellular one or not. If I did, I would get a sharing plan with my iPhone, which would only add $13/month to my bill. That would give 9 GB/month of shared data before a speed slowdown, and I never use nearly that much cellular data.


On the other hand, my iPhone 5 has free tethering.


On the third hand, if I got the cellular one I could more easily use it if I make a trip to the U.S. since there are so many no-committment iPad data contracts. It would be easy for travel.


I also like the fact that unlike my iPad 2, which only works on certain carriers, the new iPad Air is designed so that one model will work on all carriers. That is a nice improvement.


Decisions, decisions.

Dec 25, 2013 6:26 PM in response to Doug Lerner2

I originally purchased the 128 GB and actually returned it and downgraded to the 64GB model because of one reason, and one reason only. iTunes Match. It eliminated the need to sync a bunch of songs to my iPad Air because it was always in the cloud and I could download whatever playlist or set of songs I wanted on a whim, anytime. It eliminated the need for the seperate storage. This is only my personal experience. Without iTunes match service, I would have opted for the highest capacity model and stuck with it.



Another consideration to take into account is that any dedicated storage unit should always have atleast 15% of its capacity free. This is generally spoke of in reference to Macs, but the same principle holds for iOS devices. Moreover, the more free space one has, the quicker the flash storage will function, always. This may be contradictory to my first point, but it is another factor to take into consideration when saying, "hmm, I could never actually use this" - because the reality is unused storage is actually beneficial to the overall performance.

Dec 25, 2013 6:29 PM in response to nbar

nbar wrote:


I originally purchased the 128 GB and actually returned it and downgraded to the 64GB model because of one reason, and one reason only. iTunes Match. It eliminated the need to sync a bunch of songs to my iPad Air because it was always in the cloud and I could download whatever playlist or set of songs I wanted on a whim, anytime. It eliminated the need for the seperate storage. This is only my personal experience. Without iTunes match service, I would have opted for the highest capacity model and stuck with it.


An interesting point. I had investigated iTunes Match after I got a Nexus 7 because I wanted to use the very nice Google Music Player which automatically syncs iTunes playlists, but only non-DRM songs. I had some of those. But it turned out there were enough of them no longer available in iTunes to not make Match worthwhile, but not so many that they were hard to turn into non-DRM versions by burning onto CDs and reloading into iTunes. So I never got Match.


My whole collection isn't that large anyway. Less than 1,500 titles.


Downgrading in Japan is not really an option I don't think. Maybe there is something you can do, but the restocking fee would cost almost as much as the difference in price! 🙂


doug

Dec 25, 2013 6:40 PM in response to Doug Lerner2

16GB vs 32GB vs 64GB: Which new iPad storage capacity should you get?

http://www.imore.com/2012/03/08/16gb-32gb-64gb-ipad-capacity/


How much content will fit on my iPod or iPhone?

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1867


How Much iPad Memory Do You Need?

http://ipad.about.com/od/iPad-Tutorials/a/How-Much-iPad-Memory-Do-You-Need.htm


 Cheers, Tom 😉

Dec 30, 2013 12:58 AM in response to Test123Test

That's right. I had until Sunday to return my 32GB iPad Mini and I returned it Saturday and exchanged it for the 128GB Retina Mini. There was no restocking fee.


I had to get the 128GB because it was the only way that I could stop wondering whether I should exchange the 32GB for a bigger capacity. Regretting not getting the capacity that will allow you to do more with what you want to do is a bad thing.


I didn't actually pay the $900. I sold my $99 16GB 4S for $300 and was still on 6.1.3. Sold my 32GB Mini for $325. My work bonus for the holidays covered the rest.


I am thouroughly enjoying my Retina Mini! If anyone reading this is thinking about getting the 128GB Air/Mini, do so or do so within the 14 day exchange/return period. The Apple store is more than happy to do an exchange during that time and it only takes a few minutes to do so in store.


🙂

Is it dumb to get a 64 GB iPad Air when for just $100 more you can get 128 GB?

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