Wednesday 7 March 2012

Apple time

Today is the day a lot of people have been waiting for. In a few hours, Apple shall (hopefully) unveil the latest version of the iPad. Every Apple product launch is awaited with bated breath. There are tons of rumours and leaks leading up to the launch. Its like an industry in itself - the rumour machine.

Anyways, this blog is not about the device itself. What I am going to talk about is the product and the cost. The iPad has thus far been priced from $499 ($519 here in Canada). And a ton of people have bought it. For themselves. For their kids. And in some cases even for their significant others.

And this has kind of surprised me. Even if you go for the cheapest iPad, after taxes and basic accessories, it sets you back by at least $600. And then you go ahead and spend more on apps. In my opinion, that's a good chunk of money. Especially for a device that very few people really need.

The iPad is the perfect example of a want. There is very little that you can do on the iPad that you couldn't already do with other devices that you already have (i.e. the laptop or desktop, your smart phone, your DVD player, your game console etc). Yes it does makes stuff more convenient but we don't actually need it.

And then in exactly one year a newer version is released and we want the latest one all over again. Of course Apple products tend to hold their value fairly well in the resale market. iPad 2s were apparently fetching around $375 as of a few days back. So you could sell the one you have for that amount and go ahead and get the latest and greatest.

Cost of ownership - ~ $225 / year

Of course this is for the base level WiFi model. If you splurged for the 3G model you have a data plan to pay for as well so the cost for the year would go up accordingly.

Is $225 a big amount to spend each year? Maybe. Maybe not. 

I have not yet succumbed to the calling. I would sure love to have one. But my frugal brain holds me back. Will it continue to win? I don't know. 

Have you already bought the iPad? Are you planning on buying one? or more? Is it an upgrade? What are you doing with the older one? Please do tell.

No comments:

Post a Comment