iPad Buyer’s Remorse Is Your Fault


Feeling bitter because you purchased a shiny “new” iPad back in March and there’s a refreshed model due at the beginning of November? You have no-one to blame but yourself.

Picture by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images/Getty Images

Simply put, there are two clear reasons why you might have purchased a third-generation iPad earlier in the year and now feel regret because the upcoming fourth-generation model offers a few new features, such as the better A6 processor and improved connectivity (including LTE network support):

  • Because you are a technology addict who insists on buying every new piece of Apple hardware as it is released. This is not rational behaviour. Apple is undoubtedly happy to take your money, but you can’t hold it responsible for your decision to keep handing it over.
  • Because you didn’t do your research when you purchased your current iPad to establish if it was suitable for your needs. Again, this comes down to you making a bad decision.

The same applies if you purchased an iPad but are now thinking “wow, that smaller form factor on the iPad Mini would be much more useful for me”. I’m a fan of smaller tablets myself, and for that reason I’ve never owned an iPad. It’s just too large for my needs. As such, I can easily imagine that it might be more useful to have the smaller form factor, but I can’t come up with a rational reason why a single individual would need to own both. (If you have one, please share it in the comments.)

Before someone accuses me of being an Apple fanboy/hater, let’s remember that identical logic applies if you purchased Google’s Android-based Nexus 7 back in July and are now champing at the bit for the new models we’re expecting to see next week. Technology evolves rapidly. You have to accept that a new model will almost certainly come along during the functional lifespan of your current product. You also need to recognise that this doesn’t obviate the usefulness of your existing purchase, provided you made that original purchase for sensible reasons.

Tablets are cheaper and more useful than ever, but they shouldn’t be considered as a casual purchase. Nor should you routinely succumb to the compulsion to buy something new simply because it is new. That’s not good for your budget, and it’s not good for the planet either.


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