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wetstuff · Apr 20, 2010, 11:35 AM

I'm going to flip for the 3G ...but am concerned about having either too much/little memory.. I asked Apple ..and the OS takes less than 1GB, so there's plenty left.

Why should one opt for either the 32 or 64GB Pads?

Thanks for the help.

Jim
wetstuff.com

anthology123 · Apr 20, 2010, 02:27 PM

The need for memory is mostly for your need to have media content stored at all times on your iPad. Video content like movies can be over 1GB each to match the resolution of the iPad. Lossless compressed music can also take alot of space. It depends on how you use that kind of content. If you are not keeping large content files, then maybe the smaller memory iPad is enough.

-Q- · Apr 20, 2010, 02:40 PM

If you watch a lot of movies/tv shows or want your whole music library on the iPad, I'd go with the 64. As anthology123 said, most of the memory will be consumed by content and apps.

One thing that has really helped me free up a lot of space is an app called Air Video. Install a small server app on your home machine and you can stream video from your home computer to your iPad anywhere you have an internet connection. So I've been able to keep the video files to a minimum and have a lot of space available for anything needed.

::maroma:: · Apr 20, 2010, 02:42 PM

One good thing is that you can download an app called Air Video, which allows you to stream video content from your home computer to your iPhone or iPad over wifi or 3G. Works great over wifi on my iPad, and reviews seem to suggest that it works great over 3G as well 9for iPhones). Helps keep a lot of big files off of your device. I went for the 32GB iPad, and so far I'm not even close to getting it full.

EDIT: Damn you Q! Beat me to it.

wetstuff · Apr 20, 2010, 02:53 PM

A-Q-M: I think I'll spend the extra $100.. Roaming the forums .. I heard about a wireless device called AirStash that works as a portable drive..

Then I just hit 'About this Mac' ..to find I had 1.5GB and it's packed with a buncha sh/t...?! I'm excited at the 3G prospects. (I still use prepaid phones..) Thanks.

Jim

danbrew · Apr 20, 2010, 06:23 PM

I have the 32 gig wifi version and it's working well for me. The OS, btw, does not appear to be 1 gig - it's 3 - or there is other stuff that takes up the memory. See the following pic:

I have three full length movies on the iPad that I haven't gotten around to watching. Star Trek, Sherlock Holmes, and Serenty (Firefly series). Plus I have 15 episodes of things like the Office, Firefly, and a few others. Plus a bunch of songs and 41 apps. And almost five gigs free.

DmbShn41 · May 2, 2010, 02:19 PM

DanBrew - (Someone correct me if im wrong) When the advertised size of the device storage is 32GB, it is referring to the physical storage space as a whole. Once that storage space is formated for file storage, it is slightly less than that, or in your case, 29GB of 32GB. So take 1GB off that 29, and you have 28GB left for everything else. In this case, your using roughly 23GB. All NAND(Flash?) memory has been like this for sometime now.

Zeeb · May 3, 2010, 11:46 AM

The 64gb works well for me and if a larger size had been available I would have gone with that. The video content on an iPad has to be a better quality than would you have for the iPhone or iPod--and therefore takes up more space. Streaming only works so well--and the network connectivity doesn't always support it so I don't feel like one can't count on it. The Netflix app is great on wifi, but crappy on 3G and of course non-existant in places where 3G is spotty.

I created a iPad quality backup of the copy of "Avatar" that I purchased and it turned out to be over 3Gb. I'm not sure if it needs to be quite that size (I'm still experimenting) but those files will certainly be bigger than those I created for my iPhone. With my music, video and apps I'm already at the halfway point.

The smaller the iPad HD, the more "managing" you are going to have to do in terms of content. However, some people aren't putting much music on the iPad and that helps.

jokell82 · May 3, 2010, 12:08 PM

I have a setting in Handbrake for converting DVDs - it turns out files that are approximately 1gb/hr, which end up looking great on my TV and iPad (and probably a bit overkill for my iPhone, but I only put one or two on there at a time).

Avatar was pretty long if I remember correctly, so 3gb sounds about right.