If you’ve been reading about the GERD you know the saddest he ever gets is when he walks out of Best Buy without buying anything.  So when the new iPad (aka the iPad 3) went on sale it was a forgone conclusion in GERD-dom that a shiny new Retina Display would adorn his desk in no time flat.  Except that it didn’t – the GERD didn’t buy the new iPad.  Why not?

The day the first iPad came out, I took off from work to be home when the delivery man (actually it was a very nice lady) placed that prized pad in my eager hands.  When the second one came out, I stood in line outside Best Buy for over an hour…blah, blah, blah.  You get where I’m going, I really like the thing.  So when news of the new iPad came out, I eagerly scooped up the details in anticipation of owning one.  That beautiful Retina display, the faster processor, the better camera…

So why didn’t I buy the new iPad?  It was not the money, I could have traded in the iPad 2, taken a second job, or sold most of my blood to get one (I’ve done it before).  It wasn’t the lack of improvements; the retina display is truly groundbreaking in a tablet (or even a laptop).  It wasn’t any one thing I could put my finger on, it was just that the iPad I had was enough for me.  Yes friends, the old GERD, who tries to buy every new thing out there, was satisfied.

So, what am I saying?  If you have never owned an iPad, then by all means get the new iPad – and I envy the experience in store for you.  If you have the original iPad and are looking to upgrade, get the new iPad – you will be blown away by it.  But if you have the iPad 2, think long and hard about an upgrade. As good as the Retina display is, the iPad 2 also has an excellent display.  If you are as happy with your iPad 2 as I am, the need to upgrade is not very great.  This may be a case of Apple making something so good (iPad 2), that following it up is very difficult.  Having said that, however, I will be paying close attention to any rumored specifications of the NEXT iPad!

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