??? I-Pod, I-Pad and/or Tablet ???

[Teamless]

Once you start buying apple products you have to keep buying apple products.

true, to a point, I will always buy a PC rather than a MAC, due solely to the cost of the system.
A decent PC will be at least 1/2 if not less the cost of a comparable MAC.

[Teamless]

So, where is the goodest, cheapest, most knowledgeable place to shop for one of these thinghys? (Note that I didn't say Best place.)

By "thinghys", if you mean an IPad2, then you can get them at Best Buy, the Apple Store, and probably other locations.
The good thing is, the price is the same whether you buy it at BB or The Apple Store.

With that in mind, if you don't mind fighting the people, the Apple Store would be my vote, for the reason that once a sales person is with you, you can have him work with you for 1/2 hour or more, if you need all the do's and don'ts, etc, as well as they will go through the set up with you to register an Itunes account, which is free, but it is also necessary to use it.

if you mean a tablet, Best Buy, or comparable store would probably be the right place, but as I have never bought one, there may be other / better places.

[Wes]

agreed! the absolute best place for anyone new to these devices to purchase them is the apple store. they go above and beyond to make sure you are comfortable with your purchase.

[Oldgringo]

agreed! the absolute best place for anyone new to these devices to purchase them is the apple store. they go above and beyond to make sure you are comfortable with your purchase.

The nearest apple Store is about 200 miles away. So much for that idea, thanks anyway.

[Teamless]

The nearest apple Store is about 200 miles away.

then Best Buy will do the deal at the same price

[JustMe]

I ordered my ipad online direct from Apple--had it in less than a week

[Medic218]

A couple guys I work with have Kidle Fires and both said they love 'em.
3rd hand suggestion so take it for what its worth but I just thought I'd throw my .02 in there.

[Dave2]

Once you start buying apple products you have to keep buying apple products.

true, to a point, I will always buy a PC rather than a MAC, due solely to the cost of the system.
A decent PC will be at least 1/2 if not less the cost of a comparable MAC.

Eh, depends. A Dell that's comparable to a Mac Pro usually costs more than the Mac Pro. If you need a monitor anyway, the iMacs aren't priced too high for what you get (the 27" one isn't anyway... I haven't checked the prices on 21.5" panels recently). I do think the Mac Minis are a bit high, though.

Dunno anything about laptop pricing.

They have lots of nice features but I'm sick of the walled garden. Once you start buying apple products you have to keep buying apple products.

That's like saying that once you start buying Android products you have to keep buying Android products... It's only true if you're unwilling or unable to replace the software you use (which is a perfectly reasonable position, but it's not as inevitable as you're making it sound).

[Oldgringo]

Thanks everybody. I reckon I know more than I used to.....

[Kadelic]

If you decide to go with an iPad (which is what I'd recommend after reading through this thread) you might want to look at a certified refurbished iPad2. They are good as new, have the same warranty and are going to be cheaper, especially since the new iPad just came out today. They also have free shipping and free tech support (for 30 days I think.) The main decision is if you want a WI-FI only model or a 3G capable device which requires an AT&T or Verizon sim card. After that you need to consider how much storage space you want; 16, 32, or 64 Gigabytes. Y'all would probably be fine with the 16GB unless you want to take it on trips and have several movies or A LOT of music on it. If you don't need the screen real estate of the iPad there are also refurbished iPod Touches available that can save you some $.

Here's a link to Apple's refurb site: http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/ipad

There are also several online communities like this one for getting help with and learning about whichever device you end up choosing.

[PUCKER]

Thanks everybody. I reckon I know more than I used to.....

Like another poster mentioned - give Best Buy a shot. Bought my wife a MacBook Pro at Best Buy a few weeks ago, they had it cheaper than the Apple Store, by around $30-50 from what I recall.

FWIW: we strictly use Macs, we are magazine publishers, that's the standard, if you will. Been using them since the early 90s, very easy to use, alot less hassle than other systems. I have an iPhone 4S, iPad 2, iMac, wife's MacBook, etc...they really work great/easy. From what you posted, it sounds like an iPad would be the best way to go. Get the one that also has cellular data, you don't have to turn it on, but it's a nice thing to have when you are not near WiFi, it does have a monthly fee for the data plan though. Hope this helps. Oh - I could have bought a laptop for use while I travel, but I prefer the iPad, less hassle, less to deal with and it works great!

[TLE2]

I do not agree that its an either/or situation. i have an iPhone, a PC and will probably buy the new iPad when I can. I would buy Android but a significant portion of Android software is spyware.

Android doesn't have to be so anal as Apple but they at least be able to assure that the apps you buy are free from spyware and other baddies. When they do that, I'll consider an Android device.

[UpTheIrons]

Don't forget, both Target and Wal-Mart carry iDevices like iPad and iPod. If one of those is closer than Best(ish) Buy, you can look there. And again, price will be the same at all locations.

[Oldgringo]

Thanks, everybody. We sprung for an Apple iPad 2 from Best Buy. Boy Howdy! The purchase price is just the beginning .

Oh well, her new toy only cost about what I spent on one CZ 452 and and a case of CCI SV. Mrs Oldgringo has been a pretty good and frugal wife, as well as best friend, for nearly three decades, it was money well spent...she deserves it.