Posted on 03/31/2011 7:36:01 PM PDT by harpu
When someone asks me if I've changed my mind yet and now want one of Apple's new iPads, I tell them: "Well, even if I did, I probably wouldn't want to spend $2,000 on one."
They generally looked at me, baffled. "What do you mean, $2,000? I thought they started at $500." But I figure $2,000 is the minimum that Steve Jobs's new toy is going to cost me.
How come?
Simple. If I don't spend that $500, I'll invest it.
Historically, the stock market has produced average long-term returns of maybe 5% a year above inflation. (More on this below.)
At that rate, in 10 years' time my $500 will have grown to about $800. That's in today's dollarsafter inflation. In 15 years it'll be about $1,000, and in 30 years, $2,000.
I figure I'll be retiring in about 30 years, which is when I'm going to need lots of capital. I can have the iPad now, or about $2,000 then.
Thanks, but I'll take the $2,000.
(If I were younger the iPad would cost me even more. If you're 30 or younger and you just bought one, congratulations: It probably cost you about $3,000.)
Yes, I typically do these mental calculations, at least in the back of my mind, for most things. I typically come back from the mall with no bags, gleefully clutching my future millions. (Warren Buffett, as Jason Zweig reminded us over the weekend, takes a similar view.)
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
If you want on or off the Mac Ping List, Freepmail me.
OK, I'll bite.
"Well, aren't you something."
True. The Manhattan Project didn't have computers -- just $1.2 billion worth of brainpower (just at Los Alamos -- the total project was about $21B in 1996 dollars). Apollo didn't need computers -- just tens of thousands of people and about a $170 billion 2005 dollars. Hoover Dam was a bargain at a mere $180 million of today's dollars.
Suddenly an iPod doesn't seem so extravagant.
It’s that many refuse to acknowledge there is any reason to buy an iPad, and actively put down any suggestion it is anything other than a money wasting toy. What, really, was the point of the lead article? Not the value of thrift, that is clear.
Yes, it’s sad.
Building memories has always been at the top of my list in life. If I listed all of my memories, one could easily see why I am not horribly wealthy, yet one could also see that over my lifetime, I certainly have been and in some ways I still am.
My grandpa taught me to save my pennies and squeeze my nickels. He also taught me that you can’t take it with you.
Wealth is sometimes a perception. I can’t do many of the things that Obama can afford to do, but I am far wealthier than he will ever be.
A successful life of dreams, building memories and realizing my dreams... is a balance, not an either/or.
I love my iPad. :>)
Had he used the $500 to buy Apple stock, he could have bought about one and a half shares, he would have done even better.
The truth is, if we all acted as he suggests then sales of everything would be down drastically and his future projections would not be met.
There may be a few, but even the people who would consider it just a toy still like their toys.
Depending on how the iPads capabilities line up with your particular business needs, it might or might not be cost justified.
For some people it will do that nicely. For others, not so much and maybe not at all.
There are probably a lot of cases where given sufficient effort it could be made to line up and work, but it would have to be substantially better than what they have now to be worth the effort and many times it won't be. You might disagree, but it's their time, money, and effort so that's their call to make.
It can still be a very cool toy for people who don't really have a good business case to make for it, but we can't spend all of our money on toys.
IMHO
Your iPad can do that.
Your iPad can do that.
BS!! Loads of it!
A pet peeve of mine is that the manual on driving a manual xmission was wrong. It said to gradually let out the clutch pedal when it started biting. That's not what you actually do; you actually let out the clutch until it starts biting, then pause there while the car gets moving smoothly. After that pause you can gradually let the clutch out the rest of the way.Anyone who tries to continue letting out the clutch when it starts to bite finds himself bucking, probably stalling the engine - and certainly looking like a fool.
</rant>
The animosity towards you results from your repeated invasion of iPad and Apple threads with the same litany dispite repeated refutation by numerous posters that they DO INDEED use the iPad for productive work and as a replacement for their laptops and have provided numerous links to evidence of many business and professional people doing so in enterprise level work yet you repeatedly question and ridicule it and demand MORE proof. In my book, and many others, that makes you a troll.
I drove a Firebird with the proverbial Muncie M22 “rock crusher” tranny. That thing was gas - dump and hang on. I could run through a set of G70-15’s in about two weeks if I wanted.
I work in a small federal agency where almost all our work is law enforcement sensitive. As a result I have to use a special USB key in a windows environment to connect to my work computer.
The nice thing is that I get every functionality, including law enforcement databases on that system without leaving a trace on the external machine. The company that supplies the USB key makes a Mac compatible version, but the feds haven't bought it yet. Maybe someday.
I admit to not being inpressed with gratuitous superlatives and request that terms like “many” and “extensive” be objectively quatified. I’m a bad person.
And, if one charges a $500 IPad on their credit card the cost also may end up being $2,000 over time.
Good theory until the government starts doing it :(
“Boys have toys; men have tools, men have equipment.
Sorry little boy.”
You my friend, desperately need a sense of humor ... I pity you and your childish post, it is sad.
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