The devil is in the details – when geeks make mistakes

I have a Wi-Fi iPad 2, a 2^nd generation model. I like it a lot. So when Apple placed the new iPad (3^rd generation) on sale last week I immediately ordered one, which I call the “new iPad”. It is easy for me to rationalize buying a new one. My wife wants my old one and as a professional geek I “need” to have the latest version of hardware and software so as to best support my clients.

I pride myself on being fastidious when approaching technology, looking at all the parameters (AKA details) before acting. I thought I had done this when I ordered my new iPad. I ordered the base model, 16GB, Wi-Fi black 3^rd generation iPad from Apple last Friday. I don’t need the $139 cellular modem option, so I went with a Wi-Fi only model. It is on its way from China. FedEx will deliver it this Friday.

This morning I decided to clean up the myriad apps on my current iPad so that when I transfer my information to the new iPad I won’t be bringing along the detritus, which built up over the past year. As I was going through and deleting some of the 228 apps, old photos and documents from my iPad 2 I thought to look at the Settings > General > Usage panel to see how much space I would free up.

That’s when the sinking feeling hit. I had forgotten that my iPad 2 is a 32GB model, not 16GB. I had confused my iPhone 4S’ 16GB capacity with the iPad 2. I am using 22GB of iPad 2’s total storage, that is 6GB more than the total capacity of the new iPad coming from China on Friday. Oops, my bad!

I thought, “I’m an adult. I can wait a month for the correct model. But I want a new toy. What’s a geek to do?”

After ruminating on this conundrum for a while, I realized there are several possible courses of action. I can eliminate lots of apps, photos, and other content from my new iPad in order to work with it or I could order a “new, new iPad”, with 32GB capacity and pay $100 more. I will have to wait 3-4 weeks to get my new, new iPad. If I order a new, new iPad, I can keep, sell or return the new iPad (16GB model).

I went to Amazon to see about selling my new iPad. There were four sellers, each asking $849 for my model new iPad. I thought I could offer mine on Amazon for $799, making over $150 after transaction costs, while undercutting the competition.

I always wanted to be an arbitrager. Here is my chance. However, the conditions of being a seller on Amazon is that I have to abide by Amazon’s return and refunds policy. So if the buyer decided that they didn’t want the new iPad, I would be stuck with an opened, “used” new iPad that no longer has a premium resale value. Perhaps I am not ready to be an arbitrageur?

Maybe the thing to do is sell the used iPad 2 and keep the new iPad for my wife and the new, new iPad for me. Amazon will buy my iPad 2 and give me either $337.50 or $375.00 in an Amazon store credit, depending on how they judge the condition of my iPad 2. That seems like a reasonable route. My wife gets a new iPad (3rd generation) and 16GB should be enough capacity for her use.[i]

Or I can return the new iPad to Apple, hold on to the iPad 2, wait for a new, new iPad, and give the iPad 2 to my wife when it arrives. What’s a geek to do?

[i] You may wonder why I don’t consider eBay for selling an iPad. eBay owns PayPal and requires sellers and buyers to use it for all financial transactions. I do not like PayPal. They are an unregulated bank and too cavalier with other people’s money for my taste. Consequently, I won’t buy or sell on eBay.