To iPad or not

Since I'm in the market for a tablet computer I've been reading articles on the various options.  As an avid and satisfied iPhone user my first choice is to go for an iPad.  At the same time as the father of a growing infant that will (I'm sure) eventually want to go to college my thoughts have started turning towards saving some money.  Normally I would be the last person to even consider anything except the iPad but of late I've also been looking at some of the other options.

A frequent complaint that people voice about the Android market is the level of fragmentation.  I had the same problem when I started delving into the world of Android tablets.  It's just too dang confusing!  I got lost in the sea of combinations, different version of the operating systems, different manufacturers and numerous options within each! 

I've narrowed down the competition to the Kindle Fire and the iPad.  Both these choices are being driven by being a satisfied consumer.  The majority of my "e-time" is spent between the iPhone and my Kindle e-ink reader and while they both have two distinct functions, I'm extremely satisfied with both.

There are a number of in-depth reviews avaiable online.  I love the responsiveness and the display quality of the iPhone.  I also love the stuff that just works... mainly web pages.  There is a marked difference between how web pages look on the iPhone versus my Samsung android phone.  It comes down to whether or not I'm willing to risk the quality of the user experience for saving some money.  The small annoying things like a laggy interface and non-responsive screen can make the difference between the tablet being a daily usage device or a display piece.   

So I guess this is as far as I've gotten. I'm leaning towards the iPad but eventually the cost concious side of me may prevail and I'll end up with the Kindle Fire.  Needless to say if the sensible wife prevails then I'll end up with neither!