Last week I sold my iPad 1, after 11 happy months, in anticipation of iPad 2.

I had to choose from a lot more options this year — black or white, 3G or no 3G, AT&T or Verizon? After a lot of agonizing, here is what I settled on: black, 32GB, Wi-Fi + AT&T 3G.

The color decision didn’t take long. White is pretty, even prettier in real life than I thought, but that could be just because it’s new. I think white might be too distracting. As John Gruber writes in his excellent iPad 2 review, “There’s a reason why movies are letterboxed with black bars, not white ones, and why most TVs are framed by black.”

The real decision was whether to pay $130 extra for 3G for connectivity. I sorely regretted buying the Wi-Fi model last year; my iPhone has trained me to be “always on,” and it’s frustrating to find myself “off” in a car, a bus, a train, a coffeehouse without Wi-Fi, or an airport with crappy, expensive Wi-Fi — all the places that using iPad is most delightful. I was fixated on buying the 3G model this time.

Then Apple threw a wrench in my decision-making works. With the iOS 4.3 “Personal Hotspot” feature, you can share the Internet connection of your iPhone 4 with up to five devices (including iPad).

I have an iPhone 3Gs, though. I could upgrade to iPhone 4 for $200 and then tack $20 onto my monthly data plan for AT&T’s $45/month “unlimited” plan. That way I would save the $130 on iPad’s 3G hardware.

Here’s how my math breaks down for the 32 GB model:

Current iPhone + iPad 2 (with 3G)

$0 + $730 = $730 (one-time)
$15-$25 (iPhone data) + $15-$35 (iPad data) = $30-$60/month

____

iPhone 4 + iPad 2 (no 3G)

$200 + $600 = $800 (one-time)
$45 (iPhone data) + $0 (iPad data) = $45/month

For just $70 more upfront, and essentially the same monthly commitment, I could have two shiny, new devices and be always on.

But. The latter plan would make one device dependent on another (where Wi-Fi is unavailable). That creates one more step before “on,” and it depends on iPhone having juice. (My iPhone is pretty much always dead.) Moreover, unlike iPhone, iPad lets you sign up for, change, or cancel service anytime. No commitment. Plus, $130 is a one-time tax that I will have forgotten about when the time comes to upgrade in one, two, three years.

So it came down to a decision between AT&T and Verizon. Because their networks are built differently, you have to choose one upfront. (Eventually, the hardware will be unified.) Since my iPhone service is AT&T (and I intend to keep it), I could get Verizon for iPad to cover me in places the AT&T network is dead. Redundancy is good. Plus, I like Verizon’s data plan pricing better. (MacWorld has a helpful chart.)

But in the end it came down to speed. AT&T’s network is just faster, much faster by some estimates. I need speed. It doesn’t hurt that AT&T is giving away a free month of data on new sign-ups.

On Saturday, my mind made up, I visited the Cambridgeside Galleria, pushing my way through a sea of mall rats, oversexed teenagers, and fat people until I came upon that oasis of minimalism, the Apple Store. In my excitement I missed the gigantic sign declaring that iPad 2 was out of stock. When I informed the sales clerk of my decision to purchase, she seemed almost to take pity. They were out of stock; everyone was out of stock.

When the iPhone came out, Apple cleverly showed the stock levels at retail stores on its website. That’s not the case this time. Apple wants people in their stores, lots and lots of people who wait in long lines and then play with these things. That’s why you couldn’t pre-order iPad, and why Apple’s online store shows a shipping delay of “3-4 weeks.” (Best Buy’s website does tell you if their stores have it in stock, though.)

My next decision was to visit again next week or buy online (and avoid the weird people). I decided to buy online. Here’s why:

• Everyone is sold out — the retail stores, the authorized stores, the AT&T stores — within 50 miles of here. At least I have a place in line.
• I don’t think it will actually take 3 to 4 weeks to get here. I think Apple is saying that to dissuade online shoppers, at least at first.
• Apple offers free engraving for online orders only. I really like this. I chose to have my name chiseled in the aluminum backside.
• The extra shipping time gives me time to change my mind.

What I will buy in person is Apple’s magical new Smart Cover, itself a reason to upgrade to iPad 2. I don’t like the garish polyurethane covers; I want to see the leather ones in person.

It all sounds like too much money and thought for a “gadget,” but it’s not. iPad has become my primary computer. The iPad is equipped for 90 percent of the computing I do on a daily basis: Twitter, chat, e-mail, reading news and blogs, watching video and listening to music, playing casual games. My (aging) laptop is overpowered for these tasks; it’s heavy, and the battery doesn’t last nearly as long.

Apple says my new iPad ships April 4, the week of my birthday. I really hope it gets here sooner.

Update: Apple has pushed back the shipping time to 4-5 weeks. This is how high the demand is.