One could spend one's entire life waiting for "the upgrade." The iPad is now well evolved.
We have
two Gen 1 iPads at home (Dad's 3G and kids' wifi-only), and we like them twice as much as we thought we would. I'm really thinking of selling our non-3G model and getting a Gen 2 pretty soon. The 3G in particular is an incredible device, especially given the GPS and all. I'm no Apple fanboy, though I've been using their technology off and on since 1982.
Real-world example; We were in California looking at real estate. We were driving by a place, and in seconds, had the Zillow profile on it, and prices for all adjacent homes, then having a look at topography on Google Earth, and seeing what all the local, nearby stores, parks, etc. were on Maps. We took a look at nearby restaurant reviews and school ratings. One of the kids had to pee, so we accessed the "Sit or Squat" app to find the nearest public restroom. All this
in seconds. This is seriously a game-changing device.
The new iPhone screen resolution is impressive. But I'm not sure how big a difference it will make on the iPad anyways. How HD must something be?
You could also consider the Motorola Xoom, which has had excellent reviews. But your Apple certificate won't work for that.
Btw, your wife, like mine, is awesome.