The iPad 2 has already been deemed one of the best, if not the best, tablet available on the market since its release. From the first generation iPad, the iPad 2 unveiled a brand new design, a more powerful processor, a camera and much more. Now, the newest iPad once again changes the game in the technology world with its big software and hardware improvements. Here is my review:
Overall Feel
The first thing that nearly every person will notice is that the external design of the product has not changed. In fact, the new iPad is only marginally thicker than its predecessor – the iPad 2.
As a result, using the product is very similar to using the iPad 2. I have found there to be very little difference between the feel of an iPad 2 and the feel of a new iPad.
In terms of appearance and ports, the new model retains its 3.5-mm stereo headphone mini-jack, 30-pin dock connector, built in speaker, microphone, and micro-SIM tray on the Wi-Fi + 4G model.
The Retina Display
Let me begin this section by making one bold statement: if the retina display were the only upgrade from the iPad 2, the new iPad would still be worth the price.
The retina display features a resolution of 2048 x 1536 on a 9.7 inch (diagonal) screen. The new iPad has four times as many pixels than the previous generations. Consequently, the pixels per square inch (PPI) doubled from 132 PPI to 264 PPI.
To better illustrate just how many pixels are crammed into the display, consider that the new iPad has one million more pixels than any HDTV on the market. That’s right, that 60-inch HDTV with 1080p has 1 million fewer pixels than the iPad. The retina display is only truly impressive once you actually use the product for an extended amount of time.
Once you use the new retina display, you will find yourself unable to go back. From my own personal experience, after using the new iPad, the only thing I see on the older iPad 2 is pixilation and blur.
Reading on the new iPad is also much easier. No longer do I find my eyes strained from reading on the device for a significant amount of time. Due to the increased PPI, the new iPad’s display looks more like “glowing paper” as Joshua Topolsky observed in his review (here).
Processor, Speed and Performance
The Apple A5X chip, with quad core graphics (GPU) and dual core graphics, powers the new iPad. Even though the new iPad has to process four times as many pixels as the iPad 2, it still delivers the same level of smoothness and “snappiness” that the iPad has been known for.
In terms of speed, most people will not notice a difference in loading times in applications like Safari, notes, mail, and others; however, users will notice large improvements when loading more resource intensive applications like games. I’ve found that impressive games like Real Racing 2 HD loads about 10 seconds faster.
I found that performance difference between the iPad 2 and the new iPad is marginal. Even though the speed has improved, it should be noted that the iPad 2 was already one of the fastest tablets on the market, and putting a more powerful processor in the new iPad would decrease battery life.
As previously noted, the new iPad’s A5X processor makes great strides as a more powerful processor that provides the same great speed and fluidity that the iPad 2 has been known for.
The Cameras
The new iPad features a FaceTime camera with VGA-quality photos and video at up to 30 frames per second and a rear-facing 5-megapixel iSight camera.
The new iSight camera on the rear of the iPad features the same optics present in the iPhone 4S (More info on the optics can be seen here). The new iPad follows suit with pictures that look simply amazing. Of course, the new iPad’s camera isn’t as good as the iPhone 4S’s camera, but it is certainly an improvement on the iPad 2.
Unfortunately, the front-facing camera, used for applications like Skype, failed to receive a needed upgrade.
As much as Apple has improved the cameras on the new iPad, I don’t see many people using the new cameras. It really comes down to the fact that it is somewhat awkward and hardly practical to hold up an iPad to take a picture.
Dictation
Although Apple decided not to include Siri in the iPad (for plausible and pragmatic reasons found here), Apple did include Dictation, a facet of Siri.
The iPad also improved its Dictation application, a speech to text converter that is very quick and accurate. While Dictation is certainly not a “revolutionary” feature, I have found that I use it quite more often than I do with my iPhone 4S.
Battery Life
Even though Apple introduced power-hungry features such as the retina display, the A5X chip and 4G LTE into the new iPad, Apple has maintained the same 10-hour battery life that the iPad is famous for.
Apple has done so through a combination of software tweaks and, more importantly, a larger battery. In fact, the battery in the new iPad is 70 percent larger than its predecessor and holds 42 watt-hours as compared to 25 watt-hours.
A minor downside to the new battery is that the new iPad will take a few hours longer to charge than before. That said, I know that many of us charge our devices overnight, so doing so would be smart with the new iPad.
In my experiences, the battery life has been excellent on the new iPad. In fact, I believe that it is often times better than the previous generation iPad 2. I can easily make it through a school day with over 60% battery after extended usage.
Buying Advice
The new iPad is certainly cool, but should you go out and purchase one? Below I lay out several scenarios potential buyers might face.
What if I have the first generation iPad?
If you happen to have a first generation iPad, then I would, with full heart, recommend that you upgrade to the new iPad. The iPad 2 introduced a plethora of features that the new iPad has improved on. I recommend first generation iPad owners buy the new model.
What if I have the second generation iPad?
If you happen to have a second-generation iPad 2, then I would only recommend that you buy the product if any of the features are truly critical to your life. For example, 4G LTE networking is far more crucial in business settings than it is at Jesuit where we have school-wide Wi-Fi. That said, if you have the extra cash sitting around, then go get the new iPad.
Which model should I choose?
I recommend that users pick up either a 32GB Wi-Fi only flavor. With the introduction of the retina display, applications are going to become increasingly large and 16GB is going to become increasingly small. If you can afford to spend the extra $100, then go with the 32GB.
Conclusion
Even to this day, after the new iPad (3rd generation) has been on the market for approximately a week, the iPad 2, because of its innovation and ease of use, is still rated over dozens of newer Android tablets.
Apple knows very well that it isn’t all about the specs. The new iPad doesn’t have the fastest processor on the market; however, the new iPad will still outperform many tablets because of the way Apple intertwines its software and hardware to work perfectly.
I can honestly say that the new iPad has put itself ahead of the game in the tablet market. Just as Apple put itself ahead in the mobile phone market with the retina display on the iPhone 4, Apple has put itself far ahead of other competitors.
All in all, the new iPad truly is an amazing product that you actually have to use to genuinely understand just how good it really is.
