LOL. I think I can see my butt on the right, there.
When did you take this picture?!
This again feels like evolution, not revolution.
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EDIT: People have asked repeatedly how it could be improved.
Whilst I agree that it is essentially a flat screen computer with a bezel - therefore how can you improve it - I can think of a few off the top of my head, but I'd love to know what would be on everybody's wishlist:
Storage - they used to swap out the bottom storage option, bump it up at the same price. Why is 128gb extra? Surely 32/64/128 should have been brought in at the same price points.
Speakers - the speakers are decent, but even the Amazon Fire has vastly superior sound. It would be tough, but innovate. Simple things like watching the iPad in landscape (i.e. all the time) mean the speakers are facing one direction.
Battery life - there needs to be a genuine innovation with battery life, that's a criticism levelled at pretty much everyone, not just Apple. However it comes - solar, kinetic, a flippin fuel cell! - it needs to happen. This would be revolutionary.
Split screen/Multitasking - yes, this is venturing into iOS turf. But it is a bit ridiculous that we can't respond to a tweet/iMessage whilst watching a film. But yep, I recognise that is an iOS issue.
Storage (Part 2) - why no external storage options?
Bulletproofing - Make it dust & waterproof (a la Sony Experia Z). This is actually really huge, as so many people use it in the kitchen daily (I come home to mine having flour all over it). Imagine reading in the bath without fear!
Processor/RAM - I actually don't think this is much of an issue. It's pretty great.
Screen - Looks like it will be a revolution in terms of thinness, for sure. How about density/durability?
Price - The iPad is going to face increasing competition, not just technologically, but price wise. They won't drop the price, but if they did, the iPad would rule like the iPod does (i.e for the next decade). Apple has the market share right now, but needs to learn from the iPhone debacle it is currently facing.
The point is also that if I'm completely wrong and it really is ridiculously difficult to conceive ways to revolutionise the iPad, then how can they justify only incremental updates with such a continually high/increasing price?
Google and Amazon are now providing rival tablets for far less (and then imagine 2 years from now). If they can do what the iPad does and more - the Mini was a purely reactive move by Apple - then Apple needs to justify the high price.
Thoughts?
I say it every year.. Where are your thumbs gonna go?
More smudges looks like.
There is no reason for the iPad to have that thick of a border. The design itself screems obsolete. I may consider one when the new design comes out. When you compare an iPad Mini to a 4 or earlier, the mini looks futuristic in its design and the other ones look ancient because of the disgusting bezel.
I hope the iPad 5 offers something different because if the mini gets Retina then there will nothing that differentiates the iPad 5 except heavier and faster.
OK, fair enough. What would you want to see in a new iPad to call it revolutionary?
A totally new display shape or resolution? (Taller? Wider?)
Even higher resolution?
Even better battery life?
Maybe a folding display (like Courier)?
Full OS X tablet to compete with Windows 8?
I can't really think of anything else Apple could do to an iPad that would be very exciting at this point.
Nicely done and sorry I'm late to this.Speakers - the speakers are decent, but even the Amazon Fire has vastly superior sound. It would be tough, but innovate. Simple things like watching the iPad in landscape (i.e. all the time) mean the speakers are facing one direction.
Battery life - there needs to be a genuine innovation with battery life, that's a criticism levelled at pretty much everyone, not just Apple. However it comes - solar, kinetic, a flippin fuel cell! - it needs to happen. This would be revolutionary.
ummmm so the iPad 5 is now just a larger iPad mini..