4th Generation iPad Reviews: Faster, Better Camera, Lightning Port

[mattopotamus]

Originally Posted by juannacho

Interesting... Do Apple carry NOS hardware in stores for replacements?

Just imagining a scenario where a third Gen iPad gets brought in, with a 'replacement requiring' fault still under warranty once they no longer carry that model?

Or will they have 3rd Gen spares for the next 12 months in case that happens?

I'm sure they have 3rd gen refurbs that they would give as a replacement. If those were no longer in stock, you would probably luck out and get a 4th gen.

[Steve121178]

Originally Posted by Cockney Rebel

... it's not a sweet deal for all of us iPad 3 owners who are having this sh** rubbed in our face!

A refresh so soon is an insult to us lot

I don't understand, your iPad 3 is no less usable than it was a month ago. For those of us who don't own an iPad, the iPad 4 or whatever you want to call it is a tempting purchase...

[jdiamond]

Originally Posted by notjustjay

Lovely. My "new iPad" lasted all of 7 months. Is that the shortest product life cycle ever for an Apple product?

It's roughly the same as for the original iPhone, and in that case, the iPhone 2 was better and cost 1/3rd the price.

[the8thark]

I see one issue.
In a shop if you see a "new iPad" advert, are you getting 3rd or 4th Gen? Actually it's not obvious. The ads don't say. The pros will look probably know but the every day people could end up paying full for a 3rd gen from a store before they all go 4th gen.

[Thunderbird]

Just waiting for iPad 7, until the technology matures a little

[Hakone]

Originally Posted by Cockney Rebel

... it's not a sweet deal for all of us iPad 3 owners who are having this sh** rubbed in our face!

A refresh so soon is an insult to us lot

Don't worry, it's the cycle of electronics. Updates move so fast especially when the competition is offering more affordable options which in turn pushes Apple to refresh faster.

I mean when you got your iPad 3 (Le New iPad) i'm sure there was a part of you that was laughing at those who bought the iPad 2.

And the cycle continues...

[magbarn]

Many reviews, but not a single one has bothered to check if this iPad charges any faster than the 3!

[bedifferent]

Originally Posted by notjustjay

Lovely. My "new iPad" lasted all of 7 months. Is that the shortest product life cycle ever for an Apple product?

Unfortunately, we're looking at iDevices getting more attention than desktops. At least the iPad is getting love, the "Mac Pro" will be three years old come its supposed "refresh" next year.

Hope the elimination of Forstall's iOS obsession in everything Apple brings more "Mac" to Apple, Inc. From what my few former colleagues in Cupertino indicate, Cook and Ive want to focus more on OS X and Mac's (desktops and power systems) now that the iOS eco-system is well grounded and Forstall's tenure is gone.

[mp0890]

Originally Posted by notjustjay

Lovely. My "new iPad" lasted all of 7 months. Is that the shortest product life cycle ever for an Apple product?

(Of course, it still works fine, and I will continue to use it. It's just never a nice feeling knowing your product got superseded by the new model -- twice as fast even -- while yours isn't even out of warranty yet. Oh well...)

There were 4 "MacBooks" in 18 months between 2007-08

[doobybiggs]

glad to see the 4th gen is kick ass in all the reviews ... especially geekbench and battery life!

Cant wait to get get mine, just hope my apple store is not out of them when I get there this weekend!

[DarwinOSX]

Considering how much I use my 3rd Gen iPad and my available disposable income this upgrade is a no brainier.
The processor is twice as fast, that alone is a reason to upgrade for me.
The screen is better.
Wi-fi is better
Cooler less power using LTE chip
Same cable(s) as my iPhone 5.

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Originally Posted by magbarn

Many reviews, but not a single one has bothered to check if this iPad charges any faster than the 3!

If it has the new 12 watt power adapter it should but I don't know by how much. I always charge mine overnight anyway.

[kirk26]

Originally Posted by Cockney Rebel

... it's not a sweet deal for all of us iPad 3 owners who are having this sh** rubbed in our face!

A refresh so soon is an insult to us lot

At least your not a Samsung phone owner where the turn around is every 3 months.

[croooow]

I may be late to this party:

Does the full size iPad let you stick 6 apps on the dock? I just noticed the iPad mini has 6 on its dock. Reminds me of when I used to jailbreak my old iPhone and had those mods that let you squeeze in the apps.

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Originally Posted by Cockney Rebel

... it's not a sweet deal for all of us iPad 3 owners who are having this sh** rubbed in our face!

A refresh so soon is an insult to us lot

It really shouldn't be called iPad 4 or 4th Generation. More like 3.5. Not much of an update. The iPad 3 is still a great device. Virtually everyone who will see one will not be able to tell if it is 3rd or "4th" generation.

[ggibson913]

Nothing to deal with. I bought my iPad three as a replacement for the original iPad. I happy with the purchase and am still happy with the purchase. If you want to retain resale value, buy antiques not iPads.

[Spanky Deluxe]

Has anyone tested the charge time of the iPad 4? I've been hoping that the lightning connector has allowed Apple to supply a charger that can deliver more than 12W of power. It's embarrasing how long it takes an iPad 3 to charge! It has a battery 1.25x that of the MacBook Air and a charger 0.25x the MBA - ridiculous! I seriously hope they've addressed this in the iPad 4!

[chukronos]

iPad 3 owners shouldn't be too upset. In everyday use, it isn't that much faster.

I thought it was interesting that the 3rd gen was actually faster than the 4th gen in short videos (less than 5 min):

from slashgear:

In terms of raw speed, the iPad 4th-gen crunched through a 1 minute 720p video in 48.1 seconds and a 1 minute 1080p video in 51.3 seconds. In contrast, the iPad 3rd-gen managed a 1 minute 720p video in 45.0 seconds and a 1 minute 1080p video in 48.2 seconds.

[prospervic]

Originally Posted by KylePowers

I upgraded from the 2 to the 3, but definitely won't be going from the 3 to the 4. Glad to see some improvements, however.

Can't wait to see the 5th generation though! Wouldn't be surprised if it followed the iPad Mini - narrower sides, anodized backside, thinner, lighter. Would be nice!

Totally with you on this. Going from iPad 2 to iPad 3 was a MUCH larger jump than from 3 to 4 (notice how, unlike the last two upgrades, Apple did NOT introduce any new, performance-pushing iPad apps). When the 5th generation comes out, with it's likely slimmer size, narrower bezel and lighter weight (as well as faster performance), I'll be SO glad I held out. Meantime, I'm enjoying my beautiful Retina iPad 3. I'm not much of a gamer, so it's fast enough for me, and I can still use all of my existing 30-pin devices and cables.

[cloneofsnake]

Originally Posted by mattopotamus

I'm sure they have 3rd gen refurbs that they would give as a replacement. If those were no longer in stock, you would probably luck out and get a 4th gen.

"OK, let's just hope our iPad3s get blowed up, real soon."

[prospervic]

Originally Posted by notjustjay

Heh. I'm dealing with it. Not a big deal, however, if I had known that the iPad 3 would be replaced by the iPad 4 in just 7 months (and not by an incremental update, but by a processor that's twice as fast!), I would have waited.

Which is precisely why Apple did not tell us!

[JHankwitz]

Originally Posted by akm3

The only thing I want to know: does it still get "hot" in your hands like the 3rd gen does? First gen always pleasantly cool to the touch.

Have you ever held a laptop in your hands? My iPad 3 barely gets warm let alone hot, while my Dell laptop leaves a burnmark on my wooden desk. I'll bet you complaing that there's flair when you take a picture of the sun with your iPad too.

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Originally Posted by Spanky Deluxe

Has anyone tested the charge time of the iPad 4? I've been hoping that the lightning connector has allowed Apple to supply a charger that can deliver more than 12W of power. It's embarrasing how long it takes an iPad 3 to charge! It has a battery 1.25x that of the MacBook Air and a charger 0.25x the MBA - ridiculous! I seriously hope they've addressed this in the iPad 4!

I think charge time has more to do with the battery than the cable. You can only dump electrons so fast into a batch of chemicals without causing excessive overheating. Apple has strict restrictions on 3rd party charger suppliers limiting charge rates. Apple certainly doesn't need to have people reporting their iPads catching on fire because some lamo decided to do an unauthorized quick-charge.

[mattopotamus]

Originally Posted by cloneofsnake

"OK, let's just hope our iPad3s get blowed up, real soon."

"just out of curiosity do you guys have any refurb ipad 3's?"

"nope, we are all sold out and are not getting anymore"

the next day...

"You will never believe this!!! My ipad blew up today"

[Gnomepatrol]

Originally Posted by joelvega125

I've said that since the keynote....The only reason I sold mine was for the mini...Small, portable, and I know ill use it much more..

I do agree that the form factor of the mini make for a compelling move for those in the Apple ecosystem.

[chrisbru]

Originally Posted by notjustjay

Lovely. My "new iPad" lasted all of 7 months. Is that the shortest product life cycle ever for an Apple product?

(Of course, it still works fine, and I will continue to use it. It's just never a nice feeling knowing your product got superseded by the new model -- twice as fast even -- while yours isn't even out of warranty yet. Oh well...)

Happens to MacBooks all the time.

[notjustjay]

Originally Posted by prospervic

Which is precisely why Apple did not tell us!

Well, of course.

In the end I just think it's a little annoying (you don't have to look around on the forum to find people who are furious though, as always).

The real question now is whether I keep my "3" or sell it to get the new mini...

[chrisbru]

Originally Posted by croooow

It really shouldn't be called iPad 4 or 4th Generation. More like 3.5. Not much of an update. The iPad 3 is still a great device. Virtually everyone who will see one will not be able to tell if it is 3rd or "4th" generation.

Unless, you know, you look at the dock/lightning port...