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Any reason to keep the iPad 3 without retina?

R

Redjericho

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Sep 16, 2011
815
0
I am not bashing the iPad 3 or anything, i am typing on it right now and it is a wonderful piece of hardware.

I am just wondering if there is any reason to keep it (over the ipad 2) if I have no use for the retina display. I'm not sure if I'm missing something or what, but I just don't see much of a difference, other than pixelation all over the Internet and in non-retina apps due to lack of resolution. And after seeing this https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1369662/ the fact that it isn't even equal to the ipad 2 in terms of graphical ability (Once again, I'm not saying the third gen is bad, I'm just saying it has a lot more to power, which becomes a problem when it's pushed to its limits, and I play a lot of games.)

I thought I might use the camera on occasion, but I really don't, and on the rare occasions I do, the .7MP of the ipad 2 would be sufficient.

As far as voice dictation/future Siri, I have every intention to jailbreak my device. So http://www.redmondpie.com/how-to-get-siri-dictation-on-ipad-2-and-ipad-1/

I'm wifi only, and don't plan on using any Bluetooth 4.0 devices.

It's heavier, thicker, and warmer (<--- not saying it's problematic, just not to my preference.) Takes longer to charge (<-- ditto for that) And most importantly, costs $200 more.

The only thing I will really miss is the 1gb RAM, it makes such a huge difference over my 1st gen iPad.

Are there any significant features I am forgetting? Or any reason I should keep it?

I tried my best to convince you that I am NOT bashing the iPad 3 in any way! After being on these forums for so long though, i'm sure somebody will say "herp the heat isn't a problem derp."
 
If you truly don't appreciate the extra resolution or camera, then there's probably not much reason to pick it over ipad 2 for wifi version especially, no.

Personally, there is no way I could go back to the lower res now, the sharpness different in fonts, and being able to read magazines without zooming in, is just too great an improvement.
 
Red Jericho,

I'm totally with you on this. If my husband hadn't taken my iPad 2, I would have returned iPad 3 and waited for next gen to upgrade. Too many compromises for $900 IMO....:eek:.
 
BIG deciding factor for me was the 4G LTE. Everything else is a bonus.

IMO, most people that have the iPad 3 now and revert back to a 2nd gen, will be sorry that thy did later down the road.......until the 4th gen comes out.
 
The new iPad is a great update to the product. If you own the iPad 2 then the update is going to be minimal to you. wait a year until the 4 generation comes out. But stop making it seem like the new iPad is not a good update to the product.
 
If $200 means that much to you then you might as well return it. Otherwise enjoy it. Either way apple will surely release a new iPad in 6-12 months that will be twice as good as the iPad 3. This is why I only upgrade my devices every 2-3 years.


3rd gen, 4th gen....all meaningless numbers. The iPad 3 is the best iPad there is right now.
 
The problem with non-Retina apps will go away over time, just as it has on the iPhone. Very few active iPhone apps don't have Retina now.
 
Yeah, I couldn't look at an iPad 1 or 2 screen anymore after having my retina display iPad for a couple of months. It was painful enough switching back and forth between iPhone 4's retina display and iPad 2's non-retina display. Also, when I had my iPad 2 and a photo op came up, I didn't bother trying to capture a picture or video. The low quality photos and videos just weren't worth the trouble. With my new iPad, I do it all the time. Say what you will about it looking dorky to take a video or pic with an iPad, I actually appreciate having that huge viewfinder in front of me, and the end result looks excellent compared to my iPad 2 and even my iPhone 4.

As far as the quad core GPU, I can't say any of my high caliber games (Infinity Blade 1 and 2, Real Racing 2, etc.) worked any slower on the iPad 2. But those games were made when the new iPad wasn't out yet. Let's see what happens with upcoming apps, namely games. And I think some of the content creation apps work better on the new iPad, such as GarageBand and iMovie.

It's a worthy upgrade over either of the old models.
 
I started out a month ago with a refurb iPad 2 to save money. Took it back and got the new iPad. (Now I find I need more storage, but that's another story.) For those of us getting older, change in vision often makes the higher resolution a no-brainer.
 
davidinva said:
I started out a month ago with a refurb iPad 2 to save money. Took it back and got the new iPad. (Now I find I need more storage, but that's another story.) For those of us getting older, change in vision often makes the higher resolution a no-brainer.
Click to expand...

Kind of funny you say that--my parents are both 59 and have an iPad 2. When I showed them my iPad 3 and we compared side by side, they could not see the difference. Granted, neither of them had their glasses handy. :)
 
After using the new iPad this long, its hard going back to the old one. Every single time I pick up the old one I say to myself "damn this screen is sucks". In all fairness though, in the beginning I didn't think the retina screen was that much better. But it truly is an amazing screen once you really give it a chance. I think a lot of people share my experience.
 
My iPad 3 is out for a screen repair right now, so I have been using my wife's iPad 2. I have to say that I have noticed a difference. It feels a bit slower, and I can certainly see the difference in resolution. Looking forward to getting the new iPad back. Also, the speed difference in 4G and 3G is very apparent. Funny how 3 months ago, there was no 4G in my area and I was fine with it. Now I'm complaining that I have to use 3G :cool:
 
phpmaven said:
Too many compromises? Name one.
Click to expand...

Ummmm....I think OP addressed most of them?:confused:

Screen is less bright than iPad 2 at most settings - Apple genius confirmed this as a feature so that screen can be turned down to lower minimum brightness level. What this has meant for me is I have to have my brightness set at 75-80% to have a bright screen and tone down the pink tint. Thus I get about 6-7 hours in battery life. (My iPad 3 has a uniform but noticeably pink-tinted screen that I have decided to live with after returning two with uneven screens.)

Charge time is close to double.

It runs pretty warm, especially at 75-80% brightness, which doesn't bother me since I keep my iPad encased but I do wonder how this affects internal hardware over time and how well the 70% larger battery will hold up over time. I bought Apple Care for the first time for iPad 3 for this reason.

Many apps/websites are not optimized for retina. Some websites look worse with retina.

Just so you won't call me an Apple-basher, I will mention that LTE speeds are awesome and the camera is much improved. However, I don't use LTE most of the time and I very rarely use iPad for photos. I take casual shots with my iPhone 4s.

I am a long-time user and fan of Apple products. We buy at least one MBP annually, some years two, to keep our family of 5 in laptops for school and work. I've even persuaded my husband to switch from PC to Mac this summer (when they release new Ivy Bridge machines) for his business computer after proving to him through my experiences that he can run Windows programs easily through Parallels or Bootcamp. We all have iPhones (4 and 4s) and I've had all three generation iPads. Heck, I bought my mom's first iPhone (now she and my dad both have them) and just bought them their first iPad (2) last month as as a gift. So I'm no Apple basher but I do feel that there were compromises made to facilitate retina display on iPad 3 that will probably be solved with next generation iPad. I wasn't aware of these compromises when I preordered on Announcement day and I think they are worthy of consideration, especially when you consider the price difference and iPad 2 models are still available.
 
flyguy206 said:
But stop making it seem like the new iPad is not a good update to the product.
Click to expand...

Sorry guys, but I told you there'd be at least one person!

In terms of downgrading, I guess I haven't really used much besides my ipad with its ultra-resolution. I've got a first gen sitting around here somewhere, let's see if I subconsciously adjusted to the new resolution and didn't notice.
 
If nothing else, you're iPad 3 will be supported later than an iPad 2 will, so an iPad 3 is better future proofed than an iPad 2. Seeing as you play a lot of games, I am curious as to why you would want to return it since the screen alone would make gamers go gaga for it? I know you mentioned your dislikes about it, but honestly I think you should stick with the iPad 3.
 
Redjericho said:
And after seeing this https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1369662/ the fact that it isn't even equal to the ipad 2 in terms of graphical ability
Click to expand...

the iPad 3 is more capable than the iPad 2 in graphical ability - but it can't match those abilities at the full retina resolution. As I understand it, it can do it at a resolution (I forget the figures) that gives it about double the number of pixels that the iPad 2 has - which is what Infinity Blade 2 does. The problem with N.O.V.A 3 is that the developers decided to make it at the full resolution - with four time the number of pixels - and found that meant they had to cut some effects. If they'd gone sigh iPad 2 res or even the Infini Blade 2 res then it would have been fine.
 
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