Do people not realize that this is like going from SDTV to HDTV?

[Kendo]

I see a lot of posts where people don't think the new iPad is a significant upgrade or some posts where they are considering getting a refurbished iPad 2 because it doesn't seem like a big update.

The resolution is doubling! I don't think people really understand what is happening here because on paper the only see a number doubling. This is literally like going from an SDTV to an HDTV. Can you really go back to 480i picture after using an HDTV?

In the same way when the iPad was first introduced and people thought it wasn't a product they would use, it isn't until you see it and use it in person that you will truly be blown away by the display. I expect to be even more blown away than the jump from iPhone 3GS to iPhone 4 just because of the fact that the real estate is so much larger.

 

[MathiasVH]

No it's not. While I do agree that the retina-display will be amazing, you simply cannot compare this to the transition from SDTV to HDTV. Why? Because of the screen size. With big SD-TVs you could talk about a "pixel-deficit". That's not the case with the iPad. Here we're discussing whether or not you can distinguish single pixels.

 

[kdoug]

No it's not. While I do agree that the retina-display will be amazing, you simply cannot compare this to the transition from SDTV to HDTV. Why? Because of the screen size. With big SD-TVs you could talk about a "pixel-deficit". That's not the case with the iPad. Here we're discussing whether or not you can distinguish single pixels.

I think the point the OP was making was this IS a game changer and using an analogy to describe it. I personally agree with him regardless of pixel-density.
BTW: The iPad and iPad 2 have inferior screens compared to my iPhone and that's all that matter.

 

[iMaven]

I see a lot of posts where people don't think the new iPad is a significant upgrade or some posts where they are considering getting a refurbished iPad 2 because it doesn't seem like a big update.

The resolution is doubling! I don't think people really understand what is happening here because on paper the only see a number doubling. This is literally like going from an SDTV to an HDTV. Can you really go back to 480i picture after using an HDTV?

In the same way when the iPad was first introduced and people thought it wasn't a product they would use, it isn't until you see it and use it in person that you will truly be blown away by the display. I expect to be even more blown away than the jump from iPhone 3GS to iPhone 4 just because of the fact that the real estate is so much larger.

I get it, that's why I ordered one!

 

[MacManTexas56]

I see a lot of posts where people don't think the new iPad is a significant upgrade or some posts where they are considering getting a refurbished iPad 2 because it doesn't seem like a big update.

The resolution is doubling! I don't think people really understand what is happening here because on paper the only see a number doubling. This is literally like going from an SDTV to an HDTV. Can you really go back to 480i picture after using an HDTV?

In the same way when the iPad was first introduced and people thought it wasn't a product they would use, it isn't until you see it and use it in person that you will truly be blown away by the display. I expect to be even more blown away than the jump from iPhone 3GS to iPhone 4 just because of the fact that the real estate is so much larger.

sure, for some people it's an awesome upgrade. for others it's not that big of a deal. It's kind of like 720p vs 1080p...you're going to get the guys that will only watch/buy things in 1080p and won't touch 720p at all. The 720p guys don't really care bc it still looks great and hey the price is cheaper. I wouldn't call the ipad 2 SD by any means. It also depends on what you are using it for. There are plenty of people that get caught up in the media hype and have to have a 1080p tv and then don't have a blu ray player to take advantage of the 1080p...but they they have the resolution there if they need it!!!

 

[LostSoul80]

It's very different.
HDTVs have become very cheap on one hand, on the other many are inclined to spend more because a TV grants entertainment, with lots of free content you can share with almost everyone.
The iPad is a tablet, a luxury item and many don't want to spend $500 on it.

Also, even 720p is well enough for a HDTV. Why? Because you don't watch movies standing from 10 inches away.

 

[Stealthipad]

I use my iPad for Internet and some email, I can't WAIT to see the new screen. It will be awesome! Well worth the upgrade

 

[eclipseblur954]

sure, for some people it's an awesome upgrade. for others it's not that big of a deal. It's kind of like 720p vs 1080p...you're going to get the guys that will only watch/buy things in 1080p and won't touch 720p at all. The 720p guys don't really care bc it still looks great and hey the price is cheaper. I wouldn't call the ipad 2 SD by any means. It also depends on what you are using it for. There are plenty of people that get caught up in the media hype and have to have a 1080p tv and then don't have a blu ray player to take advantage of the 1080p...but they they have the resolution there if they need it!!!

i'm sorry but comparing 720p to 1080p isn't quite fair, its more like 480p to 1080p. There will be TWICE as many pixels in the new iPad, not 1/3 more.

Its better to compare an iPhone 3gs to an iPhone 4s, and while comparing the two the 3gs is an obviously SD display compared to the higher resolution in the 4s.

----------

It's very different.
HDTVs have become very cheap on one hand, on the other many are inclined to spend more because a TV grants entertainment, with lots of free content you can share with almost everyone.
The iPad is a tablet, a luxury item and many don't want to spend $500 on it.

Also, even 720p is well enough for a HDTV. Why? Because you don't watch movies standing from 10 inches away.

You can't compare the best tablet to some crap value HDTV, there are plenty of other tablets you can compare those to.

 

[Kendo]

It's very different.
HDTVs have become very cheap on one hand, on the other many are inclined to spend more because a TV grants entertainment, with lots of free content you can share with almost everyone.
The iPad is a tablet, a luxury item and many don't want to spend $500 on it.

Also, even 720p is well enough for a HDTV. Why? Because you don't watch movies standing from 10 inches away.

Well the comparison wasn't really the entertainment "value" but more of the resolution of going from 480i video to 1080p video.

But now that you mention it, are you stating a TV grants more entertainment than an iPad? You can watch movies on both the TV and the iPad. You can play games on both. You can browse Internet on both. You can listen to music and take video on the iPad. You can read books on the iPad. The TV is better for watching movies and playing games but the iPad is more portable and you can carry it with you on the go. As far as entertainment "value" and luxury factor, they both seem equal to me?

 

[DougFNJ]

I preordered a 64GB AT&T and can't wait to get it! I read my books and magazines on it, watch TV, netflix, movies, do some light gaming, and now that iPhoto released on it, I am purchasing the SD Card Camera kit so I can REALLY take advantage of the Retina display.

 

[MacManTexas56]

i'm sorry but comparing 720p to 1080p isn't quite fair, its more like 480p to 1080p. There will be TWICE as many pixels in the new iPad, not 1/3 more.

Its better to compare an iPhone 3gs to an iPhone 4s, and while comparing the two the 3gs is an obviously SD display compared to the higher resolution in the 4s.

you get my point man. the quality of the iPad 2 is not SD like OP is saying...it's far from it. it depends on what you are doing. if you're an average user you aren't going to notice much of a difference. That was my point about owning a 1080p tv and not owning a blu ray player to take advantage of it.

 

[Kendo]

you get my point man. the quality of the iPad 2 is not SD like OP is saying...it's far from it. it depends on what you are doing. if you're an average user you aren't going to notice much of a difference. That was my point about owning a 1080p tv and not owning a blu ray player to take advantage of it.

Um, what he wrote is actually disagreeing with what you wrote. FYI.

 

[unobtainium]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_1 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9B179 Safari/7534.48.3)

People will understand the difference when they finally get to see it in person. Then you'll have people saying they can't stand to look at their iPad 2's screen anymore after using the new one for a while. Just like what happened with the 3GS/4.

 

[MacManTexas56]

Um, what he wrote is actually disagreeing with what you wrote. FYI.

duh.

----------

Well the comparison wasn't really the entertainment "value" but more of the resolution of going from 480i video to 1080p video.

But now that you mention it, are you stating a TV grants more entertainment than an iPad? You can watch movies on both the TV and the iPad. You can play games on both. You can browse Internet on both. You can listen to music and take video on the iPad. You can read books on the iPad. The TV is better for watching movies and playing games but the iPad is more portable and you can carry it with you on the go. As far as entertainment "value" and luxury factor, they both seem equal to me?

most people in a household are going to have a tv over an iPad. TV can be used at the same time by many people an iPad cannot.

 

[eclipseblur954]

you get my point man. the quality of the iPad 2 is not SD like OP is saying...it's far from it. it depends on what you are doing. if you're an average user you aren't going to notice much of a difference. That was my point about owning a 1080p tv and not owning a blu ray player to take advantage of it.

I disagree

Since the iPad 3rd gen isn't out yet i can't compare it BUT

If you put a 720p HD TV of the same size (lets say 50"), next to a 1080p TV The average consumer wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

If you put a 480p SD TV of the same size, next to a 1080P TV, the average consumer could EASILY tell the difference.

Now, if you turn on an iPhone 3gs and an iPhone 4s, put them on the same webpage, picture, or video, while they have the same size screen, the average consumer would easily be able to tell the quality difference between the two screens. Its a night and day difference

On the iPad since its such a bigger screen, i suspect the difference to be even more noticeable, thus making the comparison of SD to HD a valid argument

 

[MacManTexas56]

I disagree

Since the iPad 3rd gen isn't out yet i can't compare it BUT

If you put a 720p HD TV of the same size (lets say 50"), next to a 1080p TV The average consumer wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

If you put a 480p SD TV of the same size, next to a 1080P TV, the average consumer could EASILY tell the difference.

Now, if you turn on an iPhone 3gs and an iPhone 4s, put them on the same webpage, picture, or video, while they have the same size screen, the average consumer would easily be able to tell the quality difference between the two screens. Its a night and day difference

On the iPad since its such a bigger screen, i suspect the difference to be even more noticeable, thus making the comparison of SD to HD a valid argument

it's all about the content you view on it man. my father in law is always talking about 1080p this, 1080p that.....all the content he receives is 720p bc he doesn't own a blu ray player or anything to take advantage of it. Does he know that? NO. My point is the average user who surfs the web and writes email isn't going to be completely stunned by the screen difference. It's all about the content that is delivered to it.

 

[eclipseblur954]

it's all about the content you view on it man. my father in law is always talking about 1080p this, 1080p that.....all the content he receives is 720p bc he doesn't own a blu ray player or anything to take advantage of it. Does he know that? NO. My point is the average user who surfs the web and writes email isn't going to be completely stunned by the screen difference. It's all about the content that is delivered to it.

but it already has the best producer of graphics for its screen, theres no extra add on needed for media playback. Surfing the web and email will already be completely different, infact i suspect anything text related will be the most noticeable.

I see what you're saying a 720p film compared on the two devices might look the same, which again i doubt because the color saturation on the new iPad will make things look better regardless of the resolution, But just staring at the home screen, or viewing a text heavy webpage will for sure be night and day difference.

Out of curiosity, Did you own an iPhone before your iPhone 4?

 

[MacManTexas56]

but it already has the best producer of graphics for its screen, theres no extra add on needed for media playback. Surfing the web and email will already be completely different, infact i suspect anything text related will be the most noticeable.

I see what you're saying a 720p film compared on the two devices might look the same, which again i doubt because the color saturation on the new iPad will make things look better regardless of the resolution, But just staring at the home screen, or viewing a text heavy webpage will for sure be night and day difference.

Out of curiosity, Did you own an iPhone before your iPhone 4?

it may be noticeable to someone who really cares about all the "1080p" stuff. The average user is going to see the screen on an iPad 2 and still think it looks great. I'm big into a lot of tech stuff man, but as long as it looks good on the screen is all that matters. 720p, 1080p is all technical specs that can be hyped up more than it should. All these refresh rates on tv's nowadays? come on!

I've owned all iPhone models except 4s. the build of my 3gs was my favorite...but i had opportunity to upgrade to a 4 and not pay anything so i did. I wouldn't say the 3gs is SD either. Yes, you can tell a difference between the screens i realize that....but to most people it's not going to be this crazy amazing screen that they have to have. They want an iPad and if it's $150 cheaper then even better

 

[mattraehl]

In my opinion this is a much more noticable jump than from SD to HD TV. Moving images hide a lot of the shortcomings of a low resolution. A lot of people are happy with DVDs on their small HDTVs.

One of the main things people use iPads for is reading - web pages, email, books, etc. Still text will be incredibly sharper. It won't be like TV where it depends on what channel or show you are watching or if you got a Blu-Ray player or what size TV you had before or how far you sit from your TV or whatever. It's a significant improvement that will be immediately noticeable by all users.

 

[gopnick]

I preordered a 32 GB iPad "3". I think it's game-changing, life altering, and want to have its beautiful fruity babies.

I do, however, understand what some are saying. If you can see pixels on your current iPad, you'll be blown away by the iPad 3. I am always shocked at the quality of my iPhone 4S compared to my iPad 1. No comparison. The screen on the iPad 1 is terrible by comparison. But, if you don't have anything to gauge it by (immediately switching between iPhone 4 and iPad 2) you won't see much of a difference. I can't see many "average Joes" going nuts over the new screen.

SD to HDTV is a fine comparison for people with a discerning eye.
For normal people it isn't quite the same since, as has been mentioned, you don't sit 10" away from your TV set. Normal folks can see pixels on an SDTV set at 12 feet. Normies can't see pixels on an iPad 2 at 10 inches. That doesn't mean they won't notice a difference side-by-side, but I do get the point. No analogies here are perfect.

 

[LostSoul80]

Well the comparison wasn't really the entertainment "value" but more of the resolution of going from 480i video to 1080p video.

It doesn't matter since

Also, even 720p is well enough for a HDTV. Why? Because you don't watch movies standing from 10 inches away.

But now that you mention it, are you stating a TV grants more entertainment than an iPad? You can watch movies on both the TV and the iPad. You can play games on both. You can browse Internet on both. You can listen to music and take video on the iPad. You can read books on the iPad. The TV is better for watching movies and playing games but the iPad is more portable and you can carry it with you on the go. As far as entertainment "value" and luxury factor, they both seem equal to me?

So you'd rather watch a movie on a 10-less inches screen than on a 50". Right.

And if in doubt you would choose not to have a HDTV, but an iPad.



Not to mention the advantages of a (HD)TV, but those are quite obvious.

most people in a household are going to have a tv over an iPad. TV can be used at the same time by many people an iPad cannot.

I agree.

 

[jman240]

Everyone is very focused on media and TV's in this thread. Granted there isn't much else out there to draw comparisons to.

The big draw for the screen resolution is that text is going to be incredibly sharp. Ignoring anything else this is going to be really great.

A side by side comparison, in person, will really illustrate this point. Yes, it won't be that noticeable by the common person because they don't look for details like that in products. For anyone who has been in iBooks on the current iPad and seen jaggies on the text this will be very nice.

Anyway, it will be like the difference in this image comparing the screen on the 3GS to the 4.

 

[MR1324]

i don't think you can compare the resolution from a tv or pc with the tablet because, like people have already mentioned, the screen is still 10 inches. on pc's higher resolution doesn't just mean a sharper image, but also more work space. however, if you look at all the pictures of the ipad 3 we have seen, the actual workspace is still the same; the image is just a whole lot sharper.

 

[Kendo]

however, if you look at all the pictures of the ipad 3 we have seen, the actual workspace is still the same; the image is just a whole lot sharper.

Um, that's the main selling point of why we're all so excited about the Retina Display.

 

[MR1324]

Um, that's the main selling point of why we're all so excited about the Retina Display.

I know that's why people are excited about retina. I'm trying to say that you cannot simply compare sdtv and hdtv and say that the same thing is happening on the ipad. a resolution higher than 1080p on a 10" screen doesn't mean anything in terms of video like it would on an hdtv because no one would be able to tell the difference between that and a lower resolution like 720P. good attempt though.