Does the upcoming ipad 3 announcement matter?

[BearerOBadNews]

I was just thinking about it, when I saw the ipad 3 announcement rumored to be on March 7. At first I got a little excited, but then I thought about it. Does it really matter? Are they really going to introduce anything groundbreaking? Probably not since it will still be the same OS most likely. It might have a better screen but I don't really see anything exciting coming out of this.

http://thesmartphonechamp.com/ipad-3-announcement-march-7th/

http://www.tuaw.com/2012/02/13/ipad-3-may-be-announced-march-7/

 

[mrsir2009]

We'll see

 

[DeusInvictus7]

If that's how you think about this iPad, was this the same way you thought about the iPad 1 -> iPad 2 transition? I mean, all it had was a faster processor, cameras and it was thinner...

This year, and I'm guessing, will bring an even faster processor (especially for games and GPU based apps), better cameras (Facetime HD), and a beastly high res display.

 

[Peace]

Here's why it will matter.

Currently if you mirror your iPad to your HDTV it only takes a small portion of the TV screen.

The new one will FILL the screen.

You may not realize what that means now but wait until it comes out and people start doing this.

 

[BearerOBadNews]

If that's how you think about this iPad, was this the same way you thought about the iPad 1 -> iPad 2 transition? I mean, all it had was a faster processor, cameras and it was thinner...

This year, and I'm guessing, will bring an even faster processor (especially for games and GPU based apps), better cameras (Facetime HD), and a beastly high res display.

As a matter of fact that is how I felt about the ipad to ipad 2 transition. The thing is, at this point the a5 chip doesn't really struggle to do anything, and the gpu is far and above anything that will come out any time soon. So I don't really see any benefit of a faster processor or more powerful gpu. Also I find the current display to be great, maybe the ipad 3 will be even better but I doubt the difference would be major unless they went with a different screen technology all together like oled. Overall I don't think there will be much of a tangible difference between the ipad 2 and the 3. I could be wrong and I hope I am but that's just what I expect.

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Here's why it will matter.

Currently if you mirror your iPad to your HDTV it only takes a small portion of the TV screen.

The new one will FILL the screen.

You may not realize what that means now but wait until it comes out and people start doing this.

that's something that can be fixed with a software update though. Even still that would be much of a feature for most people. The average person will never mirror their ipad on their television, so even if they fixed that, it still won't make much difference to the vast majority of the people.

 

[Peace]

As a matter of fact that is how I felt about the ipad to ipad 2 transition. The thing is, at this point the a5 chip doesn't really struggle to do anything, and the gpu is far and above anything that will come out any time soon. So I don't really see any benefit of a faster processor or more powerful gpu. Also I find the current display to be great, maybe the ipad 3 will be even better but I doubt the difference would be major unless they went with a different screen technology all together like oled. Overall I don't think there will be much of a tangible difference between the ipad 2 and the 3. I could be wrong and I hope I am but that's just what I expect.

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that's something that can be fixed with a software update though. Even still that would be much of a feature for most people. The average person will never mirror their ipad on their television, so even if they fixed that, it still won't make much difference to the vast majority of the people.

A software update can't do that because the iPad needs more horsepower to do it.

 

[palpatine]

it will be a big deal.

1. a better camera (pretty certain) will help those who have gone paperless.
2. a retina-display (or something similar) would make reading and writing a lot more enjoyable for those of using the ipad as an ereader and workstation.
3. a faster processor (pretty certain) might make pdfs render more quickly on page turns.

obviously, i am speaking from the standpoint of a non-gamer. i just sold my ipad2 and i am now suffering daily in the long wait until the ipad3 comes out. last year at this time, i was laughing at all of the fools who bought the big ipod and were now lining up to spend even more on a slightly better big ipod.

i was the fool

 

[jekjones1558]

OP, I think your screen name fits your viewpoint.

 

[BearerOBadNews]

A software update can't do that because the iPad needs more horsepower to do it.

Why do you think the problem is lack of horsepower? I ask this because the OMAP 4460 found in the Galaxy Nexus is capable of wifi display which is basically wireless mirroring over wifi, and that processor is pretty much on par with the A5 (sans GPU).

 

[miamialley]

Also I find the current display to be great, maybe the ipad 3 will be even better but I doubt the difference would be major unless they went with a different screen technology all together like oled. Overall I don't think there will be much of a tangible difference between the ipad 2 and the 3. I could be wrong and I hope I am but that's just what I expect.

Did you never see the difference between the display on 3G vs 4 (iPhone)??

 

[nuckinfutz]

I was just thinking about it, when I saw the ipad 3 announcement rumored to be on March 7. At first I got a little excited, but then I thought about it. Does it really matter? Are they really going to introduce anything groundbreaking? Probably not since it will still be the same OS most likely. It might have a better screen but I don't really see anything exciting coming out of this.

http://thesmartphonechamp.com/ipad-3-announcement-march-7th/

http://www.tuaw.com/2012/02/13/ipad-3-may-be-announced-march-7/

If you're suicidal water turning into Gold wouldn't be all that exciting. It's all a matter of perspective in other words

 

[Heebeejeebies]

I was just thinking about it, when I saw the ipad 3 announcement rumored to be on March 7. At first I got a little excited, but then I thought about it. Does it really matter? Are they really going to introduce anything groundbreaking? Probably not since it will still be the same OS most likely. It might have a better screen but I don't really see anything exciting coming out of this.

http://thesmartphonechamp.com/ipad-3-announcement-march-7th/

http://www.tuaw.com/2012/02/13/ipad-3-may-be-announced-march-7/

Yes, because it means I may be able to get an iPad 2 for a lot less money...

 

[BearerOBadNews]

Also I find the current display to be great, maybe the ipad 3 will be even better but I doubt the difference would be major unless they went with a different screen technology all together like oled. Overall I don't think there will be much of a tangible difference between the ipad 2 and the 3. I could be wrong and I hope I am but that's just what I expect.

Did you never see the difference between the display on 3G vs 4 (iPhone)??

Not exactly an apples to apples comparison (pun intended).

If you're suicidal water turning into Gold wouldn't be all that exciting. It's all a matter of perspective in other words

....oooookay....

Yes, because it means I may be able to get an iPad 2 for a lot less money...

lmao now THAT is something. Good point. lol

 

[nuckinfutz]

The iPad 3 is design to appeal to a wide cross section of people.

Doctors for one are interested in the higher resolution screen for looking at X-Rays. Digital artists are also excited about the higher resolution for more precise lines.

Road Warriors want faster access outside of Wifi networks. More timely access to data is always great.

More power is future proofs (to an extent) the iPad and enables software advances.

New iPad announcements will always matter because someone out there can leverage the new stuff to good effect.

 

[BearerOBadNews]

The iPad 3 is design to appeal to a wide cross section of people.

Doctors for one are interested in the higher resolution screen for looking at X-Rays. Digital artists are also excited about the higher resolution for more precise lines.

Road Warriors want faster access outside of Wifi networks. More timely access to data is always great.

More power is future proofs (to an extent) the iPad and enables software advances.

New iPad announcements will always matter because someone out there can leverage the new stuff to good effect.

I'm speaking in general in regards to the average person. The examples you gave are VERY specific and limited to a VERY small portion of the population. Too most people the higher res and faster processor will not make a difference. There won't be a tangible enough difference for it to matter. Talking about a faster processor sounds great if we're talking specs, but in real world use if there isn't a tangible difference then it doesn't matter to most people.

 

[urkel]

The iPad 3 wont matter to people who choose to make excuses for why "better" isn't a big deal. But to everyone else then it's going to be amazing.

 

[nuckinfutz]

I'm speaking in general in regards to the average person. The examples you gave are VERY specific and limited to a VERY small portion of the population. Too most people the higher res and faster processor will not make a difference. There won't be a tangible enough difference for it to matter. Talking about a faster processor sounds great if we're talking specs, but in real world use if there isn't a tangible difference then it doesn't matter to most people.

No at this moment tablets are so new to people I would agree that the specs that matter are 10 hr battery life, weight and a good looking screen to the avg user.

iPads are selling so well often because they cover such a wide gamut of users. You can hand a pre-schooler an iPad and an Octogenarian and both can be effective. I think that's the magic of the iPad more than anything or any collection of hardware features. I think I see where you're going with this. Cheers.

 

[BearerOBadNews]

No at this moment tablets are so new to people I would agree that the specs that matter are 10 hr battery life, weight and a good looking screen to the avg user.

iPads are selling so well often because they cover such a wide gamut of users. You can hand a pre-schooler an iPad and an Octogenarian and both can be effective. I think that's the magic of the iPad more than anything or any collection of hardware features. I think I see where you're going with this. Cheers.

I think that pretty much sums it up. The thing about it is, with the example you gave I could use a ipad or ipad 2 and accomplish the same thing, so what does the 3 bring to the table?

The iPad 3 wont matter to people who choose to make excuses for why "better" isn't a big deal. But to everyone else then it's going to be amazing.

Somewhat better isn't a big deal. To many people it's a "big deal" because it's the new ipad but in truth there isn't much to be excited about (see iphone 4s compared to iphone 4).

 

[camardelle]

It will be to some of us, to others not so much. Just like everything else in life I guess.

 

[urkel]

Somewhat better isn't a big deal. To many people it's a "big deal" because it's the new ipad but in truth there isn't much to be excited about (see iphone 4s compared to iphone 4).

"In truth" then you're opinions are too definitive for a product that isn't even announced yet.

You clearly are justifying your current product which is understandable since these are high ticket products and it sucks to "feel" left behind, but trying to convince anyone that your opinion has any weight is silly because you have no idea what impact the rumored improvements will actually do to the end users experience before deeming the upgrade a disappointment.

 

[blue43fan]

So I guess it bears asking, what could they possibly announce that you would be excited about? The retina display is the single most important improvement they could possibly make. It's the one thing that, in my eyes, would make the iPad my perfect dream gadget. Discounting the other dozen improvements that they'll likely make, seriously, what more could you want? Not that any of this really matters anyway, seeing as it hasn't even been announced yet.

"In truth" then you're opinions are too definitive for a product that isn't even announced yet.

You clearly are justifying your current product which is understandable since these are high ticket products and it sucks to "feel" left behind, but trying to convince anyone that your opinion has any weight is silly because you have no idea what impact the rumored improvements will actually do to the end users experience before deeming the upgrade a disappointment.

Bingo.

 

[porcupine8]

Jeez, now Apple has to do something revolutionary every year for a new product to matter at all? Three or four revolutions a decade isn't enough? Inventing a new market isn't enough if you don't reinvent it with every release?

 

[urkel]

So I guess it bears asking, what could they possibly announce that you would be excited about? The retina display is the single most important improvement they could possibly make. It's the one thing that, in my eyes, would make the iPad my perfect dream gadget. Seriously, what more could you possibly want?

Price drop across the line.

One thing Apple doesn't get credit for is how they completely blew up the cell phone industries pricing structure. Prior to 2007 then it was common to pay $4-500 for garbage mid-range flip phones but then Apple came along and year after year they kept dropping prices and forcing the industry to follow. Tablets can easily go the same path because the competitors are now trying to beat Apple on pricing, but at any point Apple can squash them by dropping $200 off yet still remain profitable.

Imagine this:
$299 - iPad 2 16GB
This would make sense because despite it being "last years model" it is still a few steps above the competition so it's far from being a dead product and the pricing would make sense for their movement to EDU.

$499 - iPad Pro 32GB
This would be the iPad 3. Better specs are the obvious improvements but the benefits of more speed/higher resolution is that Pro apps could be possible. Think Aperture, FCP, Photoshop on a tablet! Also, if you've ever tried taking notes on an iPad then it requires larger writing because of the lower res screen, but a higher res screen brings us one step closer to replacing paper with tablets because we can use a stylus and actually write note in normal sized letters and have it still be legible (well, most people. my handwriting is terrible so I prefer typing). A simple product doesnt mean it can't do complex tasks and they can price the iPad Pro to be a true computer replacement for many people if we see tablet versions of the apps we use on the desktop.


So while a new iPad is exciting, the pricing is really what I'm looking forward to.

 

[mattraehl]

$499 - iPad Pro 32GB
This would be the iPad 3. Better specs are the obvious improvements but the benefits of more speed/higher resolution is that Pro apps could be possible. Think Aperture, FCP, Photoshop on a tablet! Also, if you've ever tried taking notes on an iPad then it requires larger writing because of the lower res screen, but a higher res screen brings us one step closer to replacing paper with tablets because we can use a stylus and actually write note in normal sized letters and have it still be legible (well, most people. my handwriting is terrible so I prefer typing). A simple product doesnt mean it can't do complex tasks and they can price the iPad Pro to be a true computer replacement for many people if we see tablet versions of the apps we use on the desktop.


So while a new iPad is exciting, the pricing is really what I'm looking forward to.

The resolution of the touch input and the resolution of the screen are unfortunately completely separate things. If they just swap out a higher-res LCD panel it won't have any impact on how well handwriting works. Hopefully they will improve the input resolution at some point but I doubt it will be in the iPad 3.

 

[blue43fan]

Price drop across the line.

One thing Apple doesn't get credit for is how they completely blew up the cell phone industries pricing structure. Prior to 2007 then it was common to pay $4-500 for garbage mid-range flip phones but then Apple came along and year after year they kept dropping prices and forcing the industry to follow. Tablets can easily go the same path because the competitors are now trying to beat Apple on pricing, but at any point Apple can squash them by dropping $200 off yet still remain profitable.

Imagine this:
$299 - iPad 2 16GB
This would make sense because despite it being "last years model" it is still a few steps above the competition so it's far from being a dead product and the pricing would make sense for their movement to EDU.

$499 - iPad Pro 32GB
This would be the iPad 3. Better specs are the obvious improvements but the benefits of more speed/higher resolution is that Pro apps could be possible. Think Aperture, FCP, Photoshop on a tablet! Also, if you've ever tried taking notes on an iPad then it requires larger writing because of the lower res screen, but a higher res screen brings us one step closer to replacing paper with tablets because we can use a stylus and actually write note in normal sized letters and have it still be legible (well, most people. my handwriting is terrible so I prefer typing). A simple product doesnt mean it can't do complex tasks and they can price the iPad Pro to be a true computer replacement for many people if we see tablet versions of the apps we use on the desktop.


So while a new iPad is exciting, the pricing is really what I'm looking forward to.

I was thinking more along the lines of just feature upgrades, since that is what BearerOBadNews specified. I don't think a price drop is very likely, but nothing is impossible.