Exact differences between 3rd and 4th gen iPad

[Yr Blues]

That'd be the new iPad (3rd generation) S

I agree it should be lighter and thinner, but as a new iPad (3rd generation) owner, I don't mind that mine isn't completely outdated yet. I won't get much for it because of the dent, so I'll keep it for a long time, even if only for Zinio. I'll probably get a mini, but not until it's Retina. That may change when I see one in person, but the website says it has 163 ppi, versus the iPad 2 at 132 ppi, and the new iPad at 264, so I suspect it won't be good enough for me.

Right.

The only thing that intrigues me is the double-speed Wi-Fi. What the hell?

 

[Dhelsdon]

It will make all the difference in the world.

So, Wake-up Mr.Freeman, Wake-up and smell the ashes!

Sorry, it fit so well..

 

[Eadfrith]

iPad 3 offered the retina screen, however this increased screen resolution meant that the new A5X and graphics didn't improve speed or performance over iPad 2. The new A6X should provide big improvement in my opinion. With the other enhancements, I think it's a big update.

 

[JoeShades]

What mystical speed improvements will there be? is there an ipad race i missed? when i open an app it pretty much opens right away, flipping pages in books is immediate , will i now just have to look at things and they open or should i wait for the ipad 5 so that when i think about apps they open

 

[crackbookpro]

They included some new chips from broadcom or qualcomm as well, but that will not make a huge difference for the U.S. market... this new update is junk! The 5GHz N wifi bump is the only thing to tickle me...

 

[Abazigal]

Methinks the improvements were deliberately kept modest to avoid pissing off the current generation of new ipad owners. 6 months and this is the best you can do for a tablet?

 

[G37dude80]

They included some new chips from broadcom or qualcomm as well, but that will not make a huge difference for the U.S. market... this new update is junk! The 5GHz N wifi bump is the only thing to tickle me...

My iPad 3 connects to my N wifi at 5 ghz... or am I missing something?

 

[KeepCalmPeople]

Can't you just buy this?

Yes you can - $19. A small bit of good news for iPad 3 owners (assuming it is compatible).

 

[OSMac]

The new wifi is dual band dual stream for double speed.
The last one was just dual band...

 

[DJTaurus]

I found this:

Apple also claims to have improved image signal processing capabilities of the A6X chip, so that photos and videos taken using the 5-megapixel iSight camera are better than ever.

 

[iDave]

What mystical speed improvements will there be? is there an ipad race i missed? when i open an app it pretty much opens right away, flipping pages in books is immediate , will i now just have to look at things and they open or should i wait for the ipad 5 so that when i think about apps they open

Maybe you'd notice if you were using a power hungry app. There's probably not much difference for email.

 

[einmusiker]

used iPad 3's are going to be had for dirt cheap pretty soon

 

[dasx]

3. Wi-Fi connection that is "up to twice as fast as any previous-generation iPad

Doesn't the 3rd gen iPad already have N wifi? What did they do to make the 4th gen iPad's wifi faster?

 

[Hello...]

no overheating

no charging issues.


thats what pisses me off about this

I am sure you will get a yellow screen lol

 

[dvboy]

Nothing mentioned about ram,wonder if they possibly increased it up to 2GB?

 

[unobtainium]

Something doesn't add up here. Apple's A6 processor is both more powerful and more power-efficient than the A5. So the iPad 4 should have a longer battery life...but it doesn't. So did they remove some battery? Evidently not, because it's the same weight.

Hmm.

 

[leukotriene]

What mystical speed improvements will there be? is there an ipad race i missed? when i open an app it pretty much opens right away, flipping pages in books is immediate , will i now just have to look at things and they open or should i wait for the ipad 5 so that when i think about apps they open

I've been wondering the same thing. How exactly is the 4th gen iPad going to improve user experience over the 3rd gen with respect to performance. Everything is pretty much instantaneous as it is.

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The new wifi is dual band dual stream for double speed.
The last one was just dual band...

Does this require a special router to see this benefit?

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Something doesn't add up here. Apple's A6 processor is both more powerful and more power-efficient than the A5. So the iPad 4 should have a longer battery life...but it doesn't. So did they remove some battery? Evidently not, because it's the same weight.

Hmm.

That is a *very* good point. Why isn't the battery rated higher? (Maybe it secretly gets 11-12 hours like the silent update to the iPad 2 gets?)

 

[thadoggfather]

I wondered the same thing about battery life.

 

[unobtainium]

I've been wondering the same thing. How exactly is the 4th gen iPad going to improve user experience over the 3rd gen with respect to performance. Everything is pretty much instantaneous as it is.

Future-proofing I guess. Maybe it will be useful some day when developers take advantage.

But can anyone answer my question up thread? Something doesn't add up. The A6 is more power-efficient than the A5, but where did those power savings go? The iPad 4 is not lighter nor does it have a longer battery life. So what gives?

 

[ZBoater]

eBay instant sale is offering $520 for a 64GB AT&T iPad 3. So are these differences worth $300?

 

[Jinzen]

What mystical speed improvements will there be? is there an ipad race i missed? when i open an app it pretty much opens right away, flipping pages in books is immediate , will i now just have to look at things and they open or should i wait for the ipad 5 so that when i think about apps they open

You're being asinine, or just an idiot.

Web pages will load twice as quickly. Games will run faster and at higher resolutions. Apps will respond even quicker. Applications that render or process like GarageBand will do so in half the time.

The A6 update on the new iPad is the MOST significant and important update it could have gotten.

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Something doesn't add up here. Apple's A6 processor is both more powerful and more power-efficient than the A5. So the iPad 4 should have a longer battery life...but it doesn't. So did they remove some battery? Evidently not, because it's the same weight.

Hmm.

It's more powerful, but not more power efficient. See Anandtech's Battery tests.

Under light usage, it probably will achieve much higher battery life - web browsing etc.

Under normal usage - like watching a video or playing a game - it will probably WORSE than the stated 10 hours.

 

[Hpye]

Think about this with performance:


iPad 2 to iPad 3 = A5 to A5X
iPad 3 to iPad 4 = A5X to A6X


that's a full generational jump instead of half gen jump from the 2 to 3. Also, the lightening connecter is said to improve the stupidly long charging time and the FaceTime HD camera is much needed

X are for the ipad with retina , the reason ipad 2dont have x is because it is not retina

 

[gadget123]

The A6 is only faster with Siri.

Browsing is just the same..

that's how it is on Iphone 5.

 

[Jacoblee23]

eBay instant sale is offering $520 for a 64GB AT&T iPad 3. So are these differences worth $300?

Oh my. This is alarming. I just saw a 32gb Verizon Ipad 3 go for 626.00 though including shipping. That is pretty good.

 

[unobtainium]

It's more powerful, but not more power efficient. See Anandtech's Battery tests.

Under light usage, it probably will achieve much higher battery life - web browsing etc.

Under normal usage - like watching a video or playing a game - it will probably WORSE than the stated 10 hours.

But isn't the A6 processor the reason why the iPhone 5 could be lighter and thinner and yet get better battery life, even though the battery only changed very slightly from the 4S? (Which had an A5 and abysmal battery life.)