Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

iPad 2 vs. iPad 3

IF you already own an Ipad 2 then you should wait until 2013 for the next ipad. IF you don't have an ipad then get the iPad3 or get a really cheap ipad2 to tide you over until next year.

Personally, I have an ipad2, bought an Ipad 3 and returned it. Didn't think it was worth it in the end.
 
What good are these comparisons of the Tegra 3 vs the A5/A5X when it is Apple that has the superior app store for tablet optimized applications?

Android is still rather bare as far as tablet optimized applications go. A faster processor doesn't mean anything if it only has a 1/4 of the tablet optimized apps that Apple has.
 
Well, I kept going back and forth and finally decided to just splurge for the iPad 3. The refurb iPad 2 at $399 for a 32GB is a great deal, but with the Back to School special going on now with the $50 gift card brought the price back to $150. For me I figured it was worth it to get me an extra year or so on the machine. I am looking forward to Siri later this year, although I know it won't be as useful as on the iPhone.

In addition to the Retina screen was the 1GB of ram vs the 512MB in the 2. My biggest issue with the iPad 1 was the 256MB of ram and how it would already refresh when going between different programs or even tabs in safari. I am loving the preformance difference with the iPad 3, which I'm sure would have been equally fast with the iPad 2.

Whatever you choose I'm sure you'll be happy with either system.
 
If money is not a big object then just get the iPad3 and don't look back. If money is tight then consider what you intend to do with it to see if it is worth it - or wait for ipad3 refurbs to surface.

I have been debating this question myself and actually just came back from Best Buy and couldn't see the difference at all. Then I looked at the back of both models and realized that the store put the iPad 3 next to the iPad 2 sign. Anyway, I am personally inclined towards the iPad2. Micro Center has them for $360 where I live and 32gb refurbs are going for $399 on the apple site. I suspect that I will end up with one of those instead of a iPad3 - but that is me.
 
iPad 3 pros: retina, 2x RAM, better camera with 1080 video, better graphics (offset by higher res screen though), dictation, LTE (optional)

Cons: heat, battery life, weight (minor), thickness (very minor), charge time.

I bought an iPad 3 and returned it, going back to my iPad 2. It's not that the iPad 2 is better - it isn't. But for a current iPad 2 owner, it was a lot of money for an upgrade that was actually a step back in several respects. If I could have either at the same price, I'd take the 3, but not by that much. The screen is the big deal, and the LTE, if you have it (I don't). The camera, not like I'd ever use a camera on a tablet. Dictation, nice, but I type very fast on the iPad. graphics, no benefit once you consider it has to drive the new screen. RAM, nice, but iPad 2 hardly runs out of ram that often.

Likewise, the big loss was battery life. The other things are annoying, but minor, like the gains on the other side.

So the question was, is it worth a few hundred bucks for the retina display and losing battery life? I said no. My iPad 2 is going very strong. I'll see what the 4 looks like.
 
I had iPad 2 and changed to The new iPad just because of the retina display, but even if you don't mind the retina display and you are thinking buy iPad 2 now, i wouldn't recommend iPad 2. Even though Apple updates your iOS, your device would be still excluded in short.
 
Sent the 3 back and kept the 2.

Spent a long ttime in various Apple stores comparing the two and decided the 2 was good enough for me. I would recommend the 2 to anyone but not the 3.

I will wait and see if the next iteration gives me some worthwhile improvement.

I say a refurbished 2 is the way to go for most people.
 
Well, I just made up my mind and ordered a black iPad2 refurb for $341.00 including tax and shipping. Since they come with a brand new battery and shell, that made the deal - always concerned about getting an old battery and of course the 'same as new warranty' helps.

Anyway, I am confident it will meet my basic needs. If I out grow it then I can always buy a refurb iPad3 next year when the new iPad4 comes out. Refurbs are the best value since one can sell them for nearly what they paid. Good for poor guys and cheap skates.
 
I just bought the 2 and my sister has the 3. I am happy with the two. Sure, text is better when smaller, but other than that, to me, the difference with the retina is nowhere near the extent people are fawning over. It was not a "wow" moment for me when I saw it. In fact, her iPad's screen seems somewhat washed out as far as color and everything seems fainter than on my 2. As far as speed- I've used both and performance is the same. $319 for a refurbed 2 is an absolute steal.
 
myrtlebee said:
It was not a "wow" moment for me when I saw it. In fact, her iPad's screen seems somewhat washed out as far as color and everything seems fainter than on my 2.
Click to expand...

The new iPad does have significantly better color saturation when measured.

About Retina I personally find that the "wow" moment is when you use Retina for a while then move down to a non-Retina screen. When I spent sometime with the new iPad and moved back to the iPad 2, all the pixels that I didn't see become extremely blocky. I've now spent enough time with my iPad 2 as I'm waiting for the next iPad but I find that the Retina does ruin your eyes, so to speak. But it's more about downgrade than upgrade.
 
myrtlebee said:
I wouldn't generalize that much. Screen quality varies wildly on any iPad, and on the two units I am comparing, my iPad 2 has significantly better color saturation.
Click to expand...

No, regardless of the color inconsistencies that have been discussed, the color gamut spec has changed and that's very measurable. I read it that this is one of the reasons the new iPad's display uses much more power. Apparently boosting color gamut requires more backlight and makes the display less efficient, which is probably why Apple has been sticking with displays with much narrower color gamut on iPhone and even lower on iPod Touches. AFAIK iPad 2 and iPhone have 70%+ color gamut whereas the new iPad has 95%+.
 
fertilized-egg said:
No, regardless of the color inconsistencies that have been discussed, the color gamut spec has changed and that's very measurable. I read it that this is one of the reasons the new iPad's display uses much more power. Apparently boosting color gamut requires more backlight and makes the display less efficient, which is probably why Apple has been sticking with displays with much narrower color gamut on iPhone and even lower on iPod Touches. AFAIK iPad 2 and iPhone have 70%+ color gamut whereas the new iPad has 95%+.
Click to expand...

Great- I'm just telling you what I see in front of my face.
 
Saturation and gamut are two different things. Gamut is like a spectrum of colors so a smaller gamut may mean not seeing the widest shades of a color like red or green. Saturation is the deepening of a color. So one can set up a screen to have a lower gamut but with more saturated colors. Also, when talking about % gamut one must refer to the gamut they are referring to. In this case it is sRGB color space, as opposed to RGB or ProPhoto RGB which is a wider range. For web use, all photos... should be converted to sRGB but for home viewing and printing, a wider gamut can be useful. I am a photographer and own a NEC wide gamut monitor which allows me to see shades of red and orange that are not possible on my MBP (or my soon to be delivered iPad). Wider gamut also has far less posterization...

A final point, color is often relative, meaning that unless you are looking at the same thing on two different devices side-by-side, you may not know what you're missing. The idea of color calibration, which is vital for pro's, is that regardless of what device one is using, they each see the same exact thing - same brightness, saturation and shades of color. Anyone who has printed a photo and had the resulting print not look exactly like what they saw on the monitor has experienced this.

Anyway, it always comes down to the eye of the beholder ;)
 
I received an email last night that the refurb ipad I ordered on Tuesday evening (June 19) was shipped last night, about 24 hour later - no bad. It is being shipped, free of charge, direct from China. Expected arrival, in the eastern US (New Jersey) is June 26th - 1 week from the order date.

I though this info might be helpful for anyone considering a refurb. At $319, plus tax, it's a great deal for an iPad, 64% of the price of a new iPad3. And let me restate that a refurb includes a brand new battery and outer shell with the 'same-as-new' warranty. I'll pass on Apple Care but I have time.
 
Vantage Point said:
I received an email last night that the refurb ipad I ordered on Tuesday evening (June 19) was shipped last night, about 24 hour later - no bad. It is being shipped, free of charge, direct from China. Expected arrival, in the eastern US (New Jersey) is June 26th - 1 week from the order date.

I though this info might be helpful for anyone considering a refurb. At $319, plus tax, it's a great deal for an iPad, 64% of the price of a new iPad3. And let me restate that a refurb includes a brand new battery and outer shell with the 'same-as-new' warranty. I'll pass on Apple Care but I have time.
Click to expand...

My 2 Macbook Air's also shipped from China. The delivery date was 1 week from when they shipped but I received them the morning of the second day after they shipped. 2 Days from Chins, and I live in Washington Crossing Pa. You will probably get them sooner as well.

And I did not pay extra for the faster shipping. Every Apple device I have ever ordered ( over 7) arrived within 2 days.
 
smoking monkey said:
IF you already own an Ipad 2 then you should wait until 2013 for the next ipad. IF you don't have an ipad then get the iPad3 or get a really cheap ipad2 to tide you over until next year.

Personally, I have an ipad2, bought an Ipad 3 and returned it. Didn't think it was worth it in the end.
Click to expand...

well said.

that's what i did. i have an iPad 2 refurb, waiting for the next iPad gen which will be a re-design
 
Lindenhurst said:
My 2 Macbook Air's also shipped from China. The delivery date was 1 week from when they shipped but I received them the morning of the second day after they shipped. 2 Days from Chins, and I live in Washington Crossing Pa. You will probably get them sooner as well.

And I did not pay extra for the faster shipping. Every Apple device I have ever ordered ( over 7) arrived within 2 days.
Click to expand...

Great. Perhaps I'll receive as soon as Monday as I wouldn't expect Fedex to deliver on the weekend.

Two years ago I ordered a 2009 refurb imac and I believe it was shipped from the west coast (of the US) and it took about a week.

In the old days people would joke about long deliveries stating it was 'on the slow boat from China', not anymore :)
 
Hi guys!

So I'm thinking about getting an iPad. My biggest 'concern' is though if I will use it enough as I already have an MBP, and also an iPhone. I've never owned an iPad before.

I have kind of the same feeling now as when I bought my iPhone. I went several times to the Apple Store to try it and thought it was cool, but not like 'wow this is amazing'. After buying it though, I felt it was the best buy I had ever done. :)

It's not like I need it really hard (who does really?), but I'm very tempted to buy it. So my question is, why did you buy it and what is your daily use like, if you already have an MB Pro or Air fx, or any laptop/desktop computer?

Thanks and greetings from Spain!
 
majuha said:
Hi guys!

So I'm thinking about getting an iPad. My biggest 'concern' is though if I will use it enough as I already have an MBP, and also an iPhone. I've never owned an iPad before.

I have kind of the same feeling now as when I bought my iPhone. I went several times to the Apple Store to try it and thought it was cool, but not like 'wow this is amazing'. After buying it though, I felt it was the best buy I had ever done. :)

It's not like I need it really hard (who does really?), but I'm very tempted to buy it. So my question is, why did you buy it and what is your daily use like, if you already have an MB Pro or Air fx, or any laptop/desktop computer?

Thanks and greetings from Spain!
Click to expand...


I had a laptop that I traveled with and wanted something smaller for travel and meetings. I did not want to spend the money it would take to get a MB air or pro, I also wanted something that would sync with my iPhone and my wife's iPhone. I was given an iPad generation 1 and was able to sell it for $250 and then ordered an iPad 2 64gb refurb from Apple, so my total outlay was only $250 to go with the 64gb. Felt like it would do what I want to do and avoid the laptop.

The laptop I had would only last about 2 hours on a charge, the iPad works for 2-3 days for me so good all around for me.

I am not saying this is right for everyone, just that it fit for me.

HiddenPuppy
 
majuha said:
Hi guys!

So I'm thinking about getting an iPad. My biggest 'concern' is though if I will use it enough as I already have an MBP, and also an iPhone. I've never owned an iPad before.

I have kind of the same feeling now as when I bought my iPhone. I went several times to the Apple Store to try it and thought it was cool, but not like 'wow this is amazing'. After buying it though, I felt it was the best buy I had ever done. :)

It's not like I need it really hard (who does really?), but I'm very tempted to buy it. So my question is, why did you buy it and what is your daily use like, if you already have an MB Pro or Air fx, or any laptop/desktop computer?

Thanks and greetings from Spain!
Click to expand...

That was my situation, a 15" MBP and iPhone. I thought about it for about a year. The reason I decided to buy my first iPad was the price, I bought a refurb iPad2 from the apple store, the price is about 64% of a new iPad3 so the risk is low. I know I will use it for internet stuff instead of my MBP - which I will use for photo editing... Anyway, buying a refurb at such a low price means if it doesn't work out I can sell it for about what I paid.

That's my story, hope that helps. I expect delivery next week!!!
 
The way Apple leaves software improvements out for older hardware, I am extremely leery of buying previous generations of their hardware.

That said, my biggest disappointment with the latest iPad is the extremely long charging times. If I run it down with heavy use on day, there is a good chance that it will not be fully charged overnight.
 
My iPad2 refurb just arrived, a day early. Ordered last Tuesday evening and arrived the next Monday.

It looks brand spanking new!!!! Great deal, only $319, ($341 with tax, shipping was free). If you are looking to save money and can live without the retina, this is the way.
 
Last edited:
I didn't realize the price difference in getting the 4G and the one with only wifi. With Verizon in talks about combining the data plans, I was thinking about getting the newest iPad with 4G on it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back