iPad 3 one month - has it lived up to your expectations?

[MacAttacka]

We had all been following the Rumors mill for months. We're talking iPad 3!

Will it have the mythical retina? Will it have the A6 quad core processor? Will it have more ram? Will we finally get the USB/SD slot? Will it have a 7" screen? A tactile screen? Is this THE iPad I have been holding out for from the start?

Almost all of these questions have been answered with the March unveiling and for most of us the new iPad has been in active duty for a month old.

Apple have delivered a device with the most wanted feature ever - the retina screen. Even now, lets take stock of this, its a miracle of engineering. We finally have a full GB of ram, 4G LTE, its almost and thin and light as the ground breaking iPad 2 and there are more apps than ever. Some were new to iPad, others were upgraders from the 1st or 2nd gen. Some found it to hot, too heavy to thick, too battery draining, underwhelming, overwhelming.

This is a completely open topic but having had the iPad 3 for a whole month now how has it lived up to your hopes and expectations?

 

[Coltaine]

Has completely lived up to my expectations.

I got a machine that works flawlessly with a great display, endless battery life for my tasks, superfast internet and beautiful design.
What more can I ask?

Absolutely satisfied customer.

 

[Kolmogorov]

Right now the new iPad is the best gadget several hundred bucks can buy. The only better gadget coming will be the next iPad.

 

[doboy]

Yes.

 

[koigirl]

So I wish it had a brighter screen and white was brighter white (to my eyes). I was a little underwhelmed at first but over time I've really enjoyed the superfast LTE and the retina display really does make HD content look great so yeah, it's probably worth the upgrade, at least for me...

 

[MacAttacka]

Has completely lived up to my expectations.

I got a machine that works flawlessly with a great display, endless battery life for my tasks, superfast internet and beautiful design.
What more can I ask?

Absolutely satisfied customer.

Totally, totally agree with you there, I consider it near perfect. Considering its the year 2012 and not 2022 I think Apple have delivered the most compelling consumer electronic device for $500 ever. Some people whine about insignificant but liveable things that make it less the absolutely perfect but they'd never be happy in any instance.

I have been so spoilt by the retina screen that I find every other large LCD screen a pixelly mess. Everything else is just a bonus. Before the iPad 3 was released we did a MacRumors poll and something like 95% of people would have bought it for the retina alone. 4G LTE, 1GB RAM, the 5MP iSight camera, 1080p video as far as I'm concerned are just freebies thrown in by Apple.

Steve Jobs himself lead the design of the iPad 3 and I consider it a final parting gift to the world. We can only hope newer iPads can live up the the legacy of the iPad 3.

 

[Coltaine]

I have been so spoilt by the retina screen that I find every other large LCD screen a pixelly mess. Everything else is just a bonus. Before the iPad 3 was released we did a MacRumors poll and something like 95% of people would have bought it for the retina alone. 4G LTE, 1GB RAM, the 5MP iSight camera, 1080p video as far as I'm concerned are just freebies thrown in by Apple.

This is actually one of the main problems with the new iPad.
I can, of course, re-adjust to the older screens, but it always takes a while.
And using the fiancée's iPad 2, I always wonder, how everything looks so ugly.
You get spoiled by the retina display so easily.

 

[nfl46]

Yes, I'm loving my upgraded iPad 2. It will be even better once dev upgrades their apps for retina.

 

[Yr Blues]

I want something small to read novels on. It's a bit too ridiculously big and heavy for that.

But for everything else it's fantastic!

 

[MacAttacka]

I want something small to read novels on. It's a bit too ridiculously big and heavy for that.

But for everything else it's fantastic!

When you think about the size of a novel opened up, isn't it exactly the same width and height as the iPad?

 

[slippery-pete]

Yes

 

[Yr Blues]

When you think about the size of a novel opened up, isn't it exactly the same width and height as the iPad?

I mostly read soft cover novels and I fold over the page, one handed. Soft cover books weigh less and are easier on the eyes, too. Some of them even fit in my back pocket.

Magazines, on the other-hand … still way less heavy, but the size is closer.

I'm constantly reading something. The Kindle is nice, but I want an iPad e-ink reader.

 

[noteple]

Use it every day. No regrets.

 

[MacAttacka]

This is actually one of the main problems with the new iPad.
I can, of course, re-adjust to the older screens, but it always takes a while.
And using the fiancée's iPad 2, I always wonder, how everything looks so ugly.
You get spoiled by the retina display so easily.

Reading small text on a non retina screen is especially awful. Being able to ready websites clearly in portrait is a god send. Apple are moving their entire line up to retina HIDPI so hopefully visible pixels will be a thing of the past.

All I can suggest people do with the retina screen is ENJOY, ENJOY, ENJOY!

----------

This is actually one of the main problems with the new iPad.
I can, of course, re-adjust to the older screens, but it always takes a while.
And using the fiancée's iPad 2, I always wonder, how everything looks so ugly.
You get spoiled by the retina display so easily.

I mostly read soft cover novels and I fold over the page, one handed. Soft cover books weigh less and are easier on the eyes, too. Some of them even fit in my back pocket.

Magazines, on the other-hand … still way less heavy, but the size is closer.

I'm constantly reading something. The Kindle is nice, but I want an iPad e-ink reader.

nah, I don't buy anything you say about the size and weight, I get the iPad isn't gonna fit in you ass pocket but it's either that or a smart phone. I do get that reading on any lit screen retina or not isn't as good as physical print or e-ink. I mean if your sole purpose is to read books, just buy an e-ink kindle. iPad is so much more than an ebook reader or paperback so weigh up your needs and make the purchase that's right for you.

 

[eq2675]

Yes, this should be a poll

 

[jojoba]

I only upgraded a few days ago, but I'm totally happy. I'm awed by the screen and my PDFs are super crisp. I use it extensively as an e-reader so it's excellent for that purpose.

 

[MacAttacka]

Yes, this should be a poll

OK then!

 

[plucky duck]

Never even gave a thought whether I would get a 2 or a 3. Bought 2 new iPad 3s for the home.

Browsing the web and reading PDFs are such a pleasure, well worth the $100. Even the iPad that sits by the TV streaming videos to the TV I didn't want to stick an iPad 2 in there.

Of the two, the one that has a slight green tinge is the one that's in the living room.

The apps have certainly made using the iPad a pleasure, filling in gaps left open by Apple. As a media consumption device, it's doing its job explicably well, very easy learning curve for most in the family.

As a device on it's own, the screen is indeed the selling and marketing point. Apple being able to stick with the same price point as previous while offering a bigger battery and significantly better screen I am very grateful for. The iPad is definitely a premium product in its segment. If you can get accustomed to its limitation and work around it I think you'll be a happy owner of an iPad.

 

[jackc]

It's my first iPad, so I don't have to agonize about whether it's enough of a bump over the 2. The retina screen sure seems like a more-than-worthwhile upgrade to me.

I use it to do a lot of reading. It is a bit heavy if you're just holding it, but with a nice lap stand it works great.

 

[dukeblue91]

It has actually exceeded my expectations.
But then I came from the iPad 1 to the third generation.
I haven't had the first crash since I bought the new iPad and that was a constant with the 1st one after iOS 5.

 

[Adam-Jobs]

Aside from the lack of games/apps at the mo. yes it does everything flawlessly and presents it beautifully with the screen.

 

[urkel]

Did it live up to expectations, No.
Am I satisfied, Yes.

A better screen and camera is fantastic but in no way did it change my life the way some people claim. I like the iPad 3 just fine and am happy I own one BUT if I never updated and stuck to an iPad 2 then I wouldn't be do anything different than I do now.

 

[Nikos]

With all of the screen issues I've experienced, and am still experiencing, I'm going to have to go with a no. With better QA, it definitely would have met my expectations.

 

[MacMane]

Aside from the lack of games/apps at the mo. yes it does everything flawlessly and presents it beautifully with the screen.

I'm a little disappointed with lack of games that take advantage of the A5X as well. On the other hand, the retina display is truly incredible.

 

[schaibaa]

My wife had an iPad 2, I bought her an iPad 3 on release date. The first one worked great - for a few days - then several bright pixels emerged. Returned that one - they went through 2 at the store that had bright pixels too. Finally got a good one, so we thought. That night, wifi issues - ipad 2 worked great, macbook worked great, all other devices worked fine with wifi - ipad 3 would work for a while and then stop... would require a reboot. Exchanged that one, but the new one had the same wifi issues. At that point, she was fed up and just returned it.

She's back to her iPad 2 and still loving that one. I really wish we could have gotten one that worked correctly - but the time spent trying to get a decent one couldn't be justified. It's clear that we were in the minority in regard to how many defective models we received, but the local store indicated that they were all too familiar with the high failure rates of the displays and wifi issues.