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iPad Is 4th Gen iPad really worth it? (vs iPad 3)

M

macguy360

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Feb 23, 2011
836
512
I currently own an iPad 3 and I love it. The retina screen is awesome and everything seems to be pretty quick.

The only thing I am disappointed in is the lack of games designed to take advantage of the retina display. Sure, games like real racing 2 have been optimized for the Retina display but I can't think of more than a few games that have legitimately been designed for the iPad 3.

Even worse, the only games that seem to be coming out on the App store are all freemium garbage and from the looks of it that looks like all that will be released on the app store given the top 30 grossing apps are all freemium games.

So what would really make it worth it for me to buy an Ipad 4 over having the iPad 3. It is twice as fast as the 3 but there aren't any games coming out that take advantage of that power and im not too sure there will be more than 4 or 5 games that come out in the next year that are #1 not freemium and #2 take advantage of the iPad 4's graphics and processing abilities.
 
im selling my ipad 3 on ebay right now..ends in a few hours.,

I am justifying the upgrade by only getting the 16gb ipad 4...selling my 32gb iPad 3 in hopes of getting around $435-450 for it.. I consider the additional 80 bucks to buy a new 16gb ipad 4 rental cost for using the 3 for 8 months..

i am also able to justify the upgrade since I have the iphone 5 and it would make sense to have all of my devices using lightning cables..(and i can also sutract 20 from the price of the ipad for the new lightning cable which i would have bought separately for the iphone)

i know..there is a lot of "justifying" going on here...i have problems..
 
really? you couldnt read any of the other million threads with almost the same title?
 
ljx718 said:
really? you couldnt read any of the other million threads with almost the same title?
Click to expand...

There haven't been any other threads bringing up the issues that I brought up. I would rather post as a new thread than have it get lost in a sea of useless posts such as yours.
 
macguy360 said:
There haven't been any other threads bringing up the issues that I brought up. I would rather post as a new thread than have it get lost in a sea of useless posts such as yours.
Click to expand...

of course you would. Why dont you do a bit of work to not clog up the forum by finding an existing thread with the same theme to contribute to?
 
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Hey there, don't make the mistake of upgrading like I did from the 3 to 4. I sold my iPad 3 for $450 on Craigslist. Long story short, I am 100% sure the iPad 3 will be supported for a very long time. Deves are just beginning to take advantage of the a5x. Thus, your iPad 3 is here to stay for the time being. If you are a heavy iOS gamer like me, wait it out till the iPad 5 comes.
Anyway, here are my personal fave games that I used to play on my iPad 3.
Galaxy on fire 2 HD (Valkyrie and supernova addons will add replay value)
The walking dead
Nova 3
Street fighter X taken
Dead space ( old but still awesome)
Need for speed most wanted
FIFA 13
The bard's tale
RR 2

My most anticipated games are:
Forgotten memories: a psychological horror game
Real racing 3
Modern combat 4
Infinity God (God of war clone?)
Afterlife
 
I had the 3, and exchanged it for the 4 due to the purchased being only two weeks old.

I exchanged it because I deserved the better device for the same amount of money.

I do not sense a huge difference between the two devices as of yet. But if they say it is faster, the camera is better, it runs cooler and the wireless is better, I will take it.

Is it worth spending $100+ to sell the 3 and buy the 4? Probably not, unless you are a power user and will push the device to its limits.

R
 
i lucked out..my ipad just sold for $515 on ebay

so my 16gb ipad 4 should only cost me a little bit of tax...


bout to go to the apple store and buy it..hehe




(yes i realize its not a needed upgrade..but i look forward to having only lightning cords around now)
 
I would say no. I purchased my 3 from a fellow member for $330 in brand new condition and am more than thrilled with it. Saves me about $200 and there aren't any new features that justify the price difference. Now the iPad 5 will be the one to wait for imo, so just find a cheap iPad 3 to hold you over in the mean time.
 
Very few developers are going to develop an app that DOESN'T run well on an iPad with the A5 or A5X chip, especially now the iPad mini is out. Mainly a few game developers who want to get some press for showing off the power of the A6X chip. So you'd be mad to sell a 3 to get a 4. If you have a 3 wait for the 5 or later. By the time developers start exercising the power of the A6(X), there'll be an iPad with an A7X chip out.
I went from a 32GB iPad 2 to a 32GB iPad 4 - cost me $220 overall to upgrade. If I'd had a 3 I wouldn't have though.
 
KeepCalmPeople said:
Very few developers are going to develop an app that DOESN'T run well on an iPad with the A5 or A5X chip, especially now the iPad mini is out. Mainly a few game developers who want to get some press for showing off the power of the A6X chip. So you'd be mad to sell a 3 to get a 4. If you have a 3 wait for the 5 or later. By the time developers start exercising the power of the A6(X), there'll be an iPad with an A7X chip out.
I went from a 32GB iPad 2 to a 32GB iPad 4 - cost me $220 overall to upgrade. If I'd had a 3 I wouldn't have though.
Click to expand...

You sold iPad 2 32GB for about $400?

Doesn't seem like a huge price difference between the 2 and 3... like $50 in the aftermarket?

This reminds me how well iPad 2 holds its value that it's 2 generations new and still sells well :)
 
The iPad 3 has the performance of the 2. I only know about two games that run in the native retina display resolution right now: NOVA3 and Aphalt7, and only in the iPad4.

I had the iPad 3 and I used to play NOVA3. It only takes a second to notice that on the 4 the ingame resolution is better and also smoother.
Asphalt 7 just released an update to run, at last, in 2048 x 1536 as well.

The iPad3 is a GREAT iPad, but at the moment of the launch apple could get as far as the chip A5X, and that wasn't powerful enough to let developers launch ULTRA high res games.

So answering your question, i think that if you are looking for hardcore gaming the iPad 4 is a very reasonable election.
 
Ars Technica said that no apps have taken advantage of the new CPU yet. And I think this situation will not change in at least a year. It may be snappier for 1-2 sec in operations but nothing will be groundbreaking. If you have a 3rd gen every credible review on the planet advises you not to upgrade.
 
Poochi said:
You sold iPad 2 32GB for about $400?

Doesn't seem like a huge price difference between the 2 and 3... like $50 in the aftermarket?

This reminds me how well iPad 2 holds its value that it's 2 generations new and still sells well :)
Click to expand...

Traded my 32GB iPad 2 to Amazon for $345 (as-new condition). Bought the 32GB iPad 4 at Target with 5% off, 8.25% sales tax and they gave me a $40 Target gift card. Net cost to me to upgrade - $230.
 
1 Euro a day

I sold my iPad 3 (32 GB LTE) on eBay for 500 EUR. That leaves me with a loss of 233 EUR for using it 7 months. So the cost of ownership have been 33 EUR per month or less than a EURO a day. For someone who loves to have the latest gadget it is an acceptable price. If I had sold it on the day of the keynote I probably would have gotten an even better price.

Once the iPad 5 comes around (presumably in June) I will do the same.

I used to do this with my Macbook Pro until the iPad came around. My Macbook Pro has three years under the belt and is perfectly fine. Still, getting a new iPad once a year gives me great joy :)
 
As of now people who are not hardcore gamers or use other processor intensive apps would probably not tell a difference.

Search the web and this forum for a couple of videos. One shows a comparison between the two doing ordinary consumer type things (starting, opening apps, loading web pages) and the difference is negligible. The other shows editing photos and there is a big difference.

For now, most app developers want to include as many 'pads as possible, including the original iPad, the 2, and now especially the mini. The 4 may have longer legs (be usable for a longer period of time with apps to be released) but it may be an extended period of time before that comes to pass.

If you've got a ton of accessories that use the old 32 pin connector, or buy some now since the price on them should drop, that's another point for the three. If you don't, newer accessories will probably come with the lighting connector.

If you think you may upgrade in a short period of time (say, in a year or two) get the 16 gb wifi refurbed 3 for $379, as it will take the smallest percentage of loss when selling it. If you think you'd like to drive it until the wheels fall off, go for the 4.
 
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I've upgraded every iPad since the original. I did not do so this time b/c the few extras didn't seem worth a $300 upgrade -- about the difference between what I could sell my 3 for and what the 4 costs. I'm waiting for the 5.

Sure the extra processing power is nice, but I don't feel my 3 being all that laggy, and doubt devs are going to make apps so complex right now as to only work well on the 4. Too soon for that. My WiFi works just fine, I don't use FaceTime, and since I have an ATT LTE, the upgrade chip does me no good anyway since it's still won't work w/ LTE outside the US. The only think I'd like is the Lightning port, and that isn't worth even spending $50 extra on.
 
I sold my 3 for a mini. The mini has really been a paradigm shift for the iPad and the old size and weight is no longer acceptable to many if not most. I am expecting a new iPad5 to be thinner and lighter. I am going to go out on a limb here and say that the iPad5 will also be smaller. The screen will be the same size but with the edge rejection technology and weight reduction due to more efficient chips and screen and a smaller battery I believe the big borders we are used to could be trimmed down significantly. It just makes sense. That's why I think the ipad4 is just a placeholder until the 5 arrives.
 
Is 4th Gen iPad really worth it? (vs iPad 3)
Click to expand...

From users who switched: yes

From users stuck with iPad 3: no

Do you feel anything missing on your iPad 3? Will you get it on the 4th?



You're welcome.
 
Koziakauzu said:
From users who switched: yes

From users stuck with iPad 3: no

Do you feel anything missing on your iPad 3? Will you get it on the 4th?



You're welcome.
Click to expand...

If you actually read my post rather than just reading the title and replying you would see that my post is more about the actual content on the App store and the fact that there are few if any apps that even take advantage of the 3. I am concerned that with the push of devs going towards freemium there will be even fewer quality apps and games that will take advantage of the 4.
 
macguy360 said:
If you actually read my post rather than just reading the title and replying you would see that my post is more about the actual content on the App store and the fact that there are few if any apps that even take advantage of the 3. I am concerned that with the push of devs going towards freemium there will be even fewer quality apps and games that will take advantage of the 4.
Click to expand...

That is a legitimate concern, but that is a concern for both the 3 and the 4.

My concern is future iOS releases. We know from the fact that Apple won't put Siri on the iPad 2, that they can and will selectively make older hardware less attractive to keep by withholding a feature, even if the specs indicate it can support that feature, and 'nudge' you towards newer hardware. Is it possible that in the future there will be a release of iOS or an Apple app that will run on the iPad 4th generation and not on the 3rd generation? Is it worth the upgrade cost to potentially future-proof your iPad for a little longer? Or better to wait for the 5th generation?

Who knows...
 
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