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

So now that it's been a while. If you upgraded from iPad 2 to iPad 3 was it worth it?

I'm still in love with the retina display. I was not going to upgrade my 2 if the 3 did NOT have the retina display. To me, the screen alone was entirely worth it. I do a lot of reading on my iPad, and the text is just crystal clear. It was noticeably grainy and jagged on the iPad 2 and bothered me a lot, especially when going back to my iPhone 4 and seeing how nice the text looked.

That being said, I don't blame anyone for not upgrading. The 2 was a terrific device and still is.
 
nuckinfutz said:
As an iPad 2 user i'm gonna be pissed when Siri comes to the new iPad.
Click to expand...

Me and you both...What pisses me off is that the iPad 2 technically is the same in regards to the iPhone 4S...I can understand the 1st Gen iPad not getting it, but they have no reason to not let the iPad 2 get Siri except the fact they want users to buy the new iPad even more even though they still sale the iPad 2.
 
jojoba said:
For me, definitely, and I wasn't even planning to upgrade. I use my iPad several hours every day as an e-reader (pdfs for work), and the retina screen has really made a difference for me. The text is super crisp. If I had just used it for recreational web browsing, I might feel differently about it.
Click to expand...

That is exactly what I think about my upgrade.
 
I skipped on the iPad 1 and was all set and ready to go for the iPad 2 (which was rumored to have the Retina display since the iPhone was getting/had it). I then skipped the 2 completely since it didn't have it. Got the 3 and couldn't be happier. I'm a part time designer so image and text clarity are huge for me and I can easily tell the difference in screens on a 2 and 3.
 
rocknblogger said:
So now that you folks have had the iPad 3 for quite a while was it worth the upgrade from iPad 2? I know it was well worth it going from iPad 1 but I specifically want to hear what the iPad 2 owners think of it now. I know the screen is great I get that. But if you set that aside then what do you think?
Click to expand...

Well for me, the screen IS the main reason, and too significant to just put aside. I really couldn't go back at this point, and the screen alone makes it worth it.
 
-TYLER said:
How useful will Siri actually be on a iPad... More of a novelty
Click to expand...

I really hope they open Siri to developers, then it might actually serve a purpose for me.

----------
Leewalker19 said:
but they have no reason to not let the iPad 2 get Siri except the fact they want users to buy the new iPad even more even though they still sale the iPad 2.
Click to expand...


except the fact they want users to buy the new iPad
Click to expand...

All the reason they need.



In terms of upgrading from 2 to 3, it really depends on the screen. If you play graphically intense games and such, you won't find much difference, but if you read a lot, not just books but websites as well, jump for it. It's obviously not the same as the jump from 1 to 3, in which I bet there would be a 100% "go for it" rating.
 
I actually just upgraded today from a 2 to a 3 specifically so I could read macrumors forums in all it's crispy texty goodness! And it's totally worth it!

I still feel like my 2 has a better screen for brightness and viewing angles but retina display really, really helps if you do a lot of small text reading.
 
Just have both...

I personally think if you get an ipad3, keep the ipad2 as well. The question ends up 'is it worth losing an iPad 2 for sub200 on eBay?' For me, with a wife and 2 kids and no multiuser support, I find it perfect to have 2 iPads, one for my work and reading, one for the wife and kids to read/play on.

The issue was, if I sell the ipad2 I could only afford a discounted droid device, then have to buy all the apps again... And be behind. Plus there's still no droid device as well built as an iPad.

I would never have updated just for personal/family use. Kids don't know the difference with retina, I remember playing nba jam on game boy advance, I don't remember the crap graphics, I remember the game.
 
I just got the 3 and was a little surprised to see the difference in usable storage.
The iPad-2 has 58.12gb free and the iPad-3 only has 57.17gb.
I guess that dictation takes up some space.
:)
 
I was disappointed by the difference the retina display made from demoing it a few minutes in a Best Buy. However, over the following weeks, I became increasingly sensitive to and bothered by how pixelated my iPad 2 looked, so I bought an iPad 3.

The iPad, with its greater intimacy, calls for us to bring our eyes much closer to the screen. I was used to an effectively retina display with my 27" iMac because of viewing distances; I wasn't getting that with the iPad 2. It took having a great display to realize how much a relatively mediocre display hampered my enjoyment of the iPad. I use my iPad 3 much more often than I did my iPad 2.
 
Last edited:
I'm sorry i upgraded. I also bought the verizon 4g version. Very slow and coverage is spotty, have had to replace bad sim but it hasnt really helped. The ipad itself needs to be charged more than the 2 and at lesst for me the retina doesnt do much more for my eyes. The ipad is a great device and i love it and use it a lot but the 3 isnt any better than the 2. The best advance in the 3 is the camera. I just replaced my 13" 2011 mbp with the 2012 base 13" mba and i see myself using the mba almost as much as the ipad3.
 
The Retina display alone was enough to make me upgrade from the 2. With Siri coming to the new iPad in iOS 6, I'm even happier that I made the jump.
 
Retina display is definitely worth the upgrade to me ... I was able to sell my iPad 2 for a decent price though, so the upgrade cost wasn't too much.
 
My wife has the iPad 3, I have the iPad 2. Yes, the retina screen is significantly better than the regular screen, so we mostly use hers for web browsing, but the iPad 2 is still good enough.

With that said, if I had a chance to upgrade for $100 or so I wouldn't even think about it and do it. AS it stand now, I will wait till iPad 4 comes out.
 
Ipad 3 definitely worth it

I have had the iPad 1 & 2 previously and can tell you the iPad 3 is definitely worth it. Not only is the display dramatically improved, but the video rendering is phenomenal. As a comparison, I have a macbook air from 2011 that struggles with 1080 video playback. After a minute, the air stutters and the sound doesn't match the video sequence. The iPad 3 never has a problem with video playback. And with ATT LTE service and a bluetooth keyboard, you have a very useful notebook that can access the internet or VPN's from anywhere. The iPad 3 is what I primarily utilize when I need to access the office network when out of town.
 
I happily kept my iPad 2 which I had absolutely zero complaints with & bought a new iPad 3 upon release. It too is very nice. The display is the focal point of much conversation, and while it's obviously better than the iPad 2 display, it's a bit over rated.

Now after quite a few months with both, I'm satisfied. Each has their strengths.

When I'm asked for a suggestion as to which one to buy, a question I get frequently. I always match my advice to the persons needs. Many simply don't need a retina display. Especially since when on certain web sites there's not much if any difference.

Personally as a huge Apple enthusiast I always upgrade to the latest while keeping the previous model, yet that's just me. It's not the appropriate choice for most people.

I'm not one to fawn over everything Apple makes, just because it's the latest & I have it. I'd much rather be honest and dispense advice that suits another user well.
 
I am biased

BUT


For Internet surfing (for all sorts of reasons)' light email, I cannot see upgrading my iPad 2 for at least 2-3 more years. Just makes no sense whatsoever for me. It is a cool toy I use 3 hours a day, but I never ever thought to myself " this screen sucks" so ............
 
Fattytail said:
Just curious, but why isn't it your iPad 1 sitting in your drawer instead?

My two cents: worthy upgrade in my opinion if you use your iPad primarily for reading books. Retina display makes reading so much better. It's not that the iPad 2 has a poor screen by any means, just that the high res screen on the iPad 3 really is just such a joy to use.

That said, if you don't have money to burn, I'm guessing the iPad 4 will bring a lighter form factor, better power management (i.e., better battery life) and additional goodies.
Click to expand...

Sorry it took so long to respond but a valid question.

My iPad 1 is 64GB and is the home of a lot of media, movies, tv shows, music, podcasts, itunes U, and audiobooks. The only apps that I use on it are Netflix, time warner cable for live tv.

I checked trade-in value at bestbuy and some other sites and they weren't giving good numbers. Bestbuy was offering $195 for a 64GB wifi iPad 1, which is $5 less than a 8 GB iPod touch, and $205 less than a 64GB iPod touch. If portability isn't a concern, I find the iPad 1 much more useful so I was leaning towards keeping that one. I also have a great Belkin grip case and excellent handmade wood stand that fit it perfectly.

My iPad 2 is wifi 32GB and while it was great, when you spend hours a day reading books and websites in Safari, research, studies, and actual work for my current job, I find the iPad 3 screen a pleasure. I used the 1024x768 screen when I had to switch bc I hadn't charged my iPad 3 in 3 days, the difference was noticeable. Not bad, still worked but the text quality was noticeable once you have been using and iPad 3 for awhile.

The iPad 2 is in the drawer bc I wiped the iPad 2 with fresh OS 5 install but haven't decided to sell it or which of two friends is most worthy of an unexpected gift :)
 
OCICILIONI said:
I have had the iPad 1 & 2 previously and can tell you the iPad 3 is definitely worth it. Not only is the display dramatically improved, but the video rendering is phenomenal. As a comparison, I have a macbook air from 2011 that struggles with 1080 video playback. After a minute, the air stutters and the sound doesn't match the video sequence. The iPad 3 never has a problem with video playback. And with ATT LTE service and a bluetooth keyboard, you have a very useful notebook that can access the internet or VPN's from anywhere. The iPad 3 is what I primarily utilize when I need to access the office network when out of town.
Click to expand...

Same feeling here. I went from at 2 to a 3 and it was totally worth it. I can't believe such a small and relatively low powered device does such an amazing job an rendering video and complex web pages. Small text is readable and I use it in portrait mode much more now compared to the iPad 2. The screen is gorgeous, but it will spoil you forever once you get used to the high resolution. Now I've become used to the retina display, nothing else compares. My MBA 13" now looks primitive and I want to trade up to to MBPr - will it ever end?

However, the 2 is still a great device for those who are happy with the screen, want to save a bit and don't feel the need to have the latest and greatest.
 
i also have iPad 2 and feel no need to upgraded to 3, as it's enough for me to use it. ... i will change it when 4 is coming...
 
tillsbury said:
On the other hand, having used the ipad3 for a while, I now hate the look of the ipad2. This is comparable to being spoilt on a PC for a higher resolution -- you can't go back once you're used to it. I'm expecting the same to apply with the Retina MBP. So, if you don't want to spend the money, don't use one! Once you have, you won't want to go back.
Click to expand...

I noticed the same on my ipod touch. I tried my daughters Ipt & moms Iphone and they felt archaic, based on the screen alone.

But I have yet to be spoiled to the screen of the ipad retina and am still debating on getting $320 Ipad 2 or just waiting on the 4th gen.

I have the $ saved up, But I am reminded of my macbook pro purchase of the pre icore 13" because my old laptop died on me, I held out till they released them just not in the 13". Then the next update had it.

I got an ipod touch for portability, which I love having it all the time, But I want a portable sketch pad.

I'm nervous about paying $5-600 on a mobile sketch pad/multimedia device, and having an accident or it getting swiped. I keep wondering If I could get by on an ipad 2, for a year or 2 and either get a 4th or 5th gen and either sell or give the ipad 2 to my kid. Or If I should just wait another year on the 4th gen.
 
Last edited:
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