Why the new iPad is great, but it isn't

[ThatsMeRight]

Apple likes to drip feed and tweak updates, it's a long established tactic and it works. But I think this time they went to the upgrade cupboard and it was quite bare, the smart cover/magnet thing on the iPad 2 wowed more than anything announced last week. 🙄 maybe we've been spoilt by in the past.

It indeed is a long-established tactic and I agree that it works, but I really believe the iPad upgrades, so far, have been disappointing. Nothing big. Not an upgrade like from the original iPhone to the iPhone 3G (the addition of 3G networking*, GPS and of course the App Store which turned out to be huge!).

And it's also not an upgrade like from the iPhone 3GS to the iPhone 4, which really brought us a lot of new features.

* I believe the addition of 3G networking is much bigger than the addition of 4G networking is right now. At the time, there simply was no way to get fast internet on your iPhone without using WiFi. Nowadays, 3G speeds are sufficient: you don't have to wait that long for a page to load, so the necessity of 4G LTE is much smaller.

Maybe it's time to stop reading the apple rumour sites and just wait and see what they announce, the thing to blame for the disappointment in the 3rg gen iPad is the non-stop rabid internet speculation! 😱

I agree with you on this, haha! 🙂

 

[Nautilus007]

So you feel that you are entitled to something that you didn't pay for?

Maybe i didn't type clearly, i paid for a product that is not only great when it launches but will continue to improve with software upgrades.

 

[brand]

Maybe i didn't type clearly, i paid for a product that is not only great when it launches but will continue to improve with software upgrades.

That was never guaranteed when you bought it.

 

[Detrias]

Nowadays, 3G speeds are sufficient: you don't have to wait that long for a page to load, so the necessity of 4G LTE is much smaller.

I dont know which 3G you using, but in Puerto Rico at least 3G speeds from at&t (or any other carrier for that matter) are painfully slow. And this is for normal web surfing, if you want to stream something? Voice over IP? Very far from a seamless experience on 3G. In my opinion internet speed and battery technology is whats holding back technology mostly at this point, so any improvements on this front are more than welcome.

 

[linkgx1]

I think they are doing that from a price point perspective. Laws of demand and stuff. But Apple is also a market leader and doesn't need to innovate until Android or Windows 8 kicks ass. I mean, look at the iPhone vs 'droid situation.

 

[iSayuSay]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_0_1 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9A405 Safari/7534.48.3)

Look @ it this way: if Android did the same would the story be different? Yes. Apple is market leader for now so they don't need to innovate til competition gets fierce

Oh dont worry mate, Android competition already so fierce as they could. But too bad, most of them are blunt competition.

It's always been a reckless spec racing game in Android universe. Make it bigger than iDevice, than it'll all be good. Make the screen larger, make it thinner than iPhone, make resolution a bit higher (while it's only PenTile), make the CPU 1.2Ghz instead of ~800Mhz on iPad/iPhone. Just to impress mindless narrow minded, n00bs spec fetish geeks.
Their typical propaganda: You can get more with less/equal money. Yea yea, sure 🙄

But Android makers don't mind if battery life sucks, or it looks fugly and all plasticky, or even if their apps is full blown with pixelated images or messy icons. Why? Because those aren't their problem, it's developer's fault or Google's, they only make and sell hardware, remember? So any software related problem mostly is not their effin problem 😱

If battery life sucks, just release the Maxx version in a month or two, it'll all be good again. Like .. *cough*Motorola*cough*

Pretty sad to sell your app on Google Play Store (oh yeah, it's the new Market 😱) today, or even any day since the beginning.

 

[linkgx1]

Oh dont worry mate, Android competition already so fierce as they could. But too bad, most of them are blunt competition.

It's always been a reckless spec racing game in Android universe. Make it bigger than iDevice, than it'll all be good. Make the screen larger, make it thinner than iPhone, make resolution a bit higher (while it's only PenTile), make the CPU 1.2Ghz instead of ~800Mhz on iPad/iPhone. Just to impress mindless narrow minded, n00bs spec fetish geeks.
Their typical propaganda: You can get more with less/equal money. Yea yea, sure 🙄

But Android makers don't mind if battery life sucks, or it looks fugly and all plasticky, or even if their apps is full blown with pixelated images or messy icons. Why? Because those aren't their problem, it's developer's fault or Google's, they only make and sell hardware, remember? So any software related problem mostly is not their effin problem 😱

If battery life sucks, just release the Maxx version in a month or two, it'll all be good again. Like .. *cough*Motorola*cough*

Pretty sad to sell your app on Google Play Store (oh yeah, it's the new Market 😱) today, or even any day since the beginning.

That's true. Google has been pissing off lately. And the manufactrers. I hate the Google PLay name....it makes no sense. Samsung did that with the Galaxy SII when they had sky rocket like two months after release. WTF?



If I were Samsung, I would make ONE international phone and maybe two tablet flavors running the same exact OS. If the battery life sucsk, we'll improve it on the GSIII.

No multiple versions: just galaxy s3, no Vibrant or Nexus or anything like that.

 

[Megagator]

Don't post reviews/gripes/praise/justifications/etc. until you've actually used one.

 

[DS3]

I'm shocked to find out dictation requires the internet. Hmm.

 

[SchalaZeal]

I'm shocked to find out dictation requires the internet. Hmm.

Shocking indeed. But I'm holding off on believing this assertion. I'm not sure where the OP derived this information (though I'd be interested in finding out), because as far as I know, Apple has never stated that the dictation feature requires a net connection, nor does it mention such in the official tech specs for the device.

And then, from a purely logical standpoint, if a large part of the (supposed) reason for Siri's absence from the ipad has to do with net connectivity, it makes no sense to then prominently announce a more basic function that also requires net connectivity. (But for the record, methinks Siri is a no-show because Apple didn't want to release a half-baked iteration of her. It's certainly not as simple as porting the iPhone feature wholesale to the iPad.)

Anywho. It'll be interesting to find out whether diction does, in fact, require wireless connectivity.

 

[jackc]

Shocking indeed. But I'm holding off on believing this assertion. I'm not sure where the OP derived this information (though I'd be interested in finding out), because as far as I know, Apple has never stated that the dictation feature requires a net connection, nor does it mention such in the official tech specs for the device.

And then, from a purely logical standpoint, if a large part of the (supposed) reason for Siri's absence from the ipad has to do with net connectivity, it makes no sense to then prominently announce a more basic function that also requires net connectivity. (But for the record, methinks Siri is a no-show because Apple didn't want to release a half-baked iteration of her. It's certainly not as simple as porting the iPhone feature wholesale to the iPad.)

Anywho. It'll be interesting to find out whether diction does, in fact, require wireless connectivity.

I've heard that from multiple sources -- don't have the links off-hand. I don't know much about it though, does it learn from your own voice or based on the server data, or both?

 

[Nova Sensei]

Personally, I spend 99.9% of my iPad time looking at the screen. (The other .1% is the time i'm plugging in to charge). Doubling the resolution of that screen is, in my opinion, a massive upgrade. Not once on my iPad2 did I think, 'gee I wish this thing had more horsepower'. Nor did I ever pine for Siri....

 

[sonicdissent]

Kudos OP. The retina display was enough to get me to upgrade from an iPad 2, but you offer some thoughtful....thoughts. I came in here with popcorn to see some troll feeding, but this is for the most part civil, and you raise some fair points. Cheers!

I think out of the missing things, the better front camera would probably be my biggest priority, because we do use FaceTime quite often. I would like Siri, and I have a sneaking suspicion that this is coming with a software update As far as the processor, it makes no difference to me if performance is up to par, and I don't think I'll have a problem there. Extra ram would be nice, but even that I only notice when I have to reload tabs on the browser.

 

[tanboom]

For me its a mediocre upgrade because:

1. Heavier
2. Facetime camera is crap
3. A decent camera is always incomplete without flash
4. No cpu upgrade (only GPU upgrade thats what X stands for)
5. Still no external storage option (remember it came to Mac very late, so Apple will bring it when they know avoiding it might loose market)
6. 4G is useless in Europe or elsewhere except US
7. Pre-loaded office app is missing
8. Retina is redundant and buzzword. You still have the same number of app icon in one row!

 

[neutrino23]

I dont know which 3G you using, but in Puerto Rico at least 3G speeds from at&t (or any other carrier for that matter) are painfully slow. And this is for normal web surfing, if you want to stream something? Voice over IP? Very far from a seamless experience on 3G. In my opinion internet speed and battery technology is whats holding back technology mostly at this point, so any improvements on this front are more than welcome.

This is not due to 3G itself but to the internet connection used by that cell tower. Even if you have a fantastic 3G connection with 100% signal strength, if that tower is connecting to the internet with a dial-up modem you will see slow internet performance.

I see this as I travel around the US. Some places get great speeds with just a few bars of signal, others show slow connections with full signal strength.

 

[elmarjazz]

For many months there was speculation on what the new iPad would have. Of course we wanted it ALL. Now that its been introduced we have a better idea of what has been included and not.

Still there is a bit of mystery till the new iPad is actually in our hands and a full teardown on what what details on improvements have been included.

I did find the review a thoughtful take on what we know at this time. I too wish we could 'have it all', but the reality is, maybe its enough for now for many of us.

Apple sometimes gives us a far reaching, a ground breaking new product - the 'WOW!' factor. This doesn't seem to be one of those, but it does seem to be a nice upgrade in an evolutionary kind of way. It will be my first iPad. I was waiting for a screen like this for photos and in that way it delivers, and I think its main selling point for many. The next iPad will have more for sure, but for now its what it is. I'm sure I for one will be very happy with it, and in a generation or two I'll want the new 'best' thing. Apple is in the business of selling products, and have a good strategy of product upgrades. For many of us - unless you have to have the newest and best, and have the money to do that - its every other generation or two. Its not like this or the previous couple iPads were unusable.

 

[jbouklas]

It's already been said on this thread, but of course Apple increased the clock speed in the A5X. And besides, a dual-core sub-1GHz A5 in an iPad 2 performs better in iOS 5 than similar dual-cores do in Android. Android phones aren't nearly as optimized (surely a software issue) and run more slowly with the same specs compared with iDevices. Apple didn't go quad core because they don't need to. iOS doesn't tax the device enough for it to matter. When iOS 7 debuts in a year and a few months, some of those features might run better in a quad core, but that isn't an issue right now. The main upgrade in the A5X chip is the graphics processor to handle gaming at a very high resolution, and probably increased RAM for the same reason. The CPU isn't the limiting factor, at least yet.

 

[pcimaging]

One who appreciates Apple's strategies

From a consumers point of view I am pleased as punch with my iPad experience. I had to have my iPad ( first gen ) on my door step day one. Then the 2nd gen came along with the camera and I was in line at Best Buy and got mine day one. I was quick to order the new iPad and will have it on the 16th. I jump at the opportunity to get the best, latest and greatest from Apple because I really like their product quality. They are exactly what most all casual users want in a device, easy to use and highly functional. The App store is top notch with more variety than I could ever need. But, back to the title here. Apple has a fantastic marketing strategy. If you are a share holder or just appreciate a good business plan that turns your products into big bucks, Apple has that. When a company has grown and turned the kind of profits that Apple has in the past 5 years and even more so the past 3, you have to be somewhat in awe. I am in no way affiliated with Apple and have no financial interest in the company or any shares either. I just marvel at the machine they are. It feels good to be the owner of one of their products. Well , in my case it is more like 6 of their different devices.
This new retina display appeals to me most because I am a photographer and so this display will showcase my photos very nicely. The idea of a faster processor and better GPU with more RAM will further improve that experience. My DSLR is an 18.1 mega pixel camera and I shoot a lot in RAW mode so the files are huge. I use that for any serious photos I need. The iPad now has a 5 mega pixel camera which is certainly superior to its's predecessor. I personally would have thought it dumb to put that on the front of the iPad. I actually use the back facing camera to shoot pictures for archiving now. The new 5 mega pixel will improve on what I have been getting. I do not expect it will ever happen that you will find a camera on an iPad device that can produce pro quality results. For the type of device the iPad is , the new camera seems just about perfect. So the display, processor etc. and the camera all help improve the photo experience. The voice dictation for many will be a plus , I can take it but mostly leave it.
To sum it up, Apple continues to offer the latest and greatest innovation in many areas and they know how to market that technology. In the end they win big and the consumer wins too. That is a pretty good deal.

 

[Nautilus007]

That was never guaranteed when you bought it.

That is implied when you buy from a company who brags how great their software and hardware is. Nothing is guaranteed in life but things are expected.

 

[Sdahe]

So now the iPad 2 is junk... I remember a few months ago everybody loving their ipads 2...

 

[Agent-P]

To be honest I was expecting some stupid logic and a terrible "analysis" of the new iPad. But you completely shattered my expectations. Not only did you bring up good points, but you supported them with logical arguments. Nice job. I really agree with the statements on iOS 5.1. I really wanted to see some really cool feature, but I was disappointed.

 

[linkgx1]

Apple's problem is that they innovate so well that they have a harder time when it comes to upgrades. Many people are expecting like it's their first time having sex. This simply can't happen with Apple ALL THE TIME. Because Apple created a new category.....it will become eventually old. With a new category, when others add stuff.....yours becomes old. First mover advantage disappears.

 

[ThatsMeRight]

I dont know which 3G you using, but in Puerto Rico at least 3G speeds from at&t (or any other carrier for that matter) are painfully slow. And this is for normal web surfing, if you want to stream something? Voice over IP? Very far from a seamless experience on 3G. In my opinion internet speed and battery technology is whats holding back technology mostly at this point, so any improvements on this front are more than welcome.

I've never been to the United States, but I've visited several countries in Europe and in the following countries I have actually used 3G (on an iPhone or iPad): Northern-Ireland, England, the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, France, Turkey, Austria and Greece.

In all of these countries I was able to actually stream HD content without stopping/starting/stopping/starting the video all the time, except for Turkey (which actually isn't part of the European Union) where streaming HD content was barely possible but standard browsing was fast enough. Voice over IP does great as well!

So I can only think of few things why your 3G connection sucks:
- Bad hardware
- You choose a 3G plan with low data speeds
- AT&T keeps 3G speeds down

3G speeds are really great and fast, in Europe at least. Heck, if you'd like you could even get dataspeeds of 28.8 Mbps across carriers in Europe.

If I look at the basic iPhone plans in my country, the minimum dataspeeds right now are 7.2 Mbps. That's definitely good enough for VOIP and streaming video. If you go with a more premium plan (so more data, more minutes, more texting etc.), you get a dataspeed of 14.4 Mbps or above.

 

[ThatsMeRight]

No change in opinion

I have now actually owned the third generation iPad for a week and my opinion hasn't changed.

 

[dmccloud]

For me its a mediocre upgrade because:

1. Heavier
2. Facetime camera is crap
3. A decent camera is always incomplete without flash
4. No cpu upgrade (only GPU upgrade thats what X stands for)
5. Still no external storage option (remember it came to Mac very late, so Apple will bring it when they know avoiding it might loose market)
6. 4G is useless in Europe or elsewhere except US
7. Pre-loaded office app is missing
8. Retina is redundant and buzzword. You still have the same number of app icon in one row!

1. The weight increased by .11 lbs - barely enough to even notice in all honesty.

2. The Facetime camera is also used for a select few cases (i.e., Skype/Facetime/GoToMeeting), so it does not need to be as high res as the back-facing camera.

3. Most people aren't going to be using the iPad to take photos in low-light situations, so a flash really isn't that critical a component at all.

4. There was no need to upgrade the CPU side, as the dual-cores were already more than adequate to handle even the most taxing iOS app. The GPU upgrade WAS necessary because the device now has 4 times the number of pixels as its predecessors.

5. There's actually multiple options to store apps/data externally, including the computer you sync to via iTunes, iCloud, and Dropbox. The last thing Apple wants to do is add an external dongle or drive of some sort to the iPad, as that basically kills the form factor advantages.

6. That's not Apple's fault, that's the fault of the wireless carriers' inability to agree on anything. The only reason why there's separate ATT and Verizon versions of the new iPad is because the carriers use different frequencies for their LTE service.

7. Seriously? Windows PCs don't even come with full versions of Office preloaded (unless you buy direct from the mfr and pay $150 or more for the product). Those computers at box stores with Microsoft Office on them only have a trial version, you still have to pay list price for the full version. Furthermore, you can buy Keynote, Numbers, and Pages for $10 each from the App Store, meaning you're paying significantly less than you would for any competing product.

8. You're basing your critique of the retina display based on the number of icons in the row? You have no idea how the iOS interface works, do you? Of course the icons are the same size, because if you made them half the size then people would have more difficulty tapping on the correct one. That's a necessary tradeoff in a touch interface. Also, if you compare the icons on the iPad/iPad2 to the new iPad, you'll notice the the icons themselves are much better looking because they pack 4x the number of pixels into the same area.

Furthermore, the true advantages of the Retina display are not seen on the home screen. iPhone apps look significantly better at 2x on the new iPad, photos and movies look much sharper and have significantly better color reproduction (the new screen covers about 96% of the SrGB color gamut), text is significantly sharper and clearer, and games and apps designed for the new display look amazing.