Analysis of the new Apple iPad
by Anand Lal Shimpi on March 9, 2012 1:37 AM ESTFinal Words
In many ways the new iPad was a known quantity. We knew to expect a faster SoC, a significantly higher resolution display and LTE support - Apple delivered on all fronts. The new iPad, much like another iPhone, is simply a tangibly improved version of its predecessor.
The iPad 2's display quickly became unacceptable from a resolution standpoint. The 3rd generation iPad's Retina Display completely addresses the issue and creates a new benchmark for other players in the tablet and ultraportable notebook space to live up to. It really is great to see Apple pushing display technology so aggressively and at reasonable price points. I do hope it's only a matter of time before we see a similar trend on the Mac side.
The finer details of yesterday's announcement were interesting - a much larger battery and 4x-nm LTE baseband. Arguably the most important information however is what Apple didn't talk about.
Today we have a first-world-problem with tablets, including the iPad - they are spectacular for certain usage models, but frustrating for others. Tablets aren't notebook replacements yet, but they can be more useful than a notebook depending on what you're doing. At the same time, tablets can be considerably worse than a notebook - again, depending on what you're doing. The solution to having the best of both worlds is to switch between or travel with two devices: a tablet and a Mac/PC. Ideally we'd like to see consolidation where you'd only need one.
Windows 8 proposes a solution to this problem: a single OS that, when paired with a convertible tablet (or dockable tablet like the Transformer Pad), can give you a tablet experience or a full blown desktop OS on a single device. Apple hasn't tipped its hand as to what the iOS UI strategy is going forward. I suspect we'll get some update at WWDC this year, but Apple is playing it very quiet at this point. Microsoft's strategy does bode very well for Windows users who also want a tablet, however it does alienate Windows users who want a more robust desktop experience. It's clear to me that Apple is trying to move the iPad closer to the MacBook Air in its product line, but it's unclear to me whether (or when) we'll see convergence there.
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doobydoo - Monday, March 12, 2012 - link
Yeah it's so dumb. Because nobody ever leaves their iPad in their bag whilst, for example, listening to music, and because no screen has ever been 'pressed' accidentally when in a pocket or a bag.tipoo - Wednesday, March 21, 2012 - link
Agreed, just imagine the tens of seconds a week you would save!ffletchs - Monday, March 12, 2012 - link
I much more prefer the Amoled screen technology, like the one in Samsung Galaxy tab 7.7. Much better colors and insane black levels.Bearman - Tuesday, March 13, 2012 - link
Then you should buy that.star-affinity - Wednesday, March 14, 2012 - link
The new iPad is supposed to have 44% wider color gamut, so you have to compare it to that.I've always thought the opposite, that AMOLED screens have over saturated colors. So I prefer the way iOS devices handles the colors, even if the screens color can vary quite a lot between the devices, especially iPhones. Some has a blueish tone and some are more yellow.
star-affinity - Wednesday, March 14, 2012 - link
Hmm... Oversaturated is one word I guess.deathwalker - Tuesday, March 13, 2012 - link
Ok..so I am not a Apple fanboy. But that having been admitted up front the improvements that the iPad3 bring to the table are very tempting. I still have one major gripe with Apple on the iPad series and that is the lack of storage expansion (if I am wrong I will accept correction). Just about every Android table on the market offers affordable storage expansion via memory card. Why after 3 generations is this still not available on iPad's? Is this a compatibility issue or something or just Apples way of maximizing profits by forcing you to pay 2x the value of additional storage to go from 16 to 32? Help me understand this.bobsmith1492 - Tuesday, March 13, 2012 - link
Why allow consumers the option of a $10 micro SD card when they can charge $100 for the same thing and pocket $90? It's the Apple way. Actually it's the way to do business if you can; for example Dell charges $200 for a 4GB RAM upgrade when you can buy 16GB of better RAM for $75 at Newegg.KaRRiLLioN - Sunday, March 18, 2012 - link
I totally agree that this thing needs removable storage. I've had an iPhone and didn't much care for having to use iTunes for everything when it came to backing up photos, etc. so I ended up going with a Droid 4 this time around. Plus, I much prefer a physical keyboard.The unfortunate reality is that I haven't seen an Android tablet that looks quite as good as the iPad, although honestly, I'd just use a tablet for some light web browsing which is why I am, to this date, still tablet-less.
So far, I prefer using my Dell Latitude 13 since I can do almost anything with it I could do with a tablet or a Windows desktop, aside from playing Angry Birds or Bunny Shooter.
In any case, Apple's strategy is smart, targeting the less tech-savvy people who would be completely lost on an Android tablet. Obviously the vast majority of users on this website are far more in the know about tech than the average consumer who purchases an iPad or any other Apple product for that matter.
Autisticgramma - Wednesday, March 14, 2012 - link
Lets stop this madness, and just call it Ipad 2S with wings.