So now that Apple has released another version of it's iPad I'm going to give you what you need to know to make an informed decision, either to buy it or leave it on the shelf. If you look at the picture above can you guess what versions of the iPad are being shown off? Did you even know they were different models? Read on to learn more and find your answers.
So I actually showed off a comparison with the iPad 2 shown left, and the 1st generation iPad shown right. You don't need to see the new iPad because it is the same as the one on the left, except for a slight increase to thickness of just about 0.6mm. Just in case you don't believe me take a gander below.
Looks the same huh? So if you want to buy the new iPad because of looks then this is not for you. The only way to differentiate this thing from the iPad 2 is that there is no 2 on the back of it. The brilliant marketing team at Apple decided not only to name it the same as the original iPad, but make it look just like another iPad. Well done!
Let's hit the specs, which is the only real difference you will see when shopping online for the iPad.
- 1.44 lbs
- 10 hours battery usage on Wi-Fi (somehow the same as iPad 2) and 9 hours on LTE
- 9.4 mm
- 2048 x 1526 resolution retina display (264 pixels per inch)
- Bluetooth 4.0
- 4G LTE for Verizon/AT&T
- A5X processor (dual-core with quad-core GPU)
- Dictation
- oleophobic fingerprint resistant coating
- 5 Megapixel rear facing camera (1080p at 30 frames per second)
So let's break some of these numbers down so we can understand what we are getting.
iPad Screen
Maybe you noticed that ridiculously huge screen resolution. I have good and bad thoughts on this. On the positive end games and other high-def apps will benefit from having a high-res screen. On the negative end some apps and games could look really crappy. I'm all for higher resolution, but why wouldn't Apple be happy with a 1080p screen? Now if you play a Blu-Ray quality video it will actually have to be stretched to fit the screen or possibly have bars on the side. This to me is a huge fail, but at least you get to play Blu-ray quality video without having to compress it to 720 or some other low resolution screen.
For most people the jump in resolution will not be noticeable and here is a great example provided by thenextweb.com who recently went out on the streets of New York to see if people noticed the difference. Enjoy the video.
You will notice a couple of the guys in this video really looked up close to see the difference and got it right. Most people stood straight up and guessed wrong. I'm sure if something intense like Infinity Blade II made for the new iPad was played, they would see the difference. Most people will see the new iPad and think what changed, but for gamers and tech enthusiasts like myself, they will love the new screen.
What I really would have loved to see was a new function for the OS called dual-tasking. If Apple had allowed the iPad to run 2 apps simultaneously side-by-side this would have made it a competitor to Windows 8, and also it would have made a better reason to have such a high resolution. Instead we will still be treated to the same lame old iOS having to go in and out of apps all day long.
What's Under the Hood
I will start with the quad-core graphics processor. Every major blog site was reporting Apple would be putting a quad-core processor in the new iPad to rival chip makers like Qualcomm or Nvidia. They were close, but not quite right. Apple elected to stay with dual-core processing which probably saved on battery life, but bumped up graphics processing. It is obvious when the screen is pumping out the pixels of the new iPad something had to be bumped up in the processing category. This GPU bump will allow the screen to show the brilliant resolution needed for high end games without slowing down the CPU, which handles everything the OS needs to run. I have no problem with Apple electing to hold off on the quad-core CPU. If you look at the Tegra3 chipset which uses a 4+1 processor in the likes of the Transformer Prime tablet, Nvidia manages a very smooth and fast experience that gets only a fraction of the benchmark scores Apple claims on the iPad (Apple is claiming 4x the performance). Granted benchmark scores can be fixed, but the fact Apple has chosen a chipset that gets similar performance on a huge resolution is a great accomplishment.
The new iPad is the first tablet to introduce Bluetooth 4.0. It will join the Droid RAZR, Droid 4, and iPhone 4S as the only mobile products to have it thus far. As far as we know Windows 8 tablets will be requiring it, and I'm sure new Android tablets aren't too far off either. What the new Bluetooth offers is amazing battery life. Imagine buying a wireless keyboard and only using one AA battery for over a year. But the big differentiation is that developers can now use Bluetooth products to enhance their apps. The big accessory this year has been active armbands feeding smartphones and computers information like your distance traveled and heart rate. For many of these you have had to hook it up to USB to feed the data or connect through Wi-Fi. Now Bluetooth will allow these devices constant connection to any app that is programmed to use it.
Who wants a data plan? The new iPad will be including LTE radios at 700 MHz for AT&T and Verizon, but you have to choose which company you want to buy from. The LTE radio will not switch from carrier to carrier, and I would like to know why that is? Is Apple finally letting carriers dictate functionality, or is it a technical issue? On LTE neither AT&T or Verizon will let you use Facetime, but Skype is perfectly fine. Verizon will also let you use your mobile-hotspot capability, while AT&T has disabled it. So it seems carriers are now dictating technology, which Apple has never allowed before (RIP Steve Jobs). But if you are deciding to get AT&T or Verizon's version of the iPad it is a no brainer. Verizon gives you hotspot functionality with data packages up to 10GB if you shell out the big bucks, in addition to far more LTE coverage.
Why did I put an image of the iPhone 4's camera on an iPad post? Because it's the same camera. Except Apple called it iSight to make it sound like it was new, man Apple marketing is getting lame.
$$$
Below is the list of choices if you want the new tablet.
Wi-fi (black or white)
$499 - 16GB $599 - 32GB $699- 64GB
Wi-fi + LTE (black or white)
$629 - 16GB $729 - 32GB $829 - 64GB
I was pretty amazed when I heard just $499 for the Wi-Fi only version, but wow is that LTE price tag a lot. I have a feeling Apple is trying to make up lost profit margin by overpricing the LTE model. No proof, I'm just saying.
For those of you curious about the iPad 2 pricing it has lowered to $399 for Wi-Fi only and $529 for 3G models.
Wrap-Up
So who should buy the new iPad? Well, first let me say if you purchase the new iPad make sure it's the new one and not the 1st iPad. I'm sure quite a few people out there will make that mistake thinking they are getting a deal. Thank you Apple marketing for that little problem. I think anyone who doesn't mind paying a few bucks for high quality games should purchase this iPad. I think anyone who wants LTE speeds because they are heavy browser users or need to download huge files should get this iPad (couch surfers buy Wi-Fi). So other than maybe 1-2 million people go buy the iPad 2 and save $100.
