It is no surprise to anyone who knows me, that I received a 3rd Generation iPad on Friday. One thing I immediately noticed in the media upon its release, is how so many people were quick to say it wasn't that big of an upgrade. They could not be more wrong. Late in the day, I heard people say they saw Walmart had them in stock so they must not be selling. People don't lineup at Walmart or Target for an iPad. They go to an Apple store. Smart people order it in advance and have FedEx deliver it right to their house. Why waste your gas and time?
Upon first perusal it looks the same as the iPad2. I say, why change perfection. Under the hood I think there's a lot of amazing features that have been added to this version that make the upgrade worthwhile.
The Screen: It initially looks like what's on the iPad2; however, it will quickly make you remember the day when you first saw HDTV and realized you could never go back to a regular television. It's even more apparent if you compare the new to the old. Even two days later it's amazing to see they were able to get such a crystal-clear screen inside this small device.
The Speed: Not only did they add a much better processor, they also finally enabled the 4G network, which should allow cellular connections to be 10 times faster than they were under the old 3G. As cell companies add more and more of these towers this will allow people on the go to achieve speeds much like they get on their home Wi-Fi network
Another complaint people have is that it doesn't have Siri. I think Siri is great (my wife hates it with a passion), but it's still in beta on the iPhone and if it's not ready then they shouldn't put it on the iPad. They did include dictation, which I'm currently using to write this entire article, other than punctuation. On the new iPad whenever the keyboard appears it now has a microphone icon you can tap and speak what you want to write. It's quick, accurate and actually much better than using the built-in keyboard for quick emails or tweets.
Also with the release of this iPad came a new app, iPhoto. For five dollars this app allows you to do everything the desktop program does and more. It makes editing and enhancing your photos a true user experience.
For everyone who still has the original iPad or even an iPad2, I say pass that along to a fellow family member and get the new iPad. Why didn't they call it the iPad 3? Well, I think Apple is a little gun shy about the number three. Do you remember the Apple three? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_III
Dave Dinsmore is an IT professional with an obsession for high tech toys, especially ones from Apple. When he's not researching and installing the latest gadgets, he's at his day job at Dreamworks Animation.