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Is the new iPad worth it?
WITH one day until its worldwide launch, iQueues are now forming outside Australian Apple Stores.
But is Apple's third iPad really worth buying? News Limited procured a model ahead of its launch to put the new features through their paces, from that Retina Display to its controversial 4G promise.
NEW LOOKS
The new iPad's screen is its most obvious upgrade and it impresses at first glance.
Apple calls it a Retina Display and claims users will be unable to distinguish pixels with the naked eye. Our attempts to do so only resulted in eye strain.
It's an impressive technological feat for a tablet and sitting beside an iPad 2 the new screen looks significantly crisper and offers much greater contrast.
Greens and blues pop from the screen, details appear in app icons and, strangely, text is one of its biggest beneficiaries. Whether you're looking at emails, books or websites, it appears you've slipped on a fresh, more powerful pair of spectacles.
Some images don't look quite as sharp on this iPad, however, simply because they haven't been created with its new high resolution (2048x1536) in mind. It's also worth noting that the iPad's screen has a lower pixel density than that of the iPhone 4 (264ppi vs 326ppi).
Ultimately, this display could be worth the price of an upgrade for some.
NET CONNECTION
Apple offers a "4G + Wi-Fi'' version of the new iPad but that 4G tag will not apply to Australian use.
The iPad uses a different frequency to Australia's 4G networks (1800MHz) and, as such, our Telstra SIM card did not deliver a 4G icon or 4G speeds during testing.
This iPad does offer faster mobile download speeds than its predecessor, however, as it uses dual-carrier HSPA connectivity, nicknamed 3.5G.
To test its speed, we pitted the new iPad against the iPad 2 and Samsung's Galaxy Tab 8.9 4G.
Samsung's 4G tablet came out well ahead of the pack, offering mobile internet downloads more than 18 times faster, on average, than those on the new iPad.
The new iPad proved more than twice as fast as its predecessor for net downloads, however; a speed boost that should be noticed and welcomed by users.
SNAPPIER CAMERA
The iPad 2 introduced cameras, but the new iPad makes them truly useful.
The rear camera on this iPad is entirely new, featuring a 5-megapixel resolution (up from a meagre 0.92 of a megapixel), a five-element lens and an infra-red filter for even colour. The results are impressive, even under close inspection, and easily good enough to print.
The camera also adds face detection, full high-definition video recording and video image stabilisation, which proves handy when wielding such a large device.
The new iPad doesn't offer many in-camera options (you'll need to open iPhoto to tweak white balance, for example), its digital zoom is best avoided, and the front-facing camera offers the same webcam-like quality as before.
Users may also look naff using such a massive camera in public, for which Apple cannot be held responsible. They do say the best camera is the one you have with you, though.
MORE POWER
The new iPad offers a modest power jump, thanks to a dual-core 1.5GHz processor in its A5X chip, but the real boost is to its graphics processor. That quad-core graphics chip promises to render images quickly and deliver smoother gameplay, amongst other benefits.
It's tough to judge this addition right now, when app makers are creating games and updating existing titles to exploit this new power. Cut-scenes in titles including Infinity Blade II are delivered smoothly and easily rival console titles on this tablet, however, and future titles offer great potential.
SHOULD YOU BUY IT?
Tablet newcomers have an easy decision to make on launch day. If they plan to side with Apple in the tablet war, the new iPad is a wise investment.
Similarly, upgrading from the first to the third iPad is a huge leap forward in speed, features and portability.
It is iPad 2 owners who may struggle with the upgrade decision. It may not have a numerical name, but the new Apple tablet has a touch of "iPad 2S" about it.
Its screen is indisputably better, its camera produces print-worthy pictures, and the quad-core graphics should make mobile gamers smile, but it doesn't reinvent Apple's tablet.
The old iPad 2 still stands up as a capable gadget and to ditch it after just a year could seem wasteful (unless you can pass it down the family tree).
Had Apple managed to deliver Aussie 4G in this tablet, it could have been a 'must-buy'. As it stands, the new iPad feels more like a 'do-want'.
Tipard iPad Video Converter
But is Apple's third iPad really worth buying? News Limited procured a model ahead of its launch to put the new features through their paces, from that Retina Display to its controversial 4G promise.
NEW LOOKS
The new iPad's screen is its most obvious upgrade and it impresses at first glance.
Apple calls it a Retina Display and claims users will be unable to distinguish pixels with the naked eye. Our attempts to do so only resulted in eye strain.
It's an impressive technological feat for a tablet and sitting beside an iPad 2 the new screen looks significantly crisper and offers much greater contrast.
Greens and blues pop from the screen, details appear in app icons and, strangely, text is one of its biggest beneficiaries. Whether you're looking at emails, books or websites, it appears you've slipped on a fresh, more powerful pair of spectacles.
Some images don't look quite as sharp on this iPad, however, simply because they haven't been created with its new high resolution (2048x1536) in mind. It's also worth noting that the iPad's screen has a lower pixel density than that of the iPhone 4 (264ppi vs 326ppi).
Ultimately, this display could be worth the price of an upgrade for some.
NET CONNECTION
Apple offers a "4G + Wi-Fi'' version of the new iPad but that 4G tag will not apply to Australian use.
The iPad uses a different frequency to Australia's 4G networks (1800MHz) and, as such, our Telstra SIM card did not deliver a 4G icon or 4G speeds during testing.
This iPad does offer faster mobile download speeds than its predecessor, however, as it uses dual-carrier HSPA connectivity, nicknamed 3.5G.
To test its speed, we pitted the new iPad against the iPad 2 and Samsung's Galaxy Tab 8.9 4G.
Samsung's 4G tablet came out well ahead of the pack, offering mobile internet downloads more than 18 times faster, on average, than those on the new iPad.
The new iPad proved more than twice as fast as its predecessor for net downloads, however; a speed boost that should be noticed and welcomed by users.
SNAPPIER CAMERA
The iPad 2 introduced cameras, but the new iPad makes them truly useful.
The rear camera on this iPad is entirely new, featuring a 5-megapixel resolution (up from a meagre 0.92 of a megapixel), a five-element lens and an infra-red filter for even colour. The results are impressive, even under close inspection, and easily good enough to print.
The camera also adds face detection, full high-definition video recording and video image stabilisation, which proves handy when wielding such a large device.
The new iPad doesn't offer many in-camera options (you'll need to open iPhoto to tweak white balance, for example), its digital zoom is best avoided, and the front-facing camera offers the same webcam-like quality as before.
Users may also look naff using such a massive camera in public, for which Apple cannot be held responsible. They do say the best camera is the one you have with you, though.
MORE POWER
The new iPad offers a modest power jump, thanks to a dual-core 1.5GHz processor in its A5X chip, but the real boost is to its graphics processor. That quad-core graphics chip promises to render images quickly and deliver smoother gameplay, amongst other benefits.
It's tough to judge this addition right now, when app makers are creating games and updating existing titles to exploit this new power. Cut-scenes in titles including Infinity Blade II are delivered smoothly and easily rival console titles on this tablet, however, and future titles offer great potential.
SHOULD YOU BUY IT?
Tablet newcomers have an easy decision to make on launch day. If they plan to side with Apple in the tablet war, the new iPad is a wise investment.
Similarly, upgrading from the first to the third iPad is a huge leap forward in speed, features and portability.
It is iPad 2 owners who may struggle with the upgrade decision. It may not have a numerical name, but the new Apple tablet has a touch of "iPad 2S" about it.
Its screen is indisputably better, its camera produces print-worthy pictures, and the quad-core graphics should make mobile gamers smile, but it doesn't reinvent Apple's tablet.
The old iPad 2 still stands up as a capable gadget and to ditch it after just a year could seem wasteful (unless you can pass it down the family tree).
Had Apple managed to deliver Aussie 4G in this tablet, it could have been a 'must-buy'. As it stands, the new iPad feels more like a 'do-want'.
Tipard iPad Video Converter
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