Now I am decidedly not the type of person who rushes out to buy a new product the day it is released. But it so happened I had a $100 coupon from Futureshop that I had diligently saved since February in the event that the new iPad did show up before the coupon expired at the end of March. So I was able to get a brand new iPad at the old iPad price.
Evidently I wasn't the only one who had diligently saved the coupon, because my one disappointment when I arrived (the store had opened early for the occasion, at 8 AM, but I wasn't expecting line-ups and didn't rush myself that much) was that the black 64 GB model was already sold out. With no new arrivals of any type anticipated for several weeks, I had to settle for white. [It actually turned out to be a surprisingly good thing, but I'll save the whole white vs. black debate for another entry. Suffice it to say my new iPad, christened "Pearl", and I are very happy together.]
So I've lived with the new iPad for almost two weeks now, and am ready to make a complete, and hopefully unbiased review of how it compares to my old, first generation model, in everyday usage.
The Display: Is It ”Resolutionary”?
The tag line for this year's iPad announcement was "It's Resolutionary". So is it?
I fully expected to be one of those people who turn on the screen, is totally blown away and waxes rapturously poetic about the new retina display. Only I wasn't overwhelmed, at least not at first. It looked very nice and sharp and clear ... but not astonishingly different from my old iPad.
It's one of those things that definitely grow on you, though. The more I used it, the more I realized just how much better it really is. And when I loaded the same magazine (not a high def. file, but a decent one) and put the two iPads side by side, it was obvious. The new one is not only sharper but seems to have more colours, and better and more accurate colour too.
Reading on the web or in apps like Zite is much nicer as well. My magazines and comics look fantastic too. And I read an optometrist pronounce the new iPad better for the eyes, saying it will cause less fatigue and eyestrain - particularly among those who read extensively. (Although I also read a curmudgeonly reporter who griped that the display is too sharp and eyes need a bit of fuzziness to be comfortable, so I guess it's debatable.)Tiny print is still tiny print, but tiny and clear is a definite improvement over tiny and blurry in my mind.
Older iPad displays are still good ... but the new one is great, and once you get used to it you won't want to go back. Everything just looks way too pixelated on the old models. And one added, unexpected bonus, is that apps designed for the iPhone look astonishingly better. It's almost as if they are native iPad apps. I don't know all the technical reasons for it, but the difference in them is particularly stunning.
TIP: I read the new display is best used with the brightness auto-adjust feature turned off. I don't know that it makes much difference to me, but I do like being in control, so mine is off.
What About the Other Features?
Although the retina display is obviously the big draw in this iteration of the iPad, other areas have been improved as well.
Camera:
Although the front camera stayed VGA, the rear camera saw a major upgrade to a 5 MP iSight one. I don't care especially about the front one; I don't really video chat ... and if I did I don't think I'd want all my imperfections to be that clearly visible anyway! But the rear one takes pretty darn good pictures, especially when the lighting is good (they're a bit fuzzy in very low light). Of course you're not going to walk around the streets taking photos with your iPad, but if the dogs are doing something cute it's really nice to be able to just snap a shot. Video (1080p) is good too. And the whole thing cost less than my 4 MP digital camera did a decade or so ago. I think that's a pretty good deal.Processor:
The processor got an upgrade as well, though a more modest one. It did end up as the dual-core A5X, but it's paired with a quad-core graphics chip. There is also double the amount of RAM, it's up to 1 GB now.I can only compare it with my original iPad ... and it's noticeably faster, particularly with graphics-laden web pages. The upgrade from the iPad 2 is more modest, but graphics intensive apps are supposed to be running much more smoothly.
4G LTE:
I can't speak personally about this one, since I'm strictly a wifi gal, but connectivity is supposed to be significantly better. Of course it will always depend on your carrier and location.A Few Quibbles ... And One Last Benefit
Charging time/Warmth:
Along with the faster processor and better graphics, of course you need a bigger battery. In fact, the inside of the new iPad is almost all battery. And bigger batteries, unfortunately, are going to take longer to charge. I spent most of my first day with Pearl waiting for her to charge. I didn't get to actually use her until some six hours after plugging her in. (Unlike some lucky people, she came with no charge at all.) That lengthy charge time has led to some complaints. There are also complaints about warmth on the unit. After substantial use, I do find it a bit warm on the bottom, but nothing extreme. It's lukewarm really, and is actually quite pleasant on a cold Quebec day. It's certainly nothing that would burn your hands or lap, and if you have a case on you'd probably never even notice it. As for the charging, I do it overnight and I'm good to go for three days or so. Actual battery life seems pretty much unchanged from previous models: about ten hours, depending on what you're doing and how bright your screen is. Of course I'd like better battery life - who wouldn't - but for now this is about as good as it gets and I can live with it.Shape:
Because Pearl is an upgrade from the original iPad, this is my first time experiencing the more tapered shape introduced with the iPad 2. And I don't particularly like it. I know it's thinner and lighter, but it also feels less substantial and harder to hang onto. Perhaps that's why repairs for breakages on the iPad 2 were three times that of the original. One encouraging study did show that the new iPad is substantially less prone to cracking when dropped than the iPad 2, but I still miss the clunkier shape of the original. It felt safe in my hands, more book-like. The slender edges of the new one seem ever ready to slip from my fingers. I definitely suggest investing in a good, protective case that's easy to hold. For now Pearl is encased in a silicone sleeve (a Dollarstore find); I'm keeping my eyes open for a nice folio case like I have for my original iPad. Most iPad 2 cases should fit fine (the new model is just a few millimetres thicker).Storage:
The one wish I didn't get was in terms of storage; the new iPad comes with the exact same disk size options. That's despite the bigger apps, books, magazines and photos that inevitably accompany it. I know I can also store stuff on my computer, or in that nebulous "cloud". But I'd still like the physical space to have as much as I want too, and I don't have unlimited bandwidth to download and redownload perpetually. I did upgrade to 64 GB ... and it's already more than half full without even installing all my apps, and only adding two CD's and couple of videos (alright there is about 7 GB of magazines and comics ... but that's what my iPad is for first and foremost: reading). When it comes to storage, my philosophy is you can never have enough.Bluetooth 4:
This is one unexpected little bonus that nobody's making much mention of. But Bluetooth 4's better power management is supposed to make any connected devices last significantly longer: 5-10 times as much. A Bluetooth mouse or keyboard could conceivably go 5-7 years on one battery - probably longer than the device itself! I didn't notice much difference in the initial connection speed, but if my keyboard wants to last ten times longer, I certainly won't mind.Recommendations
So what is my verdict? Easy: BUY IT! If you're in the market for a tablet and don't have one yet, this is the one to get; it's simply the best tablet there is bar none. If you have the original version, the combination of improved screen, faster processor and cameras make it well worth the upgrade. If you have the iPad 2, you could probably hold out another year; after all, you still have the second best tablet around! (Try to avoid looking at other people's new iPads, though, or you'll find yourself with a serious case of tablet envy.) But if you do read extensively or love taking pictures, it's probably worth the upgrade. As always, get the most storage space you can afford ... likely it still won't be enough.
ONE LAST TIP: Although I initially set up Pearl as a brand new iPad, I quickly learned it isn't worth it. Do a backup of whatever iPad you already have and restore from that. Afterwards you can add, delete and tweak to your heart's content. It takes awhile - especially if you have 30 GB of apps and data to sync - but if you don't you'll spend hours reinstalling and organizing your apps and files. Worse, you'll likely lose your progress in games - and maybe even your purchases. I had several games I'd downloaded when they happened to be free. When I tried to play one initially (after setting up the iPad as new) not only was I back at level one (I'd been at 40!), but it didn't register as the full version and was suggesting I pay to upgrade! I think not. Restoring solved that problem, and I was very pleasantly surprised to find it restored all my comics and magazines too, even to the right folders. (The only thing that didn't work, oddly, was the books I'd added to Apple's own iBooks app. Strange.) So restoring from backup is definitely the way to go. Right after doing that, you can rename the new iPad and start making separate backups and customizing each one as you please.
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