Should I want the Ipad3 too?
February 29, 2012 9:32 AM Subscribe
Very happy owner of Ipad2. But, inspired by this AskMeFi, wondering if I should be eager to acquire the new Ipad3. What say you, well informed hive mind?
Best answer: The upgraded screen and the upgraded processor/memory to support it are a given at this point, upgraded cameras are extremely likely, and LTE is possible. It's definitely a bigger upgrade from the Ipad 2 to 3 than it was from 1 to 2.
That being said, I'd wait at least another year. With the screen especially, it'll take a little while for apps to come out that really show it off, and by then you'll be halfway to the iPad 4. Get two years out of your iPad 2, and then sell it (or pass it down) while it still has some value left.
posted by Oktober at 9:43 AM on February 29, 2012
That being said, I'd wait at least another year. With the screen especially, it'll take a little while for apps to come out that really show it off, and by then you'll be halfway to the iPad 4. Get two years out of your iPad 2, and then sell it (or pass it down) while it still has some value left.
posted by Oktober at 9:43 AM on February 29, 2012
Best answer: First of all, the thing hasn't even been announced yet. Keep that in mind. Everything you read on the internet is a rumor at this point, even if some of them are very substantiated.
Of the popular rumors, it sounds like its getting a retina-esque hi-res display. If you've ever played with an iPhone 4 or 4s, you know what this is like. It also sounds like its getting a faster processor, which could be as insignificant as "the thing goes faster" or could be as huge as "this processor is so good, there are now apps that you can get that ONLY run on the iPad 3," which has happened to earlier versions of the iPhone. Lastly, it looks like it might have a better camera. I don't know about you, but aside from facetime and playing with the photobooth app with my two-year-old, I think I've used the back-facing camera once in the year I've owned the iPad 2.
So, all this is to say, just wait until it gets announced and decide from there.
posted by teriyaki_tornado at 9:45 AM on February 29, 2012
Of the popular rumors, it sounds like its getting a retina-esque hi-res display. If you've ever played with an iPhone 4 or 4s, you know what this is like. It also sounds like its getting a faster processor, which could be as insignificant as "the thing goes faster" or could be as huge as "this processor is so good, there are now apps that you can get that ONLY run on the iPad 3," which has happened to earlier versions of the iPhone. Lastly, it looks like it might have a better camera. I don't know about you, but aside from facetime and playing with the photobooth app with my two-year-old, I think I've used the back-facing camera once in the year I've owned the iPad 2.
So, all this is to say, just wait until it gets announced and decide from there.
posted by teriyaki_tornado at 9:45 AM on February 29, 2012
Best answer: One of the major differences is the (rumored) LTE connectivity. That's amazingly fast, close to a local wireless network fast, compared to the 3G technologies of the iPad2. As a network portal, it will be hugely better than the previous generations.
Watch your data plans though.
posted by bonehead at 9:52 AM on February 29, 2012
Watch your data plans though.
posted by bonehead at 9:52 AM on February 29, 2012
The thing very much has been announced because people know about it and news organizations have been reporting on it for months.
It hasn't been released yet, but that's coming a week from today.
posted by emelenjr at 9:54 AM on February 29, 2012
It hasn't been released yet, but that's coming a week from today.
posted by emelenjr at 9:54 AM on February 29, 2012
Are you unhappy with your current iPad? If so, what is wrong with it? Are those things better in the new one?
posted by Threeway Handshake at 9:55 AM on February 29, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by Threeway Handshake at 9:55 AM on February 29, 2012 [2 favorites]
No one outside of Apple even knows what hardware is going to be in the thing. There is no need to even think about it until next week.
posted by demiurge at 9:55 AM on February 29, 2012
posted by demiurge at 9:55 AM on February 29, 2012
Best answer: Speaking as someone who was blown away by the retina screen on the iPhone, the display alone is enough for me to upgrade to the iPad 3. The wife got my iPad 2.
If the iPhone is any indicator, it will not take long at all for the quality apps to support the new resolution.
posted by entropicamericana at 9:56 AM on February 29, 2012
If the iPhone is any indicator, it will not take long at all for the quality apps to support the new resolution.
posted by entropicamericana at 9:56 AM on February 29, 2012
That's amazingly fast, close to a local wireless network fast, compared to the 3G technologies of the iPad2.
LTE, at least the real version based on GSM standards, will also much more of drain on the battery than 3G (W-CDMA.)
Best bet for tablets (and notebook computers) is to go with WiFi only and tether from your smartphone. That way you only have to pay for one wireless subscription.
posted by three blind mice at 9:58 AM on February 29, 2012
LTE, at least the real version based on GSM standards, will also much more of drain on the battery than 3G (W-CDMA.)
Best bet for tablets (and notebook computers) is to go with WiFi only and tether from your smartphone. That way you only have to pay for one wireless subscription.
posted by three blind mice at 9:58 AM on February 29, 2012
Best answer: Tethering may be a moot point, both AT&T and Verizon are getting to roll out "shared data" plans any day now. Pay $x a month, split 5GB between your phone, iPad, and laptop.
posted by Oktober at 10:00 AM on February 29, 2012 [3 favorites]
posted by Oktober at 10:00 AM on February 29, 2012 [3 favorites]
Pretty much what can be taken from the annoucement picture yesterday:
Retina display
No home button (to me this indicates some sort of touch/smart bezel, which was patented by apple last year)
You already have an iPad 2, why don't you just go try an iPad3 out when it is released?
posted by wongcorgi at 10:44 AM on February 29, 2012
Retina display
No home button (to me this indicates some sort of touch/smart bezel, which was patented by apple last year)
You already have an iPad 2, why don't you just go try an iPad3 out when it is released?
posted by wongcorgi at 10:44 AM on February 29, 2012
Of the popular rumors, it sounds like its getting a retina-esque hi-res display.
There's a 100% chance this is true-- macrumors actually got one of the diplays and put it under a microscope to check the resolution. Unless some other tablet manufacturer is getting there first (extremely unlikely) and somehow their source got confused as to where it came from, I think that one, at least, is guaranteed. That's not something you can fake.
posted by empath at 11:02 AM on February 29, 2012
There's a 100% chance this is true-- macrumors actually got one of the diplays and put it under a microscope to check the resolution. Unless some other tablet manufacturer is getting there first (extremely unlikely) and somehow their source got confused as to where it came from, I think that one, at least, is guaranteed. That's not something you can fake.
posted by empath at 11:02 AM on February 29, 2012
No home button
There's no way you can know that from the picture.
posted by empath at 11:03 AM on February 29, 2012
There's no way you can know that from the picture.
posted by empath at 11:03 AM on February 29, 2012
Best answer: You can see a comparison of the screen pictured in the invitation Apple sent out for the product announcement (presumably the screen in the iPad 3) and a photograph of the iPad 2 screen here. That is a pretty striking difference, and has me ready to upgrade my iPad 1 as soon as humanly possible. I use it as an eReader a lot, so a better screen has major implications for me. If you use it for other purposes, the screen resolution might not be so important.
posted by Rock Steady at 11:04 AM on February 29, 2012
posted by Rock Steady at 11:04 AM on February 29, 2012
Rock Steady: Since both images are 95dpi (obviously, since they're the same size & you're viewing them on a 95dpi display...) any differences between the two that you can see at this point are purely psychological (or just differences in rendering choices rather than absolute quality). The reality distortion field lives on :)
posted by pharm at 1:37 PM on February 29, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by pharm at 1:37 PM on February 29, 2012 [1 favorite]
(Obviously the real thing ought to be qualitatively better, since it's going from resolvable pixels to effectively unresolvable ones at normal viewing distances as I understand things.)
posted by pharm at 1:42 PM on February 29, 2012
posted by pharm at 1:42 PM on February 29, 2012
Do you really need one? You're already happy with the iPad you have, so why spend the rather large amount of money on a new one? It seems like the sort of thing that would give a temporary burst in happiness, followed by indifference.
posted by !Jim at 10:26 PM on February 29, 2012
posted by !Jim at 10:26 PM on February 29, 2012
This thread is closed to new comments.
The display should be enough for me to upgrade from my original iPad 64GB 3G. I'm eager to see what's different too.
posted by santaliqueur at 9:38 AM on February 29, 2012