iPad 3: Yet Another Remarkable Innovation
Intro
Gadget lovers! prepare yourselves to indulge into apple’s latest innovation, the iPad 3. This time apple paid more attention at how to make this iPad more practical and engaging by introducing new technology and improvements that are aimed at enhancing tablet standards. It is customary for apple to introduce a revolutionary addition with every gadget it releases, starting from the very first iPhone.
The iPad 3, or the new iPad, may look like the iPad 2 twin brother, however, and that is not expected, it’s slightly thicker and heavier. A disappointment? Nah!! It cannot be. Apple makes up for this extra weight by providing you with more horsepower, more clarity -retina display- and an astounding connectivity, LTE to be precise.
Looking back at the first and second generation, we will find that apple treated the iPad 3 rather differently and specially. And this can be seen in the amounts of improvements apple have done for the iPad 3 so let’s dig in and find out what makes the new iPad worth your money.
Design:
Unlike the iPad 2 which was notably different from the first iPad, the iPad 3 design and size is rather similar to the iPad 2, there isn’t much of a difference. It is the same 241.2 x 185.7 only slightly thicker than its predecessor at 9.4mm instead of the 8.8 mm iPad2. Everything else remains the same. The power button on the top, and the volume buttons and rocker switch, which you can configure yourself either make it a mute button or use it to lock the orientation, on the right side and of course the home button on the front of the iPad 3 right under the screen. There is also the usual 3.5mm jack for sound and apples own Cupertino socket.
image by : Carla463Display:
The new iPad’s screen, which is a feast to the eye, is capable of 2048 by 1536 pixels, allowing it to house 3.1 million pixels on its 9.7 inches capacitive touch screen. Ironically, a million more than the pixels present in HD TVs which have a resolution of 1920 by 1080. Also, this time apple introduced the retina display in the iPad’s screen providing you with outstanding, eye-candy graphics that can make even photo viewing an exciting experience! It’s just like you are viewing a glassy magazine cover.
The new iPad display is just magnificent, zooming in have never been clearer. Mostly, in many gadgets, when you zoom in, the display tends to get pixilated, however with the new iPad’s technology, the display will always be crystal clear no matter how much you zoom in.
Operating system:
Apple has tremendously improved the iOS. iOS 5.1 has so many changes that one section is not enough to talk about them but it is really worth mentioning. If you are interested to know all about those changes do look forward to my next article which will be fully dedicated to iOS 5.1.
iPad 3 comes equipped with iOS 5.1, the latest stable release in the iOS family. The iOS 5.1 comes with additional new features such as the messages, reminders and news stand. As with iOS 5.0 the 5.1 comes with the iCloud service which is a web-based storage and sync service where you can save your documents, photos, calendars, photostream, etc… and share them with all iCloud connected devices.
What makes it even better is the fact that you do not need a Mac or a PC to fire up your device, with the all new iOS 5.1 you can just un-wrap your device and instantly indulge in pure awesomeness. Also, the new OS comes with a WiFi sync feature meaning if your iTunes and IPad are connected on the same network you can sync files directly over the wifi.
One disappointing setback though, which is the fact that the new iPad 3 does not come with Siri, voice dictation app for messages reminders, calendars etc… apple only makes up for that by installing a dictation app for you messages and other few tasks even though this app can be downloaded from a third party software, so not much of a solution. Also Face Time is only useable over the WiFi and not LTE. Hopefully there is an update for that!
Camera:
With its 5 mega pixels capability, the iPad’s camera is capable of taking photos with a resolution of 2592 x 1944 pixels using the same optical technology present in the iPhone 4S, allowing you to take brilliant photos of your loved ones or your favorite moments. The camera supports face detection, geo-tagging, HDR and touch focus. One disappointment though, it would have been really useful to add a flash light as, at times, we take pictures in dim, poorly lit areas or even at night!!
Also comes with a VGA front face camera which can be used for face time and video calling.
Graphics, interface and performance:
Aside from the magnificent retina display in the ipad 3, the tablet is powered by an A5X quad core processor at 1GHz, giving you 4 times the speed of the ipad 2, resulting in utter smoothness with the touch performance on iOS 5.1, and brilliant multi tasking, outstanding gaming performance and visuals. The way the tablet responds is just magnificent, opening and closing apps could not be smoother allowing the tablet to handle heavy duty apps easily.
One of the amazing games that have been already released for the ipad 3 is Sky Gamblers Air Supremacy, you can swoop through the air in stunning visuals and the processor is powerful enough to manage it with not even a hint of stutter or lag.
Apple claims that gamers nowadays prefer gaming on the ipad rather than the ps3 or xbox360, which seems like a long shot, but truth to be told apple has come a long way since the very first ipad. With its enhanced resolution and retina display we can’t help but to admit that the eye-candy graphics are utterly stunning!!
Connectivity
The iPad 3 comes equipped with a 4G network, namely, LTE at 700 MHz which means that you can get online wherever you are at crazy fast speeds. The new iPad’s LTE network allows you to connect with any carriers of this type of network or all carriers that support iPad Wi-Fi + 3G, with additional support for fast 3G networks, including HSPA, HSPA+, and DC-HSDPA. In addition the IPad allows you to connect 4 IPads together to share and enjoy app, games and many more!
Conclusion
With so many gadgets out there you can’t help but to compare the new iPad with other tablets. However with the market being bombarded with new technologies apple still manages to stand out with its everlasting innovation. The new iPad or iPad 3 offers humongous amounts of improvements that it seems hard for other gadgets to keep up with it.
There are indeed some downsides, such as the absence of Siri and flash light for the camera and sometimes it tends to get hot, not too hot though just warm enough for you to feel it, but apple never fails to impress its fans with its blazing innovation. I would strongly recommend it to tablets fans who are seeking practicality and ease of use.