New iPad may be a hit with consumers
Here's what I like about the new iPad:
High-resolution screen and faster graphics processor. Developers -- game developers in particular -- will be able to do cool things with the new screen and graphics capabilities. Namco and Epic Games, for example, showed off games in which players fight off numerous enemies at once.
LTE connectivity. Faster data speeds mean not only faster-loading Web pages, but also streaming video that starts nearly instantaneously.
Voice dictation. This new feature can make typing longer email or even documents a lot easier. But it would have been better if Apple's dictation feature, like that on Android devices and Microsoft's Windows Phone 7, did instant speech-to-text translations, rather than doing them in sequential batches.Higher-resolution camera. The new 5-megapixel camera with 1080p video resolution is a great addition. Apple also included the same optics that it built into the iPhone 4S, which should make for sharper and better low-light shots. But the company cheaped out by not including a flash with the camera and by sticking with the same low-quality front-facing camera that was in the iPad 2.
New iPhoto app for iOS. This isn't a built-in feature, but a $5 add-on that brings Apple's popular photo editing program to its mobile devices for the first time. The controls are completely redesigned for the touch interface and allow users to do cool things like change the white balance of a photo with a simple touch.
But here are a few things about the new iPad that disappointed me:
No Siri. The voice assistant feature that Apple introduced with the iPhone 4S won't be included in the new iPad. That's too bad because Siri would have allowed users to access information without having to find the right app.
No iPad mini. Apple is discounting the iPad 2 by $100, but $399 is still a lot to pay for a device. I'd like to see Apple offer a smaller iPad that would be cheaper, easier to hold, one that could compete with smaller tablets like the Kindle Fire.
No built-in handwriting recognition. I'd like the iPad to be able to replace my pen and notebook, but it can't yet. While some apps offer some handwriting recognition, and while you can already use a penlike stylus with the iPad, the device doesn't natively translate handwritten notes into text.
New Apple iPad awesome touch skin
The newly updated iPad isn't a revolutionary device like the original, but it's still likely to be a hit with consumers. Apple (AAPL) is clearly sticking to its oft-repeated formula: Take a popular device, add some significant but not breakthrough updates and offer it for the same price as before. It's worked before and is likely to work again.
That's not to minimize the changes. The new super-high-resolution screen, the improved rear-facing camera and the new, optional 4G data antenna are all welcome additions and likely to please consumers, particularly those who don't yet have an iPad. But they're probably not enough to compel most iPad owners to upgrade. And by not rolling out a smaller, much cheaper model, Apple missed a chance to really broaden the iPad market. Here's what I like about the new iPad:
High-resolution screen and faster graphics processor. Developers -- game developers in particular -- will be able to do cool things with the new screen and graphics capabilities. Namco and Epic Games, for example, showed off games in which players fight off numerous enemies at once.
LTE connectivity. Faster data speeds mean not only faster-loading Web pages, but also streaming video that starts nearly instantaneously.
Voice dictation. This new feature can make typing longer email or even documents a lot easier. But it would have been better if Apple's dictation feature, like that on Android devices and Microsoft's Windows Phone 7, did instant speech-to-text translations, rather than doing them in sequential batches.Higher-resolution camera. The new 5-megapixel camera with 1080p video resolution is a great addition. Apple also included the same optics that it built into the iPhone 4S, which should make for sharper and better low-light shots. But the company cheaped out by not including a flash with the camera and by sticking with the same low-quality front-facing camera that was in the iPad 2.
New iPhoto app for iOS. This isn't a built-in feature, but a $5 add-on that brings Apple's popular photo editing program to its mobile devices for the first time. The controls are completely redesigned for the touch interface and allow users to do cool things like change the white balance of a photo with a simple touch.
But here are a few things about the new iPad that disappointed me:
No Siri. The voice assistant feature that Apple introduced with the iPhone 4S won't be included in the new iPad. That's too bad because Siri would have allowed users to access information without having to find the right app.
No iPad mini. Apple is discounting the iPad 2 by $100, but $399 is still a lot to pay for a device. I'd like to see Apple offer a smaller iPad that would be cheaper, easier to hold, one that could compete with smaller tablets like the Kindle Fire.
No built-in handwriting recognition. I'd like the iPad to be able to replace my pen and notebook, but it can't yet. While some apps offer some handwriting recognition, and while you can already use a penlike stylus with the iPad, the device doesn't natively translate handwritten notes into text.
New Apple iPad awesome touch skin
We touched it. We caressed every bezel. The new iPad is a model of inspired industrial design, and its specs best the previous-generation iPad 2 in all the important areas. But while our hands-on time with the new iPad was admittedly brief today, we nonetheless left Apple’s demo room with an overwhelming sense of, well, “sameyness.”
Very little during our hands-on demo provoked a moment of jaw-dropping awe. The best tablet of 2011 is now undoubtedly better -- but for Apple, is this good enough? If anything, we’ve been spoiled by the performance and finesse of Apple’s existing products. We've become inured to the company's unique charms.
At first glance, the new iPad exudes familiarity -- and not just because most of its features were telegraphed via leaks and rumors during the last four months. The new slate’s physical design is nearly identical to that of the iPad 2, and nothing about its Appley comportment screams, “I’m an entirely new tablet!” The home button remains intact, and all but one physical dimension remains the same.
It’s only when you hold the new iPad in your hands -- and then turn on its screen -- that you begin to notice two key differences.
The first is extremely subtle: The new tablet is thicker. Now, it’s true, you have to be an iPad 2 user to notice the difference, but this latest model really does look a bit pudgier in the flesh. From generation to generation, the tablet’s waist line has grown from 8.8mm to 9.44mm. Who knew such a small size differential could even be noticeable?
We didn’t find the new dimension to be a problem, mind you. During our 15-minute hands-on demo, the extra thickness had no bearing on useability -- nor did the new tablet’s extra weight (the baseline Wi-Fi model has grown from 1.33 lbs to 1.44 lbs). But if you’re obsessed with industrial design aesthetics (or simply want to argue), you can take Apple to task for sliding just a wee bit backwards in the race to manufacture the slimmest, lightest mobile gear around.
The second key difference between the iPad 2 and “the new iPad” (come on, Apple, choose a name already) comes to light as soon as you turn on the screen. Packed with a 2048 x 1536 resolution, and pixel density of 264 pixels per inch, the new tablet’s so-called “Retina Display” is a sight to see.
It doesn’t boast the 326ppi spec of the iPhone 4 and 4S, but during our brief demo we couldn’t discern any difference in display quality between Apple’s best smartphones and newest tablet. This alone would seem to support the company’s overall promise that in a Retina Display, individual pixels melt into nothingness, leaving nothing but brilliant, near continuous-tone images in their wake.
To be sure, the new iPad’s display is drop-dead gorgeous, as well as notably bright. We scrutinized a bunch of high-resolution images pulled from Apple’s new iPhoto app, and found display quality on the new iPad to be sublime. Just one problem, though: All its brilliance notwithstanding, the iPad Retina Display didn’t show us anything that iPhone 4 and 4S users haven’t seen before.
Yes, the pixel density is world-class, but the Retina Display is no longer breath-taking the way it was when it was first introduced in June 2010. It’s a welcome addition to the iPad line, yes, but it no longer reeks of breakthrough technology.
It was much harder to evaluate other new features during our brief hands-on demo. The new iPad supports 4G data speeds, but demo units were locked down to Wi-Fi during Apple’s event, so we can’t comment on the 4G experience. And while we were able to snap images with the new iSight camera, we couldn’t evaluate resulting image quality against competing sensors (including the iPad 2’s).
As for the new A5x processor -- which boasts dual-core CPU functionality, but a with quad-core graphics engine -- we found performance in Safari web browsing and Infinity Blade Dungeons to be blissfully zippy. But, again, without some semblance of comparative testing, it’s difficult to comment on what performance bumps, if any, the new processor provides.
Only a full review will tell the complete story, so please stay tuned for our final, hands-on critique. For now, just enjoy our pretty iPad pictures.
Very little during our hands-on demo provoked a moment of jaw-dropping awe. The best tablet of 2011 is now undoubtedly better -- but for Apple, is this good enough? If anything, we’ve been spoiled by the performance and finesse of Apple’s existing products. We've become inured to the company's unique charms.
At first glance, the new iPad exudes familiarity -- and not just because most of its features were telegraphed via leaks and rumors during the last four months. The new slate’s physical design is nearly identical to that of the iPad 2, and nothing about its Appley comportment screams, “I’m an entirely new tablet!” The home button remains intact, and all but one physical dimension remains the same.
It’s only when you hold the new iPad in your hands -- and then turn on its screen -- that you begin to notice two key differences.
The first is extremely subtle: The new tablet is thicker. Now, it’s true, you have to be an iPad 2 user to notice the difference, but this latest model really does look a bit pudgier in the flesh. From generation to generation, the tablet’s waist line has grown from 8.8mm to 9.44mm. Who knew such a small size differential could even be noticeable?
We didn’t find the new dimension to be a problem, mind you. During our 15-minute hands-on demo, the extra thickness had no bearing on useability -- nor did the new tablet’s extra weight (the baseline Wi-Fi model has grown from 1.33 lbs to 1.44 lbs). But if you’re obsessed with industrial design aesthetics (or simply want to argue), you can take Apple to task for sliding just a wee bit backwards in the race to manufacture the slimmest, lightest mobile gear around.
The second key difference between the iPad 2 and “the new iPad” (come on, Apple, choose a name already) comes to light as soon as you turn on the screen. Packed with a 2048 x 1536 resolution, and pixel density of 264 pixels per inch, the new tablet’s so-called “Retina Display” is a sight to see.
It doesn’t boast the 326ppi spec of the iPhone 4 and 4S, but during our brief demo we couldn’t discern any difference in display quality between Apple’s best smartphones and newest tablet. This alone would seem to support the company’s overall promise that in a Retina Display, individual pixels melt into nothingness, leaving nothing but brilliant, near continuous-tone images in their wake.
To be sure, the new iPad’s display is drop-dead gorgeous, as well as notably bright. We scrutinized a bunch of high-resolution images pulled from Apple’s new iPhoto app, and found display quality on the new iPad to be sublime. Just one problem, though: All its brilliance notwithstanding, the iPad Retina Display didn’t show us anything that iPhone 4 and 4S users haven’t seen before.
Yes, the pixel density is world-class, but the Retina Display is no longer breath-taking the way it was when it was first introduced in June 2010. It’s a welcome addition to the iPad line, yes, but it no longer reeks of breakthrough technology.
It was much harder to evaluate other new features during our brief hands-on demo. The new iPad supports 4G data speeds, but demo units were locked down to Wi-Fi during Apple’s event, so we can’t comment on the 4G experience. And while we were able to snap images with the new iSight camera, we couldn’t evaluate resulting image quality against competing sensors (including the iPad 2’s).
As for the new A5x processor -- which boasts dual-core CPU functionality, but a with quad-core graphics engine -- we found performance in Safari web browsing and Infinity Blade Dungeons to be blissfully zippy. But, again, without some semblance of comparative testing, it’s difficult to comment on what performance bumps, if any, the new processor provides.
Only a full review will tell the complete story, so please stay tuned for our final, hands-on critique. For now, just enjoy our pretty iPad pictures.
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