Overall iPad 3 disappointing

[twerppoet]

I don't know if it's a far cry. The new camera is from the iPhone 4, the optics and software from the iPhone 4S. The quality should be somewhere in between, though without the flash to help with poor lighting conditions.

Ease of use is of course massively different. However as the old photographers say, 'the best camera is the one you have with you.' If you happen to be holding an iPad at the moment you need the picture you'll be happy there's a good camera in it.

People also get fixated on cameras as social and creative tools. There are a whole range of camera uses that get overlooked, and can be very useful for productive people on iPads: bar code scanning, documenting work, impromptu document scanner, inventory management, etc. While you could take these pictures with a phone instead, you also end up having to copy them to the iPad (yes Photo Stream makes it easier) and then import them into the right app in the iPad. It is much easier to simply capture them in whatever app you need them in.

So while many, maybe even most, people will not be impressed with or need a better camera in the iPad, quite a few of us are happy to have the extra versatility and work saving ability.

I made basically the same argument when many people groused about the iPad 2 getting a back camera in the first place. There is more to be gained by a camera than snapping shots of the sunset. It's a sensor that can be used for hundreds of purposes. The better the camera, the greater range of possibilities that app developers can exploit.

 

[Kaykaykay]

I don't know if it's a far cry. The new camera is from the iPhone 4, the optics and software from the iPhone 4S. The quality should be somewhere in between, though without the flash to help with poor lighting conditions.

Ease of use is of course massively different. However as the old photographers say, 'the best camera is the one you have with you.' If you happen to be holding an iPad at the moment you need the picture you'll be happy there's a good camera in it.

People also get fixated on cameras as social and creative tools. There are a whole range of camera uses that get overlooked, and can be very useful for productive people on iPads: bar code scanning, documenting work, impromptu document scanner, inventory management, etc. While you could take these pictures with a phone instead, you also end up having to copy them to the iPad (yes Photo Stream makes it easier) and then import them into the right app in the iPad. It is much easier to simply capture them in whatever app you need them in.

So while many, maybe even most, people will not be impressed with or need a better camera in the iPad, quite a few of us are happy to have the extra versatility and work saving ability.

I made basically the same argument when many people groused about the iPad 2 getting a back camera in the first place. There is more to be gained by a camera than snapping shots of the sunset. It's a sensor that can be used for hundreds of purposes. The better the camera, the greater range of possibilities that app developers can exploit.

Agreed on many uses for cameras. I've yet to bother barcode scanning with iPad, though, because my iPhone works much better for that. I also use iPhone for capturing receipts for expense reports, for instance. The one thing (besides video calling) that I've used my iPad camera for: I thought I dropped something behind the dryer, and it was awkward to look behind, so I use the iPad camera as a periscope of sorts, lol.

 

[MikesTooLz]

I'm planning to take pictures with my high quality DSLR Camera (cannon EOS Rebel T3).

With my Eye-Fi SD Card in my camera the photo's get instantly loaded into the iPad. So while the camera increase is always a good thing to have I'll probably still use a real camera for photo's. On the other hand for video taking the iPad may just be a better option for the simple fact that the view finder of the iPad vs LCD screen of a camera is much better for framing the video and seeing exactly how you are shooting the video. An the stabalization technology that the iPad uses to stabilize the video. Having a stable video really important if you are moving around and not using a tripod.


(PS no I don't have an iPhone so for those that do and want to use the iPhone over the iPad thats great, but not everyone has an iPhone)

 

[twerppoet]

I thought I dropped something behind the dryer, and it was awkward to look behind, so I use the iPad camera as a periscope of sorts, lol.

You might want to look at the Camera-A and Camera-B apps. You can view (and control) your iPhone's camera on the iPad's screen. Even better for looking around corners. It would be perfect if it included a flashlight mode.

 

[Kaykaykay]

You might want to look at the Camera-A and Camera-B apps. You can view (and control) your iPhone's camera on the iPad's screen. Even better for looking around corners. It would be perfect if it included a flashlight mode.

Thanks I've checked it out before and didn't find need, but good to know it exists if I ever need.

 

[Kaykaykay]

(PS no I don't have an iPhone so for those that do and want to use the iPhone over the iPad thats great, but not everyone has an iPhone)

Agreed that not everyone has iPhone. Surprised so many people want to take grainy photos with iPad when most people's phones have better cameras, and most people have their phones on hand.

 

[MikesTooLz]

Agreed that not everyone has iPhone. Surprised so many people want to take grainy photos with iPad when most people's phones have better cameras, and most people have their phones on hand.

My current cellphone that I got a few months ago has 5MP camera. My previous phone had 3.2PM camera.(both android phones)

 

[A.K]

IMO there is no reason to be disappointed by iPad 3 . Actually I like the idea of apple giving incremental upgrades rather than revolutionary upgrades for each model. It saves me a lot of money as I would have upgraded my 7 month old iPad 2 I'm a guy who likes to keep my gadgets at least for few years( used my old n70 Nokia for 4 years!!!)
iPad 3 is definitely worth if it's ur first tablet or upgrading from iPad first. But from iPad 2 I don't feel the need personally. The display is excellent but I find the iPad 2 display pleasing enough.camera? I won't use my tablet camera for taking photos .nothing to do with whatothers will think but I find smartphone cams to be ideal for quick shot pics that's all. And the processor ...even the heaviest games play without lag in my iPad so this is enough at least till next model.

 

[Kaykaykay]

My current cellphone that I got a few months ago has 5MP camera. My previous phone had 3.2PM camera.(both android phones)

Surprising that newer smart phones come with so few MPs. The top selling ones usually come with 8MPs now:

Best Smartphones Comparison. Compare smartphone reviews and ratings.

There's even one that has 41MPs: Innovation or hype? Ars examines Nokia's 41 megapixel smartphone camera

 

[Kaykaykay]

By the way, I'm not knocking if people want to use their iPads for photos; it's great that we all get our own best uses from our iStuff. It will vary from person to person, whatever priorities are. On this thread, we're basically sharing why some stuff matters to some buyers and not others. That doesn't mean the latest iPad isn't nifty. If I were shopping from scratch, I'd buy the latest one.

 

[Seadog]

I use to do a lot of photography with various 35mm SLRs. Nothing professional, but a few published pictures. Today, it is all casual photography with various digital cameras. The problem is that a camera is only good when it is in your hands. I do not carry any of my cameras at all times. My phone is always with me, but since it is not a smart phone, it only has a VGA camera that is kinda lousy. My iPad is with me almost as much, so any improvement in cameras over my cell phone is welcome. I would love an iPhone, but since I do not need a smart phone, it is a bit wasted.

 

[Mickeylittle]

When I first saw the announcement I was disappointed with the New iPad and determined to stick it out with my iPad 2 but the more i thought about it the more i saw the value in this new model for me so mine will be here Friday the 16th! The retina display is the key for me and I really hope to norice a difference i trying to read text on websites and the like.

As for the camera, I'm excited about that as well because I do take a lot of spur of the moment shots and videos with my iPad of my granddaughter and now I know that they will be greatly improved over what I was taking with the iPad 2.

I also believe that the extra 512 of ram (if it indeed has been bumped to 1 gig) will be noticeable in some of the tasks that I do as well as the new A5X chip and with these enhancements I really look to see a much more peppy experience.

So when combining these features I am now very excited about the new iPad and can't wait till Friday!

 

[KevinJS]

I'm beginning to wonder where one is supposed to draw the line between anticipation of the products of a company, and the second coming of whichever deity one subscribes to.

Let's go back a few years to the prehistoric age of home computing. In 1981, Clive Sinclair pretty much invented the home computer. A few years earlier he did invent the pocket calculator, but I digress. His ZX81 computer had 1 kilobyte of RAM (that is Random Access Memory to those who have never needed to know what the different types of memory are), 8 kilobytes of ROM (Read Only Memory), a monochrome display which output to a television set and no sound.

Three years later, the home computer market had expanded exponentially. 1984 saw such beasts as the Commodore 64, with color display, dedicated sound chip (SID: or Sound Interface Device) and external mass storage in the guise of the 1541 floppy disk drive with a whopping 170 kilobytes of storage per disk. Apple were about to join the fray with such machines as the Mackintosh and Lisa, and IBM had the PCjr, with infrared wireless keyboard.

Then things took off. Various GUIs (Graphical User Interface) left the days of a text based OS behind, although it lurked in the background for many years. 8 bit processors gave way to 16 bit, then 32 and so on. The floppy drive went internal, and was superseded by the HDD. Sound chips like the 3-voice SID gradually turned into equipment which could replace hi-fi sound systems.

For years, computers existed as stand-alone systems, then came the Internet. Acoustic modems capable of data transfer of 300 baud, gradually progressed to internal modems up to 56kbaud, and then into a plethora of broadband systems, becoming wireless almost without notice.

I could go on, but I'm writing a post, not a book. And I'm writing this post on a machine which is drawing it's power from inside of itself, is not visibly connected to anything, has a GUI which makes it's predecessors of only a few years ago look sick. The post is being automatically spell-checked as I type (BY TAPPING ON A PIECE OF GLASS). When I get bored with this I can tap on a different bit of this glass and play games (even Dragonvale if I wanted), or refer to the encyclopedia of my choice, make a video call to any part of the world, play a movie or listen to music. This piece of glass is capable of stuff that Arthur C Clarke referred to as "indistinguishable from magic" and you can go into a store and get one, for scarcely more than the price of a Commodore 64 in 1984.

I invite you to be impressed.

Sent from my iPad using iPF

 

[Lyndon23]

Sold my iPad2 4 weeks ago. The retina display on the new iPad was the deal clincher for me. (the other feature updates are the icing on the cake) My eyes will thank me for it! March 16th can't come quick enough.

 

[DJKNIGHT13]

An excellent post, I think in todays modern era we take too many things for granted and don't realise how far we have come.


The above was in response to the post by KevinJS