First impression, well....underwhelmed

[ilaila]

I agree with the opinions here .... I had an iPad 1 and now the 3. I love having a camera and some of the other features the 1 does not have but I didn't see a huge difference in the display. If I had not known it was supposed to be better, I may not have even thought to compare. The color is nice and seems to be accurate. For those with an original iPad I think the 3 is worth the upgrade, but I think the difference between the 2 and 3 is minimal.

 

[Kaykaykay]

The greenish tint may be an issue with the glue for the screen. For several years, it has been a panic/gripe point. The glue needs time to fully cure, but not all cure at the same rate. Sometimes when they are in high production mode, there are reports of a yellowish tint. But shortly after, the tint goes away.

Everyone's perception is different. I was comparing my iPad original with my new iPad and told my wife to se how thinner and lighter it was. She could not tell the difference. Sheesh.

Seems that it can depend on the batch.

My iPad 1 is true white. My husband's iPad 1 is yellowish. My iPad 2 is yellowish. (I happen to prefer yellowish.) When iPad 2 came out, some users complained about yellowish tint (overall, not blotches), while others said theirs were true white. This is not related to glue; the iPads in my household look the same as day of purchase, and the screen differences are apparent.

 

[Lunar]

The greenish tint may be an issue with the glue for the screen. For several years, it has been a panic/gripe point. The glue needs time to fully cure, but not all cure at the same rate. Sometimes when they are in high production mode, there are reports of a yellowish tint. But shortly after, the tint goes away.

Everyone's perception is different. I was comparing my iPad original with my new iPad and told my wife to se how thinner and lighter it was. She could not tell the difference. Sheesh.

It won't be glue, it's secured with special double side tape under the black screen border, thats one of the main reasons you have a black border, to hide whats underneath. However the digitizer glass panel which is also secured round the edges directly to the edges of the glass may affect the hue if not 100% perfectly clear, so in effect you look through the front glass then the digitizer screen which is necessary to decode the touch function, and the LCD panel is attached directly to that.
I would think any hue issue is more than likely tolerances when setting up the white balance at the factory, and as the original poster discovered LCD panels when not at optimum brightness can indeed result in their white balance changing slightly.

 

[saholz]

The 3 has a REALLY nice screen, but the 2 was good enough that the improvement doesn't provide an overwhelming reason to upgrade. I was expecting an obvious improvement with anything displayed, but I found pictures and movies to be marginally better. The most noticeable improvement I've seen is with font clarity, which even when zoomed in is exquisitely clear, with no visible individual pixels.

The best improvement I've seen is with the camera, which has gone from barely mediocre to quite good.

This is exactly what my reaction has been. My iPad2 was fine and, I must say, the new iPad is an improvement. I've done several side by side comparisons between pictures I shot with the 2 and the new one, and the difference in image quality is huge. The iPad2's camera was really marginal and barely adequate for any photography. Granted, this isn't its prime mission in life, but it's nice to know you can now expect at least acceptable image quality with the built-in camera. I have my Canon 40D with an assortment of lenses when I get serious, but it is fun to snap away with the iPad.

I too noticed the increase in text resolution ... good text is now razor sharp. I have yet to notice any great difference in graphics quality, but my apps are not optimized for the retina display.

All in all, I would call the new iPad evolutionary rather than revolutionary. A welcome upgrade and, to me, worth the money. It does not, however, leave the iPad2 in the dust which is why, I think, Apple is continuing to sell the iPad2 at a reduced price. Both are great units, but the new iPad has somewhat better technology with its new display, processor, and 4G capability.

 

[Kaykaykay]

I figure it's win-win:

If the new iPad's features are compelling enough to a buyer, that person gets the latest and greatest for the same price as the original iPads.

If the new iPad's features aren't compelling enough to an iPad 1 or 2 owner, then that person is still happy with his hardware and has saved 500 bucks or more.

I'm still happy with iPad 1 and 2, and am thrilled that Apple produced a tablet that really launched the tablet market. I'd wanted a tablet for years, and it took Apple to get one to market that was useful enough for a nontech like me.

Meanwhile, I look forward to seeing what else Apple will come up with.

 

[Daylife]

I figure it's win-win:

If the new iPad's features are compelling enough to a buyer, that person gets the latest and greatest for the same price as the original iPads.

If the new iPad's features aren't compelling enough to an iPad 1 or 2 owner, then that person is still happy with his hardware and has saved 500 bucks or more.

I'm still happy with iPad 1 and 2, and am thrilled that Apple produced a tablet that really launched the tablet market. I'd wanted a tablet for years, and it took Apple to get one to market that was useful enough for a nontech like me.

Meanwhile, I look forward to seeing what else Apple will come up with.

True.

But I could never go back to an iPad 2 ever again after using this sexy beast lol

 

[Kaykaykay]

True.

But I could never go back to an iPad 2 ever again after using this sexy beast lol

That's funny and probably true of many people.

 

[Kaykaykay]

I'm also glad to see that iPad 2 is available for less money, so more people will have access. I'd like to see tablets become really common. I never like attracting attention with my gadgets, and I figure if they become more common, they won't draw attention and will maybe be less likely to attract criminal types.

 

[PolkSDA]

I think that a lot of it depends on what you're upgrading from. I skipped Gen 2, so upgrading from Gen 1 to Gen 3 encompasses all sorts of improvements. Any perceived downside to thickness and weight is a nonissue to me, as they both are improvements over Gen 1.

Different people have different thresholds of perception, so to some people the 4-fold increase in resolution jumps off the screen, but to others its not even perceptible. It's the same as with HDTV. Ever since I went 1080i/p about 5 years ago, I cannot watch SD TV, as it looks like a blocky mess, but others don't see (or don't care about) the difference. My mother is one to whom analog SD TV on a 32" tube is just as good as HD. *shudder*

Me? I got a 32GB Wifi on Friday and my Gen 1 64GB has already been listed on Craigslist...

 

[Kaykaykay]

I see the screen diff between my iPhone 4S and iPads 1 and 2. Just not a big deal to me.

 

[AQ_OC]

Seems that it can depend on the batch.

My iPad 1 is true white. My husband's iPad 1 is yellowish. My iPad 2 is yellowish. (I happen to prefer yellowish.) When iPad 2 came out, some users complained about yellowish tint (overall, not blotches), while others said theirs were true white. This is not related to glue; the iPads in my household look the same as day of purchase, and the screen differences are apparent.

Gosh...I hope my iPhone 4S doesn't turn yellowish. I would not like that at all.

 

[Kaykaykay]

Gosh...I hope my iPhone 4S doesn't turn yellowish. I would not like that at all.

My iPhone 4S screen is white (didn't mention earlier because I was focusing on iPads). It's not a matter of turning yellow; some screens just start off yellowish and stay that way. For someone who prefers true white, that probably would be an issue. Otherwise, not so much.

 

[Lunar]

I figure it's win-win:

If the new iPad's features are compelling enough to a buyer, that person gets the latest and greatest for the same price as the original iPads.

If the new iPad's features aren't compelling enough to an iPad 1 or 2 owner, then that person is still happy with his hardware and has saved 500 bucks or more.

I'm still happy with iPad 1 and 2, and am thrilled that Apple produced a tablet that really launched the tablet market. I'd wanted a tablet for years, and it took Apple to get one to market that was useful enough for a nontech like me.

Meanwhile, I look forward to seeing what else Apple will come up with.

Good sensible opinion, and one I would definately agree with. My wife is now loving my Ipad1 and I'm sure she'll be getting much use & fun from it in 1 or 2 years or more from now. I personally wouldn't have bought a iPad3 had I not wanted a 2nd iPad, same as I won't be buying a iPad4 if this 3 is still serving me well... certainly not just for the sake of owning latest toy. Already lost a fortune doing that with my cars...lol

 

[Spryfly]

OK, been playing around, my unit came with the Brightness turned way down. Now turned up the photos are appreciably better resolution, pretty nice The muddines I stated earlier is gone too, however the white balance is still NOT optimal. Not horrible either, and I would say in comparison my iPad2 is a little toward the red spectrum, but more neutral than the new iPad which is just over into the green. Foliage looks better but looking at the whites they are not quite neutral, and I cannot find any way to change the settings. Will call Apple Support and see what they have to say.

Go over to ZDnet and they have a review, they say it is "warmer", which I disagree with, but they have a side by side shot that shows what I mean. Makes me think it is not a defective unit issue, unless they had a batch.

look down the page at the side by side shot : New iPad not a must-have, but an amazing display | ZDNet

I just posted about my yellow-tinged ipad 3 screen. Greens and red look great, but my blues are green tinged and my tans all look yellow. There is an article on 'gomobile' called 'my ipad screen has jaundice' which is everything I'm experiencing. I think the other posters are correct in that we have to take em back, apparently not everyone is experiencing this problem. I am terrified to let go of my ipad 2 now (and it has a new owner I want to get it into the hands of...) because I feel I'll lose some perspective. I guess I will go by the store Monday. I will certainly report back any news, etc.

 

[KenJr]

The dictation microphone is on the iPad keyboard. But if you use the Apple Bluetooth keyboard, the iPad virtual keyboard doesn't come up, thus no microphone symbol, thus unable to work between speaking dictation and using the Apple keyboard. It's preferable to use the two together, one editing the other. Is there any other way to access the microphone feature?

Ah, found the answer .. As it turns out, pushing the Apple Bluetooth keyboard eject key (top far right) results in the virtual keyboard with microphone symbol appearing, thus allowing the choice of dictation, using the virtual keyboard, or using the Apple Bluetooth keyboard - you can switch back and forth between the three anytime you wish.