The "New" iPad Review You Didn't Ask For

PRE-RAMBLE

If you're an avid reader of the blog: A) You're lying and B) you might remember my review of the Kindle Fire .

What avid and non-avid readers may not know is that after one-too-many glitchy and ultimately leaving-something-to-be-desired interactions I boxed up the Fire and sent it back to Amazon. After seeing how much my wife enjoyed her iPad, I decided to get back my $199 and apply it to the then-rumored iPad 3.

And that brings us up to today. After a couple weeks of getting my finger grease all over this beauty, here's what I think.

RETINAMAZING

The big (and some would say only) significant upgrade to this iPad from the iPad 2 is the Retina display. Now, I've read a few reviewes that seem to describe the new screen as some sort of LCD aurora borealis. Something that you can just gaze at in awe for hours on end.

I wouldn't go that far. But I will say the screen is the best looking computer-esque display I've ever laid my near-sighted eyes upon. It is incredibly sharp. Text is sharper than my e-ink Kindle, even as you zoom way in. Sometimes the screen is too good. But really that's only when an app hasn't been optimized to the new resolution. Games and images that aren't up to snuff look pretty pixelated. But the ones that are optimized do look fantastic.

Looking at it side by side with my wife's iPad 2 there's really no comparison. The new one is remarkably sharper. I really can't understand how the people in this video couldn't tell the difference.Via The Next Web

As for it's video playing acumen: HD video, either running from the device or streaming through the Netflix app, looks great. Non HD video looks OK. Still, I'm not about to cancel my DirecTV and trade in my HDTV. But it's a very capable back-up when the TV is occupied by Vampire Diaries. Or I guess I could read a book. But...screw that.

SPEAKING OF BOOKS

The Kindle Fire has a long way to go, but the regular Kindle can breathe easy. Even with the ultra-sharp text I still think my regular Kindle offers a more pleasant reading experience. I tried all the different settings on both the Kindle and iBooks apps (sepia is the best in my opinion), but the e-ink is simply easier on the eyes.

However, the iPad is really good for interactive magazines. I raved about them in my review of the Kindle Fire and on the iPad bigger is indeed even better. Well, except for the magazines that aren't optimized for the retina display. Those are borderline unreadable. And I'm still not convinced they really need to be 500MB+ per issue.

PICTURE (SORT OF) PERFECT

iPad photos aren't great no matter
how awesome the subject might be.

Photos, unsurprisingly, look great. Unless the photo was taken by the iPad itself, that is. They upgraded the lens and the and the bumped up the megapixels. But photos still don't look great. Not that taking photos with an iPad makes much sense in the first place.


The most pleasant surprise so far is the photo editing app Snapseed. I was going to buy the new iPhoto app, but changed my mind after seeing Snapseed got significantly better reviews. It's a very simple but pretty powerful way to enhance and touch up pictures. Whether you want to Hipstamatic-ify your pics after the fact, add some bitchin' effects and filters, or just tweak saturation levels, I can't imagine an app that makes any of that easier. For years I've wanted to learn Photoshop. I may not have to anymore. 

A perfectly nice photo...

Also on the content creation front, I tried out iMovie. It's been a little tricky for me to sync up cuts, transitions, and edits. But it's getting better with practice. My main issue is that I wish it was easier to access videos from my computer. But it's not too shabby for a tablet based video editor. And Garage Band is a good time, but ultimately just makes me wish I was a better musician so I could write songs for real. 

...completely jacked up
by an idiot using Snapseed

FUN & GAMES

The gaming on the iPad is even more fun than I expected. Even casual games are more engaging on the "big" screen compared to the iPhone. The caveat again is that the games need to be optimized for the new screen. And it certainly doesn't outperform the XBOX 360 or anything. But the graphics are getting pretty impressive.





THE VERDICT: THIS IS YOUR DAD'S iPAD 3. (IF YOU HAPPEN TO BE ONE OF MY KIDS.)

Yeah, I don't think I'll be sending this one back. The new iPad is everything I hoped it would be. A great browsing and content devouring experience. And a better than expected content creation experience. (Just to say I did it: I'm even typing this long-winded review on the iPad and it hasn't been horrible. Though I did have to jump on my computer to add the photos and video)

There are a few things about it that would make me hesitant to completely abandon a laptop. Those things are mostly limitations of how the OS currently works and a few functional things (right-clicking a mouse is a very underrated experience). But tablet domination might not be that far away.

That said, I agree with those who say that it may not be worth it to upgrade from an iPad 2. But if you're currently without iPad (and want one) it's definitely worth the extra $100 to buy the new iPad over a new iPad 2.

My only semi-regret is not buying the Verizon 4G LTE version that can also act as a 4G hotspot for up to 4 other devices. I didn't learn of that handy feature until after I got mine.  That would be nice in various family travel scenarios, but isn't really something I'd use much.

In conclusion, I can only say, well done Apple. Well done.

RATING YOU DIDN'T ASK FOR: ★★★★-1/2