The New Ipad : 5 Positives and 5 Negatives.

THE NEW IPAD

The new iPad made its debut in India on Friday. So far it has seen a modest response. No frenzied queues of buyers, but given the way iPad 2 built upon the success of iPad, there is hope for the new iPad. There is nothing earth-shattering about the new iPad that can be termed a path-breaking leap. 

Yet, it marks a step ahead in evolution. It is always difficult to better the best-selling gadget, but Apple has managed it in past as proven by the sales of both iPhone 4S and iPad 2. 

Let us see if iPad 3 (Oh, but they don't call it that!) can meet the same success, and more importantly, whether it is for you! We evaluate the top five advantages and disadvantages of the new iPad.


Positive: Camera

When the new iPad was launched, we were disappointed considering Apple could have easily taken a leap of faith and ported a 8 megapixel rear camera to it a la iPhone 4S, but didn't. 

But having played with the new iPad for a few days, we can say that despite having been upgraded to just 5 megapixels (still far better than iPad 2), the new iPad camera can take stunning pictures with fine detailing, once again disproving the theory that more megapixels mean better pictures. Thanks to its image stabilisation, face detection et al, the overall quality of pictures is quite decent. 

Apple launched its iPhoto ($4.99 on iTunes store) photo-editing software in time for the new iPad. It is a lot cooler to edit the photos you shoot with your new toy with iPhoto, and in my view, it is a 'must-have' to go with it.

Positive: Video

The new iPad's awesome camera is all that one requires to click a great video, edit and upload in a jiffy. Okay, the last bit is not possible in most parts of India, but then Apple can hardly be blamed for the mess our networks are in, and the pathetic, expensive bandwidth they provide. 

We loved the experience of shooting full HD videos on the move too, though holding a camera that is nearly 10 inches wide (9.7 to be precise) gets to you after a while, especially if you are a video aficionado! 

For video editing, iMovie ($ 4.99 on iTunes) remains the best option on iPad followed by Photoshop and other, more basic alternatives.

Positive: Display

Positive: Games, Books & News

We have hardly played games on the new iPad in the past four days, but a definite upside will be noticeable on most games once they incorporate retina display. The action games were remarkable on iPad 2 also, but they will be faster and in-your-face on the new iPad. 

But doing just about anything, including even reading news on Zite or reading the same books, seems so much better on the new iPad, not just because of the better display, but also a better and faster touch experience thanks to what is under its hood.

Positive: Good Battery Life

Good enough! Ain't it?

Despite the more power hogging display, processor and 4G radio, the new iPad offers same battery time as iPad 2 ie. 10 hours. For one, it would have meant more cells being added to its frame and the battery optimized. Yet, it is only marginally thicker by 1.4 mm and a tad heavier by 50 gram, still a lot lighter and slimmer than the first iPad. 

Since the difference in weight and thickness is marginal, many users will not feel it. What is better that they won't have to change almost all their accessories. For example, my Belkin cover and Logitech keypad fit the new iPad quite fine.

Negative: Looks the same

Ipad2 and the NEW IPAD

Many were disappointed to see iPhone 4S look exactly the same as 4. But then, the camera and Siri made all the difference and helped people quickly forget the lack of a new design faster. 

Barring the camera and the retina display, the new iPad has very few unique selling points. The fact that it looks almost exactly like its predecessor is a handicap. For those who want their newest gadget to flaunt their status, it will be a sorry buy. Apple has been less than obliging to them. Moreover, nowhere does the new iPad say it is the third generation, or new, for that matter! 

It looks and feels a lot like iPad2 in appearance. However, that disappointment disappears the moment you switch on the new iPad.

Negative: No 128 GB model

Why still 16, 32 and 64 GB? Hey Apple, most users of the new iPad have only just begun, but given any avid iPad lover's average usage and given the new iPad's delightful camera and display, it will be a matter of time before he hits the ceiling of 16, 32 or 64 GB. Considering the price sensitivity of average buyers, one is inclined to believe the first two will sell more. 

And that will be a big irritant: to keep the storage under check because not only the videos and stills, but even the HD movies and apps that you will store on new iPad will consume a lot more space than the iPad 2. Frequent syncronisation via iTunes to just add, delete or download stuff will be an irritant without doubt. 

Given its hardware capability, one is bound to shoot more and view more. Therefore, one may have to upload, download and delete/sync videos and movies more often than one likes. A 128 GB option - even if that made it pricier - would have been in order, followed by 32 and 64 GB. 

It was one of our biggest launch disappointments and Apple could have addressed it. It is particularly more distressing since Apple is loath to let the users load anything without the use of iTunes and use any external storage such as a USB or SD card.

Negative: Data hogger

Sometimes your best qualities can become an albatross around your neck if you are ahead of time. If we consumed a fair bit of data on iPad 2, the new iPad will take that up by a few notches. 

For most Indian telecom users, data usage is a huge concern given the choked and hugely expensive Indian broadband connections they get at home and on the move from providers like Airtel, Reliance, BSNL and Vodafone. The new iPad could mean a bigger drag than iPad 2 on our pockets and mental health. 

Please remember, the iPad 3 experience is so rich and immersive that you may want unlimited bandwidth and lightening fast LTE (or 4G) speeds above 40 MBPS at disposal to deal with your increased needs of videos, movies and apps. Considering that both home broadband and 3G are miserable in India, it may exasperate you at times. 

As of now, there are only two networks in the US and one in Canada that currently support the 4G for new iPad. There is a very remote chance of the new iPad's 4G capability utilisation in India in the near future. Consider yourself lucky if our telcom providers can give even a workable and affordable 3G connexion jo har ek iPad ke liye zaroori hota hai (essential for every ipad)!

Negative: No Siri

SIRI MISSING?

After the successful launch of its much-talked about voice assistant Siri (artificial intelligence if you will!) in iPhone 4S, it ought to have made its way to the new iPad, but didn't. Now that one is a sore miss by Apple. It disappointed a lot of Apple users not to see SIRI in iPad considering how well it was integrated in iPhone 4S. 

Though there is a basic audio assistant to help you around some basic tasks in the new iPad, but no artificial intelligence a.k.a. Siri.

Negative: Not many new apps

It has been a little over six weeks since launch and iOS developers are yet to launch the apps that fully utilise the HD and Retina Display capabilities of the new iPad. But it is a matter of time for they have had a plethora incorporating the same for iPhone 4S already. 

The real juice of the new iPad will be in the apps that optimise its main USP: the display. Until then, even having GarageBand ($4.99) and iTunesU on the new iPad can be uber cool.

Should you buy it?

THE NEW IPAD

The new iPad is not so remarkable an upgrade as iPad 2 was over iPad, or even iPhone 4S was over iPhone 4. And that's where our disappointment lies. 

So in our view, if you are an existing iPad owner, you can resist the urge to upgrade and wait until you have milked iPad 2 well enough. But if you are a new buyer, it makes good sense to buy the new iPad, unless price is a big constraint. 

But then, Apple has done quite well to keep the purchase threshold at Rs 30,500 for the most basic model. And that packs in a far better package than any other tablet currently on the marquee given the sheer pleasure of using the vast App Store eco-system for iPad combined with its user interface and build quality. 

It is high time Apple takes this experience a few notches up by opening up its App Store for Indians to buy films, videos and books to take full advantage of its repertoire and bang for the buck to the iPad buyers.

Courtesy: Neeraj Saxena @  Times Of India

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Apple's new iPad - Review: The best tablet money can buy

The New ipad

The iPad is the kind of product that doesn't come around very often. Like Xerox, Walkman and, more recently, the iPod, it's when a particular product sees so much success that it becomes synonymous with the entire category. Less than two years after its launch, the iPad is already a category-defining product.

Not sure what we mean? Here's an anecdote. Only the other day someone walked into our office and popped the question - "Should I buy Motorola's iPad?" Hint: they were referring to the Motorola Xoom.

Back to Apple's iPad. The new iPad - yes, that's what it's called, not iPad 3 - more on that later - builds on the incredible success of its predecessors. Rather than offering something radically different, the new iPad retains the familiar and throws in some compelling upgrades.

What's in a name?
While the name new iPad has confused, and even amused, many Apple's intention is to bring the nomenclature of its mobile products in line with that of traditional computing devices. The 'new' in the name is surely transitional, and the next iteration would almost certainly be simply called 'iPad'.

The latest generation of Apple's ultra-portable laptop is called MacBook Air, just like the four generations before it. Why should the tablet be any different? Indications are that the next iteration of the iPhone would drop the number from its name as well. Years, instead of version number style monikers, would come to represent every product generation, such that the current iPad would be known as the iPad 2012 in the annals of time.

First impressions
The first thing you notice upon taking the new iPad out of the box is that it looks exactly like the iPad 2. It's not until you hold the new iPad in your hands that you notice something different - it's slightly heavier than its predecessors. People who generally use their iPad with a case or Apple's smart cover probably won't even notice the difference.

If you've never used an iPad before, do not let reports of the extra weight bog you down. Just like its predecessor, extended periods of holding the new iPad promise only joy and excitement, and not hurting hands.

As per Apple's specifications, the new iPad is slightly thicker than the iPad 2, but we couldn't tell the difference. We did, however, experience the new iPad's infamous heat. It definitely runs hotter than the iPad 2 because we don't recall our iPad 2 ever warming up to us like the new one does. It didn't deter us from holding the iPad for extended periods of time, so we filed this away under the 'minor irritant' category and moved on.

Display
It's not until you power it on that the new iPad really begins to shine. The all-new Retina Display is everything that it is made up to be, and more. This may feel like your old iPad but the moment you watch your first video, or simply open your favourite website (this one, of course) in Safari, we promise you'll hand down the iPad 2 to your kids faster than they can spell Chhota Bheem.

The official specs peg the Retina Display resolution at 2048x1536 pixels. That's more pixels than a typical full-HD screen (1920x1080). We could wax lyrical about the new display for hours, but nothing will convince you faster than this simple test. Walk in to the closest shop that has both, the iPad 2 and the new iPad, on demo and play any (full-HD) trailer using Apple's Trailer app. The difference between the two will be evident to even the most casual of observers.

The speakers seem unchanged from the iPad 2, loud enough, but not ones that would ever win an award for sound quality.

Camera
The other big improvement from the iPad 2 is the camera. The rear camera is now a 5-megapixel camera, capable of recording full-HD video, just like the one in iPhone 4. Image quality is noticeably better, and the lens seems capable of taking slightly wider shots as well.

The front-camera is beefed up too and it's perfect for FaceTime, Skype or anything else that you would want to do with a front-camera.

While we remain unconvinced about the need of having great rear-cameras in tablets, truth is, Apple would have been criticised if it had stuck with the generation-old camera. We are yet to see people hold their 10-inch tablets in the air to click photographs en-masse, but it's nice to know you have a quality option to fallback on should you have a "photography emergency".

Processor & GPU
Apple made a rather bold claim when it introduced new iPad's A5X processor with quad-core graphics, saying its performance blows the competition away. While NVIDIA was initially upset at Apple's claims and wanted to benchmark the A5X against its Tegra 3, but the fact that they have gone quiet since probably means they might have conducted the benchmarks in private and realised Apple was indeed right in its claim.

As it turns out, the additional processing power in the new iPad is not a luxury but a necessity. The apps you run may not feel any faster, but there's a lot more going on in the background, even when your iPad is simply displaying a webpage on screen.

The new Retina Display has four-times as many pixels as the iPad 2, which means refreshing the display is four-times the work. The quad-core graphics engine does a stellar job in handling this extra load, which means you'll almost never notice any lag in terms of performance.

However, we did stumble upon one such moment of "lag", while trying to take a screenshot of a full-HD iTunes rental video in action. There was a slight, longer than expected, delay between the time we pressed the home and power buttons and when the screenshot was taken. However, that was the only situation where we experienced any kind of a lag and the iPad handled everything else we threw at it flawlessly.

Apps/ Software
The new iPad has access to all apps that worked on the iPad and the iPad 2. However, apps updated to feature graphics optimised for higher resolution display of the new iPad will look a lot better than older apps. Overall, the iPad/ iOS ecosystem trumps all other competing tablet platforms (if you can call them that) combined, in terms of quality as well as quantity of apps available.

The new iPad also features voice dictation. We're not sure if it was the Indian accent or the speed at which we spoke, but our experience with dictation ranged from the outrageous to downright hilarious, with the most unexpected of results. 

Battery Life
In a departure from usual next generation Apple products, the new iPad is, as mentioned earlier, heavier and thicker than its predecessor. With a faster processor and a bigger display to power, Apple decided to increase the battery size, even if it meant giving up the slimmer, lighter maxim it loves. The move seems to have paid off as the new iPad features the same incredible battery life that made its predecessors famous.

4G/ LTE
"What 4G/ LTE?" you might ask, and rightly so. As of date, India has only one 4G network, restricted to one city/ region, so the 4G/ LTE networking feature seems to be a non-starter. What's worse, even when 4G/ LTE takes-off in our country, the new iPad is unlikely to work in 4G/ LTE mode, since the chip inside is designed to work on a different spectrum than what the Indian networks are expected to use. Customers in UK and Australia are already experiencing the problem and Apple has been asked to stop advertising it's models as 4G in these countries.

The good news is that the new iPad works just fine on 3G-mode out-of-the-box, with performance similar to its predecessor. The GSM version of the iPad (the one available in India) comes factory-unlocked, so you can pop in any compatible SIM. The iPad now also supports the Personal Hotspot feature, that lets you create a Wi-Fi network on the iPad for other devices (like your phone) to use.

Verdict
If you're in the market for your first tablet and not looking for bargains at the very bottom of pit, the new iPad is an absolute no-brainer. Apple products are, often incorrectly, perceived to be premium or expensive but nothing could be further from the truth in case of the new iPad. As of today, no other company could possibly deliver a tablet with iPad like specs at this price-point. Apple manages to do so thanks to its amazingly efficient supply-line and economies of scale.

If you have the original iPad, the present generation offers a compelling upgrade. The new display, cameras and the overall performance gain you'll experience compared to the original iPad, makes the new iPad worth your money.

Things are not so cut-and-dry if you have an iPad 2. At the end of the day, the only thing significantly better in the new iPad is the screen. So is that alone worth spending upwards of 30,500 rupees? Not if you use your iPad for email and browsing alone. However, if you love playing games or watching movies, you should give the new iPad a spin and take a call based on your spending ability.

With Android tablets still trying to get their act together in terms nailing down the hardware as well as the ecosystem to go with it, the iPad seems devoid of any genuine competition. In such a scenario, we can safely say the new iPad is the best tablet money can buy.

Pros

• Stunning display
• Battery life
• Cameras
• Apps

Cons

• Wi-Fi+4G option slightly overpriced
• 4G option not compliant with Indian network(s)

Price: Between Rs. 30,500 and Rs. 50,900.

Ratings
Design: 4.5
Display: 5
Performance: 4.5
Software: 4.5
Battery Life: 5
Value for Money: 4.5 Wi-Fi only, 4 Wi-Fi + 4G
Camera: 4.5
Ecosystem: 5

Overall: 4.5


Courtesy: NDTV GADGETS