Is iPad 3 worth buying?

or is it worthless crap?

It hasn’t been released yet.

Do you believe the iPad 2 is worthless crap? Then you’ll probably say the same about the new iPad. (Note: Apple isn’t calling it the iPad 3. Most likely the iPhone they release next will just be “the new iPhone”.)

Differences between iPad 2 and new iPad:

  • Much better screen (2X resolution in each direction, 40% better color saturation) - they’re now calling it a “Retina Display”
  • Faster processor and video chipset
  • Double the RAM - now has 1GB, which should allow for apps that can do a lot more heavy-duty processing
  • 4G LTE

Other than that, it’s still an iPad.

If you have an iPad 2, is it worth upgrading? If you’re happy with your current iPad, there’s probably no reason. If you don’t have any iPad, is it worth buying instead of an iPad 2? I’d say yes.

I haven’t seen one, but I can guarantee the screen is going to be amazing. It’s got more pixels than my 17-inch laptop. More pixels than my 55-inch 1080P TV. Almost as many pixels as my 27-inch Apple Cinema display. Unless you’re holding it right up by your eyes, you won’t be able to discern the pixels.

Out of curiousity, what do people use these things for? To me, it seems like either a gimped laptop or a really expensive ebook reader, but I’ve never really played around with one.

I use mine for tech support when I go to lunch. Much smaller and lighter than a laptop, has access to the Internet anywhere, full-featured web browser and email client. It allows me to take nice leisurely lunches and still do my job.

I don’t have one myself, but my understanding is that they’re not intended for document generation (qord

I use it for web browsing and email, for watching videos, and apps including many for toddlers. I download magazines and books onto it instead of buying hard copies. It gets used when we travel, I use it when cooking to access recipes etc. Basically it’s an even more portable computer than a laptop.

Mine has replaced my daily newspaper, most of my magazines, 90% of my email and web browsing. Occasionally I watch a TV show or movie on it. It is also a remote control for my MP3’s played through my stereo.

I use my for reading. This includes hundreds of comic books, full color RPG game books, and novels. I use it to navigate. I surf the web, check my email and tweet when I’m on the road.

I only have an iPad 1. I think I’ll be purchasing the new one, since mine doesn’t have a camera. The ability to shoot HD video is attractive.

I too have the first iPad - WiFi only so I want a new one for 3G/4G networking.

As a general comment to this thread IMHO, expecting a tablet to be a computer or laptop or comparing it to them is a sure path to disappointment or arguments. It is something different. I still use my laptop and desktop, just much less than before - things I used to ‘consume’ on them, I don’t.

I find that convenient and worth the cost, YMMV.

I don’t have an iPad but I’ve pre-ordered the new one. From what I’ve been reading around the traps, if I had an iPad 2, I probably wouldn’t bother upgrading.

Note that they’re going to still sell the iPad 2, with a price starting at $399. The new iPad starts at $499.

I won’t be buying it but the iPad 3 is a good deal starting from $500. The higher resolution display makes a big difference it has more horsepower inside as well. I would strongly recommend it over the now cheaper iPad 2. The difference is easily worth $100.

There are some decent options among the Android tablets as well. I like the Transformer Prime which now runs Android 4 and I wouldn’t be surprised if they drop prices to match the iPad2. Samsung is also going to release the Galaxy Note 10.1 which supports Wacom pens which are great for taking notes, drawing, annotating documents etc.

Personally I am not sure I want a tablet at all. I have a big phone; the Galaxy Note which has a 5 inch screen and is a great media consumption device. And I have a laptop. I don’t know if I need another device between those two. What I am really looking forward to is a lightweight Windows 8 convertible tablet which I can also use as a laptop. The Lenovo Yoga which was shown at CES was intriguing.

I was very skeptical when the first iPad came out. At the time though, I got a new job, and instead of buying a laptop to lug between office and home, I decided to get the low end iPad, for stuff like taking notes in meetings, sketching, viewing the storyboards, or just reading the screenplay on it as a PDF, etc.

Within the first week you begin to realize, it’s not really a laptop and that’s the beauty of it. It’s a stripped down, lightweight, notebook-sized “magic window” into your digital domain, where the hardware just disappears, and the software/touch is seamlessly intuitive.

That said, I held out on the iPad 2, and am now chomping at the bit for the new iPad:

4x the resolution. If you’ve seen the Retina display on the iPhone 4, you know it’s a huge difference. Reading ebooks are gonna be great, beside everything else.

Siri and full dictation. I never minded the virtual keyboard on Apple’s touch devices, but that is gonna be NICE.

Quad-core A5X chip. Some real speed.

1080p HD video, and 5MP camera. Plus, IMHO, Apple’s iOS apps are some of the best on any mobile platform. iLife on the new iPad looks killer.

And the real beauty is the seamless streaming/syncing and integration between my desktop Mac, my MacBook and my iPhone. Nothing on the market even comes close.

I was going to get an Android tablet, but… fuck it. It looks spectacular. The retina display will be particularly good for photo editing.

So I’ll end up with an Android phone and an iPad 3 instead. One foot in each camp and the best of both worlds IMO. Anyone know what the expected price is for a 32Gb with 3G/4G?

I thought it was still a dual core processor, but it’s the graphic chip that’s quad core?

I’m getting one.

I have the first generation one (2 years old) and didn’t feel that 2nd was enough of an upgrade to justify the expense (even with selling the first to subsidize the cost). This one is worth the upgrade. In addition to all the things that were mentioned above, it also has a 5mp camera (a significant upgrade over the 2nd generation).

I have the iPhone 4S (my first iPhone - never wanted one until I got my iPad and I still waiting two years to get it) and the retina display is remarkable.

I still occasionally use my laptop, but that’s maybe once a month. The iPad I use every single day and I don’t see that changing.

I think if you don’t have one, or have the first generation, the new iPad is worth getting. If you have the iPad2, this may not be enough of an upgrade - just don’t ever compare your screen to a new one or you’ll want one! :wink:

I don’t have one yet but they’re very big in the pilot community. Charts, approach plates, GPS, real time weather in flight (that one with an extra bluetooth thingie). It seems like half the topics these days on the pilot email list I read are about iPads and the equivalent android devices.

A5X is a dual core chip, the GPU is quad core, and their marketing may be trying to mislead people into thinking it’s a “quad core” machine. Still, it’s two faster cores, and the GPU is beefed up, and the system ram is up, so performance will be snappier.

Simplicio, these are the things I do the most on my iPad

  • email
  • web surfing
  • twitter/facebook social networking stuff
  • ebook reading
  • sheet music for piano (pdf from scanning my own music books using iBooks and digital sheet music downloaded through the MusicNotes app)
  • maps for ‘what’s the quickest way to get to that place’
  • weight watchers app for logging everything I eat and tracking my weight

I have a wifi model - when I’m away from home I just tether it to my iPhone.

I don’t have an iPad or a laptop, but play with my wife’s. Generally I don’t envy her laptop, but the iPad is the perfect device for using around the house. I’ll lie on the couch and watch Netflix, I’ll lay in bed and play chess, or visit SDMB, or play scrabble.

The touch screen is just much easier than a mouse for games. The rotating screen makes a 10" screen as useful as a 15" screen. The form lets you put the screen 10" from your face, without a keyboard hitting your nose.

My wife and I can pass the iPad back and forth for comments. The notebook is usually plugged in, but the iPad is usually unplugged.

In the kitchen the iPad props up, and works for a cookbook in a way a laptop can’t. It’s more secure from splashing droplets and flour dust than a laptop or a cookbook.

It’s a music library, a web browser, a photo album, an e-reader, in a package smaller than a book.