CNET’s Take on the New $AAPL iPad

The iPad‘s new screen specs are impressive.

 

 

That’s really all you need to know about the new iPad. That, and a reminder that pricing still starts at $499 for a 16GB Wi-Fi model, with 4G starting at $629.

Forget all of the minor tweaks and incremental updates Apple has made to its third-generation tablet. The faster processor, the upgrade to 4G data, the improved camera–it’s all housekeeping. It’s the stuff it had to do. It’s the stuff any manufacturer could have done.

Now, doubling the iPad’s screen resolution to a 2048×1536 resolution that exceeds any current tablet or laptop–that’s a move only Apple has the scale and industry muscle to pull off. At this point, if Apple decides that the next iPad will be made from unicorn tears, I wouldn’t bet against it.

But in this pre-unicorn era, we’re stuck with the new iPad and a design that is virtually indistinguishable from 2011’s iPad 2. The tablet’s glass and aluminum construction is still 9.5 inches tall and 7.31 inches wide. Thickness is now 0.37 inch, weighing in at 1.5 pound.

 

 

This design is not exactly identical to the iPad 2’s, though. Apple knocked the camera quality up to 5-megapixel with 1080p video recording and backside illumination. Apple has yet to release spec information on the front-facing camera, if it’s been changed at all.

The screen
Remember the first time you saw an HD television? You were probably excited about the future but also a little sad that your current TV’s days were numbered. For tablet fans, a glance at the iPad’s new screen may offer this same emotional cocktail of envy and loss.

But what did you expect? You take a product that is 90 percent screen and a company hangs its reputation on making the prettiest products around, and you’re bound to arrived at this: the point when Apple ruins other screens for you.

What else is new?

The iPad’s processor has been upgraded to a A5X. Can you feel the difference? Not really. At least, not in the few minutes I had to play with the tablet. App load times seemed a little faster, but mostly the beefed-up quad-core graphics processor seems to be a necessary measure for juggling twice the pixels of the previous model.

I never felt the idea of Siri on the iPad was as natural a fit as it is for the iPhone. Luckily, Apple feels the same way. While Siri won’t be coming to the iPad, voice dictation will. That said, voice dictation on a tablet still strikes me as weird. I’m assuming you won’t jog with your iPad and while transcribing your every brilliant utterance, the way you would with an iPhone. Also, if someone asks you where to find great Thai food nearby, your phone is likely to be your first point of reference. Still, voice dictation is a welcome addition, and I suspect it will come in handy for dictating e-mails and bypassing the touch-screen keyboard when searching for information online.

I still contend that it’s a bit silly waving a tablet around to capture photos and video, but I understand the counterpoint and I’ll admit that the iPad’s screen makes a better display than any camera or smartphone. Also, if you’re a fan of Apple’s FaceTime video chat, the improved back camera quality is an obvious advantage over the camera in the iPad 2.

And finally, for all of you jet-setting, mobile-data-devouring types, the iPad is now available in a 4G LTE model. Prices for 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB come in at $629, $729, and $829, respectively.

What’s missing?
As far as disappointments go, Apple could have been more aggressive with its processor performance, or perhaps brought the iPads cameras up to iPhone 4S specs. Perhaps it could have gone thinner or done more to extend its lead in battery life.

Heck, let’s also throw in the age-old complaints about Apple’s reluctance to include microSD memory expansion, a dedicated port for video output, or a truly universal charging connection. Oh yeah, and Adobe Flash support while you’re at it.

Personally, there’s really nothing I can point to and say, “Apple has clearly doomed itself.” The company took its already excellent product and updated it with a gorgeous screen.

I suppose the only missed opportunity I can point to is the lack of a Kindle-priced competitor. The rumor mill suggests that Apple may release a smaller tablet later this year, but until then, it seems that Apple’s only answer to the budget tablet craze is its $199 Apple iPod Touch.

Buy it or skip it?
If you have an original iPad, by all means upgrade to the iPad 3. The used market for first-generation iPads is still alive and well and will hopefully afford you at least $100 toward the new iPad that is nearly half the thickness and twice the pixels as the original iPad.

For iPad 2 owners, the question is a little fuzzier. Since the design is virtually unchanged, the question really comes down to how much you’ll appreciate the new screen. If you get a big kick out of showing the latest tech toy, the mew iPad and its industry-first QXGA touch screen should be a crowd-pleaser. If your job involves sales or presentations, the new iPad’s dramatic screen upgrade may also makes sense (as might that 4G connectivity).

The final little push I’ll give it is the same push I’d give to someone considering a better TV or even a new kitchen table: if it’s something you’ll be looking at every day, then spend the money for something that’s going to put a smile on your face. I feel corny saying it, but as a chronic cheapskate, it’s something I have to tell myself often.

Still, cheapskate that I am, if a tablet isn’t already a staple of your daily routine, waiting can’t hurt you. If you’re new to tablets, consider dipping your toe in the water with a $199 Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet.

Final thoughts
I have to admire Apple’s gamesmanship. It was the first to make a tablet people cared about. Then, just when the competition started to feel confident, Apple sliced the iPad to an impossibly thin design. For its third act, Apple has pushed tablet screen expectations to a ludicrous new height.

The competition will inevitably catch up, just as surely as Apple will raise the stakes all over again.