iPad 3/new iPad One Week Review

Well it has been about a week with the new iPad, here are my impressions.



Retina Display

It does indeed look great. But not "that" great. I still think my old iPad looks pretty good. Also, some web sites are freaking microscopic on this thing. There does not seem to be a simple way to make the default view for all web pages a 110% or 120% zoom level. This is a great feature on Safari, Chrome, and Firefox on the desktop. You can use the built in Accessibility Zoom feature to help with this. But I feel like this make web browsing so much clunkier.



Voice Dictation

Yes, you have have voice dictation available any place you can use a keyboard. It seems to work very well. This seems like a big deal and I don't remember it getting much coverage in the media. This is much bigger than full Siri support if you ask me.



Wifi Hotspot

In the US, you can make your iPad into a Wifi hotspot if you get the Verizon 4G version. Sure my iPhone can do this too. But not nearly as long as it has a lot less batteries in it. AT&T is not supporting this feature and has no ETA for its availability. (Complete madness! They must have known for months about the feature. Not to offer it and then no ETA. Unbelievable!) Originally, I purchased an AT&T 4G iPad, only to find out on launch day this feature would not work. But fear not, you can take your crappy AT&T 4G iPad to an Apple store and exchange it for a Verizon version. That is exactly what I did.



So far so good. More updates to come.

iPad 3 on Sale Now

The iPad3 was indeed announced yesterday by Apple. For a bunch of posts on features and stuff check out:

The Verge

CNET Hands on with iPad 3



Here are the highlights as I see them.

• New Retina display. Twice the resolution of before.


• 2 core cpu, 4 core GPU. Should improve the performance, which was already good on the 2.


• Support for 4G LTE networks from Verizon and AT&T. No contract required. Pay as you go.


• The base Wifi model is the same price, $499.


• Built in support  for your iPad as a Wifi HotSpot. No need for separate device like a MiFi. Checked with Apple sales and the hotspot feature is available on both Verizon and AT&T.

I find that last feature really exciting. My iPhone works as a hotspot, but it has a much smaller battery. With an iPad as a hotspot, you are talking some serious amount of wireless time. Plus, it supports the much faster 4G networks. And if 4G isn't available, it automatically will use 3G if that is available and so on.



Another important note, the iPad 2 is still available at a reduced price of $399. That is a great deal for that device.



Last I checked if you order from the Apple Store, your iPad should arrive on March 16 when the device is available in the Apple Stores. So if you want one, order quick.