Hands On the New iPad

It finally happened. I got to use one of the new iPads. The obvious first impression is that it is difficult to tell the difference between it and an iPad 2. If you have both together then the screen is the dead giveaway. It is that much sharper.

As stated by others, if you have a working iPad 2, then canning it for a new iPad doesn't really make sense. Yes there is a slight speed improvement, but that is mostly for graphics performance. And even then, this performance is offset by the fact that there are four-times the number of pixels in the new iPad's display. Apple calls this a Retina display and it shows 2048-by-1536 pixels.

What is really impressive is when you compare the new iPad to one of the original iPads, or better yet an Android/WebOS based tablet. This is where speed is the major factor. Speed is also going to start to be a factor in Apps for iOS. For instance, the new iPhoto App from Apple. This amazing App will not run on the original iPad. It just isn't fast enough. The same goes for Adobe's new Photoshop Touch for iOS. There are a few games coming that also will not run on the original iPad.

This doesn't mean that the original iPad is now worthless. It is not even two years old yet, give it a week, and is still a versatile device for web surfing, emailing, chatting (just without video), gaming, writing, scheduling, etc. With several hundred thousand Apps available, even an original iPad can do more than other tablets.

The new iPad with updated processor, 5-megapixel camera with 1080p HD video, Retina display, and 4G data option is a nice upgrade from the iPad 2. For those who have the original iPad, what are you waiting for?