When the first version of the iPhone was released in 2007, I was very excited to see Apple enter the smartphone market, and I knew that the product would develop into something really special. I held off on getting an iPhone myself until the second generation was released in 2008 because that is when Apple added support for Microsoft Exchange e-mail, but even back in 2007 I was excited to see what the iPhone would become over the years. The current generation iPhone 4S really is nothing more than the idea of the original iPhone with the benefit of years of polish and improvement.
When the first iPad was released in April of 2010, I was very excited about what the iPad could become, but I still hadn't decided if I was ready to get one myself. I didn't become an iPad user until later in 2010 after the release of a number of third party apps demonstrated that the iPad was going to be a powerful business tool. But while the first generation iPad was groundbreaking, you could tell that it had the potential to be something even better. Apple improved the iPad substantially when it made the second generation thinner, lighter and faster and added a FaceTime camera.
The most accurate thing that I can say about the third generation iPad, which I have been using for almost three days now, it is that it satisfies the potential of the original iPad. I hesitate to use the word "satisfy" because that implies that the iPad is now finished. This is obviously not the last generation of the iPad. Future versions will surely be faster, thinner, lighter and will incorporate hardware and software innovations that are beyond my current imagination. Even so, I can't help but think that the third generation iPad is exactly what Apple would have wanted to release back in 2010 if only the technology of the time made it possible. This feels like the perfection of the 2010 version of the iPad. Maybe that is why Apple isn't calling it the "iPad 3" or the "iPad HD" or anything like that; this is just the iPad, the iPad that was always meant to be.
Retina display. The major improvement in the third generation iPad is, of course, the retina display. All of the reviews that I noted last week said that you have to see the screen yourself to appreciate it, and they were right. When I first turned on the new iPad, I was surprised by how great the screen looked. Now that I am getting used to it, the fantastic new screen is no longer a surprise but is definitely a fantastic viewing experience. I cannot even begin to describe how amazing text looks on this screeen, which is so important to me because one of the main things that I do on my iPad is read — whether it be e-mails, documents, websites, etc. And of course pictures also look incredible. Because the iPad is nothing more than a big screen, having the screen look fantastic is the most important thing that Apple could have done to perfect the iPad.
Voice dictation. I love voice dictation on the new iPad. This makes it so much easier and faster to draft an e-mail, enter some search terms for Google in Safari, etc. I'm sure that in the future we will see Siri integrated into the iPad, and that will be nice, but turning voice into text in virtually any app is the most useful part of Siri and it is a welcome addition to the iPad. For example, when I am sitting on my couch and a new e-mail comes in, I love that I can quickly respond to the e-mail by voice without having to move my iPad into a position more comfortable for typing, and I can even use voice to compose a fairly long e-mail without feeling the need to reach for an external keyboard.
Size. I know from the specifications that the new iPad is slightly bigger and heavier than the iPad 2, but I honestly haven't noticed it. Instead, I just notice that the new iPad, like the iPad 2, is much lighter than the first generation iPad and is much easier to hold than the original iPad because of the tapered edges.
I've been testing some of the cases made for the iPad and iPad 2, and for the most part they work with the third generation iPad too. For example, I was surprised to see that even the hard shell of the Joby GorillaMobile Yogi for iPad 2 seems to work, although it is a little tight and I wouldn't be surprised to see a new version released with a little more tolerance. On the other hand, the Happy Owl Studio Leather Shell is such a perfect fit for the iPad 2 that it doesn't work with the slightly bigger third generation iPad.
Speed? The iPad 2 was much faster than the original iPad. The third generation iPad has a much faster processor and has more memory, but most of that goes towards powering the new screen with four times the pixels as the prior iPads. Thus, while the new iPad certainly is faster, it doesn't always feel faster because that speed is being used to make the vastly increased number of pixels work as well as they did on the iPad 2 when there were 25% as many of them.
Having said that, I definitely notice that the new iPad is faster and more responsive when performing some tasks, even if it is not an overall substantial speed increase for all apps. Using Safari, for example, seems snappier. On the other hand, one of the things that I don't like about Notes Plus is that there is a tiny lag between the time that you draw with a stylus and when the "ink" shows up on the screen. I had hoped that this lag would disappear with the new iPad, but no such luck. Perhaps it is the Notes Plus software that needs improvement more than the iPad hardware, however, because my other apps seem sufficiently responsive.
4G LTE. I purchased the Wi-Fi version of the new iPad so I haven't tried out the new 4G LTE on AT&T or Verizon. For people who often use an iPad outside of a Wi-Fi hotspot, I'm sure that this feature will be great, except that I do wonder whether this new-found speed will result in more data use and more expensive monthly bills.
Camera. Yep, the camera on the back is better. Nope, I still don't think I'll use it very often.
Should you get it? Because the third generation iPad is everything that the original iPad wanted to be, the result is that it is a fantastic tablet that is now thin and light, with an amazing screen, that can quickly turn you voice into text, and which has tons of great apps for it. If you are an attorney who has not yet purchased an iPad, now is the time to do so, and you are really in for a treat. If you are an attorney still using the first generation iPad, then I also encourage you to upgrade because of all of the improvements that I noted above.
If you are currently using the iPad 2, it is a tougher decision, and I suspect that most iPad 2 owners will not upgrade. The new iPad is about the same size and weight and is about the same speed. It really all comes down to the screen. If you are an iPad 2 user, there is no question that you will greatly appreciate this new screen, but is it worth spending at least $500 this year instead of waiting another year to upgrade? If you are a heavy iPad user, then I think yes, especially if there is someone else in your family who would appreciate using your iPad 2 after you upgrade. And of course if you want to use built-in super-fast 4G LTE on your iPad, you'll have another good reason to upgrade beyond just the amazing screen.
If you decide to stick with your iPad 2 for another year, my main advice to you is to STAY AWAY from the new model. Steer clear of those Apple Stores, and don't look over the shoulders of friends with new devices. And I'm only half-kidding here. After using the new iPad for a while and then going back to my iPad 2, I was surprised how much worse the screen looked on the iPad that I have used and loved so much for the past year. Text on the iPad 2 appears to be more fuzzy, so much so that I wonder how I never noticed it before, and the screen is much less vibrant. I feel the same way when I look at an old iPhone 3G or 3GS now that I am used to the retina display on the iPhone 4 and 4S, but because the iPad screen is so much bigger, the retina display is much more noticeable.
The 2012 model of the iPad is a joy to use. It retains everything that was wonderful about the 2010 and 2011 models, and adds an amazing screen that makes the iPad experience much better every single time you use the device, plus it adds faster 4G LTE for those who want that option and the handy ability to take dictation. I've already heard from attorneys in my own law firm who became first-time iPad users now that the third generation iPad is out, and I'm sure that this model will result in a ton of new, happy, iPad-using attorneys.
