New iPad: a Million More Pixels Than HDTV

Courtesy of Walt Mossberg the respected personal tech writer at the WSJ gives his breakdown of the new iPad.  The key takeaway for me is that if you already own an iPad2 there is no urgent need to rush out and get the new iPad even though it has some new features namely the screen and increased speed.  Beware of that speed as we noted in [Video Speed Trap Lurks in New iPad].  I would be interested to hear anyone's comments on their new iPad or even the iPad2 and how you like using it.  I personally have no plans to buy one although I am considering buying a new Mac vs. a PC.

Via Mossberg at the WSJ here

• Apple hasn't totally revamped the iPad or added loads of new features. But it has improved it significantly, at the same price.
• It has the most spectacular display I have ever seen in a mobile device. The company squeezed four times the pixels into the same physical space as on the iPad 2 and claims the new iPad's screen has a million more pixels than an HDTV. All I know is that text is much sharper, and photos look richer.
• If you already own an iPad 2, and like it, you shouldn't feel like you have to rush out to buy the new one. However, for those who use their iPads as their main e-readers, and those who use it frequently while away from Wi-Fi coverage, this new model could make a big difference.
• Along with the unmatched collection of 200,000 third-party programs designed for its large screen, and the large catalogs of music, books, periodicals and video content available for it, I can recommend the new iPad to consumers as their best choice in a general-purpose tablet.
• As I tested the new model over five days, I found I was able to use smaller font sizes to read books and email. The same photos I had enjoyed on the older model looked much better on the new one, not only because of the increased resolution, but because Apple claims it increased color saturation by 44%. One thing Apple hasn't fixed: like all glossy, LCD color displays, this one still does poorly in direct sunlight.

• The new iPad is hardly the first device to use 4G LTE cellular technology, but it marks a huge difference from the iPad 2. On Verizon's network in Washington and Austin, Texas, I averaged LTE download speeds of over 17 megabits per second, faster than most home wired networks. A colleague using a new iPad on AT&T's LTE network averaged over 12 mbps. My iPad 2 running Verizon's 3G network averaged just over 1 mbps. Of course, you can get a Wi-Fi only model, at $130 less. The base $499 model is Wi-Fi only.
• Apple claims up to 10 hours of battery life between charges, and up to nine hours if you are relying strictly on cellular connectivity. In my standard battery test, where I play videos back to back with both cellular and Wi-Fi on, and the screen at 75% brightness, the new iPad logged 9 hours and 58 minutes, compared with 10 hours and 9 minutes for the iPad 2. Other tablets died hours sooner in the same test. In more normal use, the new iPad lasted more than a full day, though not as long as the iPad 2 did.
• Like the iPad 2, the third-generation iPad has front and rear cameras. The front camera, meant mainly for video chats, hasn't changed. But the rear camera, which was awful for photos on the iPad 2, and was estimated at less than a single megapixel of resolution, has greatly improved. It's now a 5-megapixel shooter with improved optics. I loved the photos and videos it took, indoors and out.
• It also allows you to dictate, rather than type, emails and other text. I found this surprisingly accurate. And Apple now has a brilliant new version of its iPhoto software that has been rewritten for the iPad.
• Since it launched in 2010, the iPad has been the best tablet on the planet. With the new, third-generation model, it still holds that crown.