The Neonpunch.com Review of the Third-Generation iPad ...

Monday 19 March 2012 9:35 am

Our first weekend with the newest Apple device.

We?ve had a good couple of days playing with the new iPad from Apple and even though our review seems to match a lot of the other ones we?re going to tell you what we thought anyways because you want a Hong Kong perspective, right?

We gave you some of our immediate reactions in Friday?s post, so we?re going to expand on it here:

Retina Display

From the very first time you turn on the new iPad you will notice the amazing clarity in the screen. In comparison, looking at the iPad 2 is like looking at a movie on VCD and one on Blu-ray. Once you get used to the new retina display you can never look at the iPad 2 again. It?s amazingly clear ? your email, webpages and photos all POP out like crazy. Probably the same feeling you had when you first saw a Blu-ray movie too.

The problem with this is that it?s too hard to show you images of what it looks like. Our camera cannot capture the difference either ? you just have to see it to believe it. You can click here to see a lock screen we are using of a HD image of the Avengers movie poster ? it clocks in a 6MB for the 2048 x 1536 pixel screen capture ? it?s so clear you can count all the hair in Tony Stark?s beard.

See this photo full size.

See this photo full size.

The 5-Megapixel Camera

People complained that the iPad 1 had no camera ? and then when the iPad 2 had the camera, people complained it wasn?t as good as the iPhone 4 camera ? so with the new iPad Apple delivers the full package: an iSight camera to match the iPhone 4S! The photos are amazing ? check out this one we shot of Causeway Bay on Friday night.?We?ll post a longer photo gallery in an upcoming post that will focus on the camera because we?re just so excited about it.

It also shoots HD 1080p video right from the iPad and with the new iPhoto and iMovie apps you can edit your photos and movies on the go with an amazing screen and upload direct to Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or even your iCloud website all with a click. So now the iPad matches your iPhone 4S BUT takes it one step higher with the giant 9.7? screen.

Upside: you might need your iPhone anymore if you are creating multimedia content.
Downside: you know that person you see taking photos with their iPad 2 that look a bit silly (the ones that don?t have an iPhone obviously)? That person will now be you too!

The iLife Apps

These are so amazing that they warrant their own individual post ? so check back later for a full review of iPhoto, iMovie and Garageband.

3 Noticeable Things When Comparing iPads

So while there is a lot to sing about with the new iPad; there are a few things that really stand out that you should look out for.

You?ll notice right off the bat it?s a bit heavier than the iPad 2 (still lighter than the iPad 1) it may be a small thing to the men but might sway women from the upgrade. Obviously it needed to put on a little bit of weight to support the new retina display screen and the bigger battery to power it so the added heft is definitely in there for a reason.

Because the battery is bigger, powering a more powerful screen and processor it tends to take longer to recharge than the iPad 2 and when used for as much as we have been using it over the past 2 days ? it gets a bit warm.

These things are not at all noticeable in the iPad 2 ? so to have 3 things added to a next-generation product, it might seem a bit strange to Apple fans that usually see things get better and smaller with each new iteration.

Odds and Ends

Some things we want to point out, especially if you are reading this to find out if you want to upgrade from your iPad 2 or not:

• All your iPad 2 accessories will work for the new iPad ? meaning the dock connectors, the smart covers and things like that. Complete covers (those with front and back attachments) may not due to the minimal added thickness.
• FaceTime camera on the front of the iPad is the same as the iPad 2 ? so no HD FaceTime video calls yet.
• Apple is calling this 10 hours of batter life, the iPad 2 had 11 easily. We?ve noticed power drain faster in the new iPad than the iPad 2 with use of surfing the web, playing games and watching videos.
• The biggest concern we have at this early stage is that a lot of the apps you use have yet to be upgraded to the new retina display resolution ? meaning you won?t get that crisp line in a lot of the apps you love to use.

  OK, the main ones are already covered: Safari, Facebook, Twitter, Evernote, Kindle, Flipboard, Pulse ? but the magazines that we subscribe to like GQ, Fast Company and even Engadget?s free Distro are all still low-res because they don?t use text display but bitmap graphics giving letters a jagged edge which is really annoying especially when you jump from iBooks to a magazine. Of course this is a moot point when they all upgrade and we expect this weekend many companies are working overtime to upgrade their apps.

Should you buy the new iPad?

It?s essentially a similar upgrade from iPhone 4 to 4S, lots of extra benefits but not necessarily needed for an upgrade if you aren?t spending lots of time on your iPad. On the other hand if this is your laptop replacement or you use your iPad to consume books, blogs, videos and games as much as we do then its a must to upgrade to the new iPad ? your eyes will thank you (and maybe your biceps a bit.)

The new iPad is available now from Apple and Authorized resellers around Hong Kong in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB WiFi models. The 4G LTE models have been delayed into the Hong Kong market due to regulatory issues and contending with HK?s different 4G LTE bands. Apple has given us no time indication on this, so it could be as early as next week or as far off as just before the next iPad launch.

If you don?t want to wait in a line at an authorize Apple reseller ? we suggest you use the iReserve system that Apple has set up ? sign-up here, and you will be emailed when you can come in and pick up your new iPad or wait till the online Apple Store starts taking orders again.

All-in-all Apple has evolved the iPad to align with the iPhone 4S and continues to push forward with the iOS platform as the future of computing and we?re happy to be along for the ride.

Stay tuned for follow-up posts on iLife for iOS and more fun with the iPad camera.

Source: http://www.neonpunch.com/the-neonpunch-com-review-of-the-third-generation-ipad-newipad/

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