WSJ Reviews the New iPad3 - One-stop Guide to a Review of the Reviews

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A Review of the New iPad Reviews

Source: http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2012/03/15/a-review-of-the-new-ipad-reviews/?blog_id=100&post_id=24095

By Emily Steel

The new iPad is a hit.

The biggest names in the tech review world unveiled their takes on Apple’s latest iPad last night. And they liked it, raving about its upgrades to display screen and speed.

Here’s your one-stop guide to a review of the reviews.

Screen Resolution

Walter S. Mossberg, All Things D “Using the new display is like getting a new eyeglasses prescription—you suddenly realize what you thought looked sharp before wasn’t nearly as sharp as it could be.”

David Pogue, The New York Times “In principle, that avalanche of pixels (and their increased color saturation) means that photos, videos, maps and text should look jaw-droppingly good — and, in apps that have been rewritten for the new screen, they do.”

MG Siegler, TechCrunch “I guess it’s just like a pre-glasses world — you never realize how blurry things are because that’s just how you’ve always seen everything. And then you put the glasses on and you wonder how you ever managed without them.”

Joshua Topolsky, The Verge “Yes, this display is outrageous. It’s stunning. It’s incredible. I’m not being hyperbolic or exaggerative when I say it is easily the most beautiful computer display I have ever looked at.”

Edward Baig, USA Today “The display is spectacular…the brilliant screen on the new iPad is the thing that will have you salivating.”

Wireless

Walter S. Mossberg, All Things D “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.”

David Pogue, The New York Times “My Verizon test unit got download speeds ranging from 6 to 29 megabits a second in San Francisco, Boston and New York — in many cases, faster than home cable-modem service.”

MG Siegler, TechCrunch “The most notable of these is the LTE functionality. Put simply: it’s fast. Really fast. Faster-than-my-WiFi fast.”

Joshua Topolsky, The Verge “On the data side of things, at least on Verizon’s LTE network, this thing (unsurprisingly) screams.”

Edward Baig, USA Today “The test machine, a Verizon model that taps into the company’s 4G LTE network, was really zippy in a week of testing in San Francisco and Austin.”

Rear Camera

Walter S. Mossberg, All Things D “It’s now a 5-megapixel shooter with improved optics. I loved the photos and videos it took, indoors and out.”

David Pogue, The New York Times “A 5-megapixel back camera that takes far better photos than the iPad 2 did. (Which isn’t saying much.)”

MG Siegler, TechCrunch “Apple included a much, much, much better 5 megapixel five-element lens. It has a ƒ/2.4 aperture and a hybrid infrared filter. I honestly don’t know what half of that stuff means, all I care about is the fact that the images from the new iPad look very good now.”

Joshua Topolsky, The Verge “The idea of taking this device out into the real world and attempting to snap photos with it is utterly laughable — something I discovered when I took the new iPad out into the world to snap photos with it….That said, if you absolutely must use the camera on the back of the new iPad, it will actually produce pretty favorable results.”

Edward Baig, USA Today “Taking a lot of pictures or videos with the iPad is a matter of preference. It’s not exactly a point-and-shoot replacement and is a little awkward for shooting….But the still images and video shot are generally pleasing, despite the absence of a flash.”

Weight/Thickness

Walter S. Mossberg, All Things D “While the weight gain was noticeable, I didn’t find it a problem even for long reading or video-watching sessions. The extra thickness was barely discernible.”

David Pogue, The New York Times “The new iPad is one millimeter thicker, and 1.8 ounces heavier, than the iPad 2. It’s a very slight difference, but fingers used to handling the old iPad will feel it, and that’s too bad.”

MG Siegler, TechCrunch “It’s ever-so-slightly thicker (0.37 inches versus 0.34 inches), which you can only really tell when you hold the two at the same time. The new iPad also weighs slightly more than the iPad 2 (1.46 pounds versus 1.36 pounds — for the cellular versions), but the weight difference is basically indistinguishable.”

Joshua Topolsky, The Verge “With battery life like this, I’ll take the slight extra baggage — and I’d argue most users would prefer their devices are less lean but have longer battery life.”

Edward Baig, USA Today “At 0.37-inches and 1.4-pounds, it’s ever-so- slightly thicker and heavier (though Apple says most cases and accessories should fit).”

Battery Life

Walter S. Mossberg, All Things D “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.”

David Pogue, The New York Times “Apple, however, was determined to keep the iPad’s battery life unchanged from the last model: nine to 10 hours on a charge. In my all-day nonstop-usage test, it did manage nine hours.”

MG Siegler, TechCrunch “The battery life is said to be the same (10 hours on WiFi, 9 hours using a cellular connection) as the iPad 2. In using it, I’ve found this to be the case.”

Joshua Topolsky, The Verge “On Wi-Fi I nabbed almost exactly 9 hours of constant browsing, and on LTE, my number was closer to 8 hours and 15 minutes. That’s not exactly where Apple pegs it, but that’s because our testing methods are slightly different (Apple sets their displays to 50 percent brightness, we use 65 percent).”

Edward Baig, USA Today “The iPad got through an entire day of being worked hard with no battery problem.”

If I have an iPad2?

Walter S. Mossberg, All Things D “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.”

“For the weight conscious, and for those who can’t swing the $499 entry cost, there is an out. Apple for the first time is making and selling the prior iPad model at a reduced price.

David Pogue, The New York Times “And if you already have the iPad 2, here’s an even brighter side: At least this time around, you don’t have to feel quite as obsolete as usual.”

MG Siegler, TechCrunch “The iPad 2 is still far and away the best tablet on the market today (the iPad 3 officially comes this Friday, of course), and the new iPad screen manages to make it look like antiquated technology.”

Joshua Topolsky, The Verge “For owners of the iPad 2, this isn’t necessarily a slam dunk.”

Edward Baig, USA Today “If you have an iPad 2, it’s a little harder to justify springing for the latest model now, much as you might want to.”