iPad 2 vs The new iPad 3 | Speed, Performance and Features Reviewed | Full Specs Compared
 

Some people tend to think that the market for tablet PCs is artificial. Their argument is that Apple created such a magnificent device and created an artificial demand for that slate. They back up this argument by using the distinction between a smartphone and a laptop. A smartphone was used to call and text along with extended usages like browsing the internet and utilization of simple applications to make your life easier. On the other hand, the laptops were basically used as mobile workstations replacing the use of stationary PCs in almost everything. They were used for mobile entertainment purposes, for corporate responsibilities and for the use of programmers. Laptops were even used by hardcore gamers eliminating the distinction between PCs and laptops completely. This separation of interests is what they use to explain the artificial demand for tablet PCs.

The definition Apple gives is completely different to this. Most of the people have the same set of needs from a slate. These needs include browsing the internet, watching a movie and listening to music. What Apple has done is to come up with a slate that is of the perfect size facilitating all these common needs. The fact that all these needs come with a thin touchscreen slate was such a new idea and it may have well created an artificial market for the product, but that doesn’t mean the sheer growth of the market can be explained by that. What we have here is a compendium of an artificial market that was created to facilitate a common set of needs of the consumers more easily. In fact, only the creation of the market was artificial and without much effort in marketing, tablet market skyrocketed and a lot of vendors came in to play. However, Apple continues to retain the crown of the market. Today we are witnessing their third generation iPad, which will hit the market on 16 March 2012. Apple preferred to name it ‘The new iPad’ than following the tradition and calling it iPad 3. We guess it may be to avoid confusing between the 3rd generation iPad and 4G technology it supports. However, the new, remarkable features in the new iPad were limited to the stunning Retina display it holds, the A5X processor with quad core GPU, and the 4G LTE connectivity. Anyhow, it has many other improvements compared to the 2nd generation iPad, the iPad 2. Let’s review the performance and features of both iPads and compare them to see what Apple has added new to its 3rd generation iPad.

Apple iPad 3 (New iPad 4G)

Apple iPad 3

There have been many speculations about Apple’s new iPad because it had such a pull from customer’s end. In fact, the Giant is trying to revolutionize the market again. Many of those features in the new iPad seem to add up to a consistent and revolutionary device that is going to blow your mind. As rumored, Apple iPad 3 comes with a 9.7 inches HD IPS retina display that features a resolution of 2048 x 1536 pixels at a pixel density of 264ppi. This is a huge barrier that Apple has broken, and they have introduced 1 million more pixels to the generic 1920 x 1080 pixels display which used to be the best resolution a mobile device provides. The total number of pixel adds up to 3.1 million, which is actually a monster resolution that hasn’t been matched by any tablet currently available in the market. Apple guarantees that iPad 3 has 44% more color saturation compared to previous models, and they have shown us some amazing photos and texts which looked wonderful on the big screen. They even cracked a joke about the difficulty of displaying the screens from iPad 3 because it has more resolution than the backdrop they were using at the auditorium.

That’s not all about it, the new iPad has a dual core Apple A5X processor at an unknown clock rate with quad core GPU. Apple claims A5X to offer four-times the performance of a Tegra 3; however, it has to be tested to confirm their statement but, needless to say, that this processor will make everything work smooth and seamlessly. It has three variations for internal storage, which is enough to stuff all of your favorite TV shows. The new iPad runs on Apple iOS 5.1, which seems like a great operating system with a very intuitive user interface.

There is a physical home button available at the bottom of the device, as usual. The next big feature Apple introduces is iSight camera, which is 5MP with autofocus and auto-exposure using a backside illuminated sensor. It has an IR filter built into it which is really great. The camera can also capture 1080p HD videos, and they have smart video stabilization software integrated with the camera which is a good move. This slate also supports the best digital assistant in the world, Siri, which was supported by iPhone 4S only.

Here comes another stabilization for the wave of rumors. iPad 3 does come with 4G LTE connectivity apart from EV-DO, HSDPA, HSPA+21Mbps, DC-HSDPA+42Mbps. LTE supports speed up to 73Mbps. However, currently 4G LTE is supported only on AT&T network (700/2100MHz) and Verizon network (700MHz) in the U.S. and Bell, Rogers, and Telus networks in Canada. During launch, the demo was on AT&T’s LTE network, and the device loaded everything super-fast and handled the load very well. Apple claims the new iPad is the device that supports most number of bands ever, but they didn’t say what bands exactly. It is said to have Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n for continuous connectivity, which was expected by default. Fortunately, you can let your new iPad share your internet connection with your friends by making it a wi-fi hotspot. It is 9.4mm thick and has a weight of 1.44-1.46lbs, which is rather comforting, though it is slightly thicker and heftier than iPad 2. The new iPad promises a battery life of 10 hours on normal usage and 9 hours on 3G/4G usage, which is another game changer for the new iPad.

The new iPad is available in either Black or White, and the 16GB variant is offered at $499 which is rather low. The 4G version of the same storage capacity is offered at $629 which is still a good deal. There are two other variants, 32GB and 64GB which comes at $599 / $729 and $699 / $829 respectively without 4G and with 4G. The preorders started on 7 March 2012, and the slate will be released to the market on the 16th of March 2012. Surprisingly the giant has decided to roll out the device in US, Canada, France, Germany, Switzerland and Japan at the same time which makes it the biggest rollout ever.

Apple iPad 2

The much reputed device comes in many forms, and we are going to consider the version with Wi-Fi and 3G. It has such elegance with its height of 241.2mm and width of 185.5mm and the depth of 8.8mm. It feels so good in your hands with an ideal weight of 613g. The 9.7inches LED backlit IPS TFT Capacitive touchscreen features a resolution of 1024 x 768 with a pixel density of 132ppi. The fingerprint and scratch resistant oleophobic surface gives an additional advantage to iPad 2, and the accelerometer sensor and Gyro sensor come in, as well. The particular flavor of the iPad 2 we have chosen to compare has the HSDPA connectivity as well as the Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n connectivity.

The iPad 2 comes with a 1GHz dual core ARM Cortex A-9 processor with PowerVR SGX543MP2 GPU on top of Apple A5 chipset. This is backed up by a 512MB RAM and three storage options of 16, 32 and 64GB. Apple has their generic iOS 4 responsible for the controls of iPad 2, and it also comes with an upgrade to iOS 5. The advantage of the OS is that, it’s correctly optimized to the device itself. It isn’t offered for any other device; thus, the OS does not need to be generic like android. iOS 5 is thus centric on iPad 2 and iPhone 4S which means it understands the hardware perfectly well and optimally manages every bit of it to give an awesome user experience without the slightest bit of hesitation.

Apple has introduced a dual camera set up for iPad 2 and, while this is a good addition, there is a large room for improvement. The camera is only 0.7MP and has a poor image quality. It can capture 720p videos @ 30 frames per second, which is good. It also comes with a secondary camera bundled with Bluetooth v2.0 that would please the video callers. This gorgeous gadget comes in either black or white and has a sleek design that just pleases your eyes. The device features Assisted GPS, a TV out and famous iCloud services. It practically syncs over any Apple device and has the element of flexibility included in it like no other tablet has ever done.

Apple has bundled the iPad 2 with a battery of 6930mAh, which is quite bulky, and it features an effective time of 10 hours, which is good in terms of a Tablet PC. It also features a lot of niche iPad based applications and games taking advantage of the unique nature of its hardware.

Conclusion

When we compare two devices from the same vendor in which one is expected to be the successor of the other, the conclusion speaks even before we have laid down the facts. But for the benefit of doubt, let me discuss what are the better luxuries offered in the new iPad compared to iPad 2. To start with, it will have a better processor with a higher clock rate and a quad core GPU. The operating system is also comparably new. But what’s so special about the new iPad is the monster resolution it offers to the market, because 2048 x 1536 pixels is a resolution that hasn’t been matched by any mobile device yet. In terms of iPad 2, it’s exactly twice the resolution offered by iPad 2. Additionally, iPad 3 (new iPad) offers better optics that can capture 1080p HD videos @ 30 fps. It also brings 4G LTE connectivity into the arena which was lacking in iPad 2. Something Apple has failed to keep consistent is the thickness and the weight of iPad 2 which is better compared to the new iPad. The battery life gives the same set of cores and it seems Apple is going to continue producing Apple iPad 2 along with the new iPad, so that is a clear indication from Apple that they suggests iPad 2 can be a good replacement for iPad 3 (new iPad). Thus the choice falls into the line of your preference and whichever the one you prefer among these two, they are not going to disappoint you.

Apple introducing The new iPad

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