To begin with, this is not iPad 3 but the “New iPad” from Apple. Tim Cook who took over as CEO after Steve Jobs' death has come up with the new iPad. But it's a big disappointment, considering the features it has.
Apple users will surely not like the New iPad much because it has not met with expectations. Apple which disappointed everybody by releasing iPhone 4S instead of iPhone 5 a few months back has done it again. Fans all over the world were expecting the rollout of iPad 3 but what was released is an extended version of the iPad 2.
The good news is that the price of the iPad 2 has been slashed by a 100$. This means those who could not afford it initially will go for it.
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Now, why does the new iPad fail to impress? Why would it not be of much use in India?
The New iPad boasts of a 4G LTE technology which has not yet come in India. We are still stuck with the 3G network and this itself has not become popular. By the time 4G comes guess is iPad 3 would come out with better technology.
The New iPad has the retina display in it — the amazing feature in this device. It has a million pixels more than a HD TV does and as a result gives you crystal clear images and videos. But would you buy this device just because its screen resolution is amazing?
It also has a dual core processor with an A5x chip. Only an improvement on the A5 chip with quad core graphics. A few phones have already come out with a quad core processor but the New iPad is still stuck with dual core. What's the reason behind this? No one seems to know.
The iSight camera is good and can shoot 5MP still images and is also capable of shooting HD videos in full 1080p. This is another improvement from its previous version.
The most disappointing of all is that the New iPad does not have Siri. The iPhone 4S that was launched months back had Siri or “Voice Assistant”. The New iPad does have dictation where your spoken words are converted into written text. But it is not as effective as the Siri. The Airplay, the apple store with millions of applications, the iCloud and the battery life all remain the same.
Bottomline
In all there is nothing very exciting about the New iPad. In Europe where 4G LTE technology has already come out, the new iPad is expected to sell lot. But with the price fixed at $499 for its cheapest version, I doubt it would make any impact in the Indian market. I would recommend the iPad 2 instead considering it is priced at only $399 and has nearly the same features as the New iPad.
Giridhar is a final year B.E. Computer Science student at SRM Valliammai Engineering College.
