The new iPad: First impressions of Apple tablet

Yahoo News! reporter Jonathan Weinberg managed to get his hands on the hottest piece of kit right now at last night’s Apple launch – the new iPad.

Our tech expert gives the lowdown on what he makes of Apple’s new tablet, released in the UK on 16 March:

“There is no doubt the new Retina Display is awesome.

Bright and crystal clear, the quality hits you as soon as you open the Smart Cover. Text and pictures immediately take on a whole new dimension compared to the iPad 2.


                                                    [Related link: Apple reveals new iPad tablet]


I zoomed in as far as I could go on web pages and even the largest of text looks pixel perfect, although pictures obviously only stay as crisp as their resolution can allow.

The 1080p HD movie recording function and upgraded camera also give it a leg-up but the rear camera will never be as crucial as it is on an iPhone.

What’s exciting now is that it's surely up to content developers to create the apps that take advantage of both the Retina Display and the new quad-core graphics on the A5X chip.

While Apple has always provided the technology base, it’s what app developers have done with the tools available to them for the iPad and the iPhone that have ensured huge sales.

The rest of the extras for the new iPad were much as expected, with iPhoto an exciting prospect. It’s just a shame we can’t celebrate the arrival of 4G wireless LTE like they can in the US. By the time we get 4G in Britain there will probably be a new iPad on sale.

With 3.1million pixels squeezed in, more than on large HD TVs, it's a portable viewing experience like no other.

And that should be enough to make owners of the previous generation iPads trade in their older versions.

Most interesting perhaps is the reduced £329 price-tag for the 16GB iPad 2. Yes, it’s only a £70 difference but that makes a big difference for those who just want to dip their toes in the tablet world.

[Related link: Latest Apple iPad News Headlines]

The cost makes the previous device now feel so much more affordable and it could well prove the best buy for new-entrants. It will certainly widen the reach of the iPad series in the same way as cutting the cost of the iPhone 4 and 3G has done since October of last year.

It may have been a muted launch but this was steady and sure progression of Apple’s technology.”

What did the rest of the UK technology media make of the new iPad? Here’s a round-up of their views:

Kieran Alger, T3.com

"The latest iPad announcement is classic Apple. On the surface it feels like not much has changed but with Retina Display, vastly improved graphics, a better camera and 1080p video they’ve produced a tablet that once again raises the bar just high enough to put them ahead of the game. It’s now over to the Android army to fight back on price and power."

Paul Douglas, TechRadar.com

"The new iPad is certainly more iterative rather than revolutionary, but the Retina Display really is quite a special addition - worth the extra £70 over the iPad 2 alone. It is surprising that it doesn't match many of its Android rivals in having a quad-core processor (it's still got a dual-core chip like the iPad 2), but Apple has always been about the apps and user experience rather than having the very best specs. It will sell bucketloads."

Stuart Miles, Pocket-Lint.com

"The new iPad 3 will be very successful because there are plenty of reasons for iPad 1 customers to upgrade and for the tablet hesitators to get involved. Apple has replaced the best-selling tablet on the market with a model that is likely to become the best-selling tablet on the market. Will the screen make a difference?

Jason Jenkins, CNET

“If you have been thinking of buying an iPad, but have held off, now is a good time to take the jump and find out what the fuss is all about. The iPad is a fantastic tablet that's lots of fun to use. If you already own one, there's no compelling reason to upgrade to the new model. Although the high resolution screen looks great and the new camera is promising, upgraders won't lose much by skipping a generation.”