First Hands-On Impressions of 'The New iPad'

Several tech blogs have posted their hands-on impressions of the new iPad, announced earlier today.

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Image courtesy Slashgear
Slashgear:

“It’s Resolutionary” Apple says of the new iPad, and we have to agree. We’ve just grabbed some hands-on time with the new Retina Display iOS 5.1 tablet, and the difference from the iPad 2 – which, remember, stays on sale alongside it – is vast. The pixels in the 2048 x 1536 display are, at regular arm’s length, completely indistinguishable: it’s only when you get up close that you can make them out.

The Verge:

Physically, the device feels nearly the same in hand as the previous model. Though it does have a slight bump in thickness, the difference is nearly unnoticeable. Since the design hasn't dramatically changed, there's not much to note in the casing department, and though there are improved cameras present, the general seating and size of the sensors seems unchanged.

vergehandson560

Image courtesy The Verge
Engadget:

There's no doubt that this here tablet feels every bit like a $500 product, oozing quality from edge to edge and being as delightful as ever to use. Is it the second coming of the tablet? Of course not, but if we've learned anything from the iPhone 4S, it doesn't need to be. Apple just put an insane amount of real estate in the hands of crafty developers, and frankly, we can't wait to see what they cook up.

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Top Rated Comments

jackrv Avatar
174 months ago
So the verdict on the name is "The new iPad?" We definitely can't just call it iPad, as we reference the original iPad all the time.

It could be just iPad, just like iPod, or iMac, or MacBook Air.

It's the iPad (3rd Generation)
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
troop231 Avatar
174 months ago
Such a gorgeous screen and an amazing update this year.
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mindvent Avatar
174 months ago
So the verdict on the name is "The new iPad?" We definitely can't just call it iPad, as we reference the original iPad all the time.

Right, because everytime apple refers to 'the Mac' they are clearly talking about the original 1984 model and not their current generation..?
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
gregwyattjr Avatar
174 months ago
I thought Tim Cook's stage presence was fantastic today. I look forward to more of his keynotes.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kolax Avatar
174 months ago
German Apple online Store says "iPad (3rd generation)"

I see. I guess they are doing what they do with the Macs and Apple TV - don't give it an iteration name.

We'd be on MacBook Pro 11 by now or something. Wouldn't surprise me if the next iPhone is just called "the new iPhone".

Not sure I completely agree with them refusing to name it iPad 3 though. Though I guess it'll be known as the iPad (early 2012) model..
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
daxomni Avatar
174 months ago
Such a gorgeous screen and an amazing update this year.
What's amazing to me is that you can blow through your entire monthly data plan in fifteen minutes. What happened to all those unlimited data plans that were going to allow Apple's iCloud to become a serious storage platform? In an era of ever increasing resolutions and ever shrinking data plans, why are we expected to settle for local storage that is less than a tenth of what the PC era gave us? Each of us has different expectations as to what makes a great tablet, but I don't recall reading post after post and thread after thread about how bad the resolution was or how slow the processor is. So why is Apple so busy fixing what isn't even broken and yet so hesitant to address (or even acknowledge) what people are actually upset about?
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)