The embargo has lifted on the reviews for the 3rd Generation iPad, and they are starting to trickle out. Here are links and summaries of some of the more prominent reviews:
- Text in most apps will automatically take advantage of Retina display, though with some exceptions (Kindle App) - "The third-generation iPad had a frame rate 1.6 times that of the iPad 2" - 3rd Gen iPad almost identical physically to iPad 2 - Video quality of 1080p video recorded was "very good" even in low light - "AT&T’s LTE network in San Francisco was impressive." with 14.5Mbps/20.6Mbps download and upload rates.
- "Remember how startling it was to go from one of those giant standard definition projector TVs to an HDTV? That’s what this is like." - Screen is a huge difference from iPad 2. - Movies and photos are crystal clear
- "Once you see and use the new iPad, there will be no going back." - LTE: "Really fast. Faster-than-my-WiFi fast." - LTE: 40 mbps down and 20mbps up on Verizon - Bigger battery, and does get noticeably warm in lower left corner after prolonged use.
- "I'm not being hyperbolic or exaggerative when I say it is easily the most beautiful computer display I have ever looked at." - Verizon LTE: 22Mbps down, 21Mbps in mid-town Manhattan - Battery tests almost matched Apple's claims.
- "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." - Was able to use smaller font sizes to read books and email on 3rd Gen iPad vs iPad 2
- "Really, the new iPad should have been called the iPad 2S." - "Apple just took its white-hot iPad and added the latest screen, battery and cellular technologies."
Friday January 9, 2026 8:17 am PST by Tim Hardwick
2026 could be a bumper year for Apple's Mac lineup, with the company expected to announce as many as four separate MacBook launches. Rumors suggest Apple will court both ends of the consumer spectrum, with more affordable options for students and feature-rich premium lines for users that seek the highest specifications from a laptop.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.
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Thursday January 8, 2026 2:56 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max.
One thing worth...
Monday January 12, 2026 7:38 am PST by Joe Rossignol
In a statement shared with CNBC today, Apple confirmed that Google Gemini will power the next-generation version of Siri that is slated to launch later this year.
"After careful evaluation, we determined that Google's technology provides the most capable foundation for Apple Foundation Models and we're excited about the innovative new experiences it will unlock for our users," the statement...
Monday January 12, 2026 11:38 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Elon Musk today expressed concern about Apple and Google partnering on a more personalized version of Siri powered by Google's generative AI platform Gemini.
"This seems like an unreasonable concentration of power for Google, given that [they] also have Android and Chrome," wrote Musk, in a post on X.
Musk serves as CEO of xAI, the company behind Gemini competitor Grok.
It is unlikely...
Monday January 12, 2026 1:15 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple today seeded the second beta of iOS 26.3, nearly a month after the first beta. So far, the update includes a couple of new features for iPhones.
iOS 15.3 through iOS 18.3 were all released in late January over the years, so it is thereby likely that iOS 26.3 will be released towards the end of this month as well. The update is compatible with the iPhone 11 series and newer.
Below,...
Monday January 12, 2026 8:48 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple and Google today announced that Google Gemini will help power not only a more personalized version of Siri, but a range of future Apple Intelligence features.
"Apple and Google have entered into a multi-year collaboration under which the next generation of Apple Foundation Models will be based on Google's Gemini models and cloud technology," the companies said, in a statement. "These...
Friday January 9, 2026 4:24 am PST by Tim Hardwick
The Unicode Consortium has published a draft list of emoji that could come to smartphones and other devices in the future. The list shared by Emojipedia outlines 19 emoji candidates under consideration for Emoji 18.0, which is expected to be finalized in September 2026.
Among the proposed additions are a squinting face emoji, left- and right-pointing thumb gestures, a pickle, a lighthouse, a ...
Monday January 12, 2026 8:19 am PST by Joe Rossignol
iOS 26.3 will likely be released to the public later this month, but it appears that Apple is preparing to push out another software update in the interim.
Apple's software engineers have started testing iOS 26.2.1, according to the MacRumors visitor logs, which have been a reliable indicator of upcoming iOS versions. The update will likely be released at some point this week or next week.
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it's somewhat ironic that tech writers are the ones who tend to be dismissive about these kinds of "incremental" updates. maybe it's b/c they're so focused on the specs and numbers that have surrounded computers for the last couple of decades.
nevermind that it's really really hard to get it that slim and the screen that beautiful while at the same time increasing the battery by 40%, putting in a new camera system, and all the while, keeping the price the same.
tech writers, for some reason, have no idea how hard it is to make something...maybe that's why they write and not make.
For people complaining about the 3rd gen. iPad, you really can't. It offers a phenomenal user experience. The app store, ease-of-use, responsiveness and ecosystem were already amazing, but now you have an iPad with an ultra-high resolution display, more speed, better graphics, a better camera and dictation.
Enjoy it. There's nothing else comparable to the iPad right now.
There hasn't been a tablet comparable to the iPad since it was released.
Looks like the reviews are going to make all of us pre-orderers just a little more happy tonight.
Come on, Friday!
The screen was the reason I bought it. I fail to see how a spec bump would affect user experience as much as the display, which is the whole point of the device.
