Talk about pressure. Apple's product launches have always had an element of Willy Wonka-esque hype about them, but Wednesday's launch of the new iPad had more of an element of suspense than others before it. How successful would Apple be in presenting its iconic tablet to the world, for the first time not overseen by Steve Jobs? And would the new device be impressive enough to stand up to the smorgasbord of new tablet devices expected to be launched on Microsoft's Windows 8 operating system? Some were even willing to stake money on what could be unveiled: a betting firm removed the wagers it was offering on the tablet after an “immediate run of money.”
Although most of us had predicted that Apple's new tablet would be called the iPad 3, the company has decided to shy away from its usual numbering system and just call it the ‘iPad' instead. Not surprising, considering that apart from becoming slightly thicker and heavier, there aren't any major changes to the look and feel of the tablet. Those who were after a “new look” iPad will be disappointed: it's the same 9.7-inch tablet as its predecessor. There are neither new slots, nor the revamped magnetic cover that many had hoped for. But inside, there's a different story.
Apple does seem to have addressed some of the gripes that users had with the iPad 2. Topping that list was the camera, something Apple has clearly spent a lot of time on. The iPad 2 was endowed with a low-res, fixed focus camera at the rear, but the new “iSight” camera has a 5-megapixel sensor, auto focus, face detection and auto exposure lock, and lets you record video in 1080 p Full HD. There's also helpful backlighting to assist you in dimly lit surroundings. There are also small details I appreciated, such as when you hold the iPad up to take a picture a little camera icon appears on the right hand side of the screen, which allows you to “click” more easily on the screen than having to fumble for the main button. A feature I didn't try was the image stabilisation when you film a movie, which Apple demonstrated during the presentation.
The new 3.1-million pixel Retina Display does make photos look fantastic: I contrasted it with an iPad 2 and sure enough those once clear-looking iPad 2 photos had a distinctly fuzzy feel to them in comparison. Compared to the old 1,024x768 resolution on the iPad 2, and the 2,046x1,536 pixel density is miles ahead of the competition. With nearly 50 per cent more colour saturation, the pinks and reds of images I saw were particularly vivid on the new tablet. Opening up the iBook app I zoomed further and further into a page but each letter looked just as distinct no matter how far you zoomed in or out.
They've also introduced iPhoto to the tablet for the first time, with lots of nifty editing features, which you can bring up in the form of a palette at the touch of a corner on the screen. There's something called “edge detecting” which allows you to brighten the colour of – for example – a red bridge by roughly moving your finger over it, without adjusting the colour of things surrounding it. It also has the ability to help you select similar pictures and pick the best one among them, and has little tweaks that allow you to adjust it to suit a right or left-handed person.
The new iPad includes an upgrade to its processing unit. The dual-core A5 chip has been replaced with an A5X processor and a quad-core graphics processor and will run on an updated operating system, iOS 5.1. Existing iOS 5 users can upgrade to version 5.1 as of now.
Some of Apple's partners have produced games to show off the new HD screen technology, and I had a go at a new one called Sky Gamblers Air Supremacy, a simulated dogfight. So clear were the images that as my aircraft lurched and swerved as I moved it around, I almost felt a bit giddy.
There were other welcome tweaks to existing software: for example Garage Brand, which impressed me a lot on the iPad 2 (I must admit I have never used it since!) has a new “Jam session” feature which allows up to four tablets on the same network to play and record together as a band. iMovies also has a new feature that helps you create trailers using standardised format options.
There were additions I found less impressive – the Dictation app for starters. You can use it when you want to send an email or write in the Notes section, or even Tweet. It seemed to suffer the same weakness as Siri, the personal assistant, on the iPhone 4s, struggling to recognise some accents or function well in a noisy room. It had issues recognising and typing even my simple question: “What time is it?” though I must admit it was somewhat better when I used the speaker on the headphones to command it.
The new A5X processor, introduced to let the device keep up with its new graphics capabilities, didn't speed things up. I timed how long it took me to open up the Photos and iBooks apps on the new iPad and the iPad 2 and it took just as long. There's also no improvement on battery life – you get the same 10 hours(by company standards).
Connectivity options
The new iPad gets upgraded with connectivity and now includes support for 4G networks, including LTE networks, which will be of most excitement to US users (for everyone else its less so, particularly as 4G is something they're unlikely to get in the space of time it will probably take Apple to release a new tablet). The battery life on the 4G network is 9 hours, which can be attributed to the 42.5-watt-hour lithium polymer battery (as compared to the 25-watt-hour lithium polymer battery on the iPad 2).
In a nod to the competition it has been facing from Amazon's Kindle Fire and others, Apple has also cut the price of the iPad 2: the 16GB Wi-Fi model will now sell for Rs 24,500 ($399), with the 3G version starting at Rs 32,900 ($529). Overall, Apple seemed mindful of the competition: during his presentation CEO Tim Cook spent a fair bit of time detailing why the iPad was superior to specific recently launched rivals.
The disappointments
Even though the new iPad looks and feels nearly identical to the iPad 2, users will be disappointed to know that there have been some compromises with thickness and weight. Thickness has gone up to 9.4mm, in contrast with the iPad 2's 8.8mm. The new iPad is also a tad heavier, with the Wi-Fi version now weighing 652 grams as opposed to the iPad 2's 603 grams and the 3G/LTE version will go up from 612 grams to 662 grams.
If I have one major grumble it's this. Rather like fresh bread or coffee, the taste of which rarely lives up to the first smell, the expectations of Apple launches are so onerous that they can never match the product. However, this time round, I'd argue more of the blame for any disappointment must rest with Apple. Its invite with the enticingly worded promise “We have something you really have to see. And touch” had everyone expecting something touchably radical. Instead it came up with something that while likely to keep it ahead of its competitors is far from a gamechanger. Perhaps in recognition that not everyone would be satisfied, Mr Cook ended his presentation on an enigmatic note, pledging that more was to come over the year. “We are just getting started,” he said.
The new iPad goes on sale in 12 markets, including the U.S., Britain, Hong Kong and Germany on the March 16, and a further 25 markets on the March 23. Sadly no India launch date has been announced, though given its recent track record – the iPhone 4S and the iPad 2 were both launched in India less than two months after the US launch - it should be in by early summer.
$499-$829 (US).