iPad Would you change your current iPad2 for the iPad3?

[dbeman]

I upgrade my iPhone every other generation; and barring any drastic changes I see myself upgrading my iPad every third generation or so.

[pphilipp]

Originally Posted by Richey79

I said to myself I would upgrade from my iPad1 when they improved the screen, so didn't see enough had changed in number 2 to warrant it.

As a reader, the screen alone is worth the update. My original iPad is still going like a trooper, and I know that there's been barely a day where I haven't used it for something. It'll get schlepped to work now that it's getting replaced for reading.

I did think a bit more seriously about competitors' tablets this time. What made it a no-brainer for me to stick with Apple was:

- They only release upgraded models once a year, and keep support for the old ones.
- The software market is still on a different planet.
- The iPad is on the verge of becoming the accepted tablet for business (imo).
- So many of the competitors' tablets seem to have features that simply don't work. You're taking a gamble on an entirely untried system.
- There's that excitement factor that you get with a new Apple device. It just feels professional and polished.

Thought about holding off until the iPad1 dies / to see what version 4 brings. In the end, though, it's the screen I wanted them to improve, and they've done it.

Will every iPad from now on simply be called 'the New iPad', or have we reached a point at which we're going to start to see much smaller improvements year-on-year? I suspect the latter.

Ditto! (somewhat)
iPad 3 has absolutely no real authentic competition (unless you include the iPad 2 in the running).
The three best tablets as of April 2012 are (1) iPad 3, (2) iPad 2, and (3) iPad 1. It might seem like the Android tablets are competing with the iPad, but once you've used them, you see they're actually a different class of device. Computer geeks are wrong about them... they are really for someone who wants a cheaper device; wants to save money; and is willing to put up with all the bizarre problems inherent in the droid eco-system. I am an ex-Android tablet user and feel like I wasted a year and a half of my life by using them. LOL

[HarryT]

What I'm most impressed by on the iPad 3 - and this is something I didn't even know existed until I got mine - is its ability to reliably convert continuous speech into text. I thought it was a bit of a joke at first, but I'm finding myself using it more and more, because it works so well! I'm guessing that it uses the same technology that "Siri" uses on the iPhone 4S.

[WT Sharpe]

Originally Posted by HarryT

What I'm most impressed by on the iPad 3 - and this is something I didn't even know existed until I got mine - is its ability to reliably convert continuous speech into text. I thought it was a bit of a joke at first, but I'm finding myself using it more and more, because it works so well! I'm guessing that it uses the same technology that "Siri" uses on the iPhone 4S.

Is that a standard feature of the iPad 3 or an add-on app?

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

Is that a standard feature of the iPad 3 or an add-on app?

It's a standard feature. Every time the keyboard is displayed, there's a button with a microphone on it on the keyboard. Hold down that button and speak, and when you let the button go it converts the speech into text, just as if you'd typed it. The mic button only appears if you're online, so I'm guessing that the data processing is being done by Apple's servers, rather than by the iPad's own CPU.

Because it's a part of the standard soft keyboard, it doesn't need any app support - it works with any app that has text input.

As I say, until I got my iPad 3 I had no idea that this existed - I haven't heard anyone mention it or seen it on the list of new features.

[WT Sharpe]

This is all a plot to get me to upgrade!

[ilovejedd]

Originally Posted by HarryT

It's a standard feature. Every time the keyboard is displayed, there's a button with a microphone on it on the keyboard. Hold down that button and speak, and when you let the button go it converts the speech into text, just as if you'd typed it. The mic button only appears if you're online, so I'm guessing that the data processing is being done by Apple's servers, rather than by the iPad's own CPU.

Because it's a part of the standard soft keyboard, it doesn't need any app support - it works with any app that has text input.

This feature has actually been available for Android for quite a while now. Used it a lot for long emails on my LG Thrive. I prefer Google's voice recognition over Apple's. Apple's implementation has a hard time understanding my accent. With Siri, I've had to repeat myself 5 times and it still doesn't get what I'm trying to say. Would've been faster to just type.

Originally Posted by HarryT

As I say, until I got my iPad 3 I had no idea that this existed - I haven't heard anyone mention it or seen it on the list of new features.

It's been mentioned in a number of tech blogs usually in reference with the lack of a full featured Siri.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by ilovejedd

This feature has actually been available for Android for quite a while now. Used it a lot for long emails on my LG Thrive. I prefer Google's voice recognition over Apple's. Apple's implementation has a hard time understanding my accent. With Siri, I've had to repeat myself 5 times and it still doesn't get what I'm trying to say. Would've been faster to just type.

You'll have to learn how to speak with a British accent. It works absolutely brilliantly for me .

[ficbot]

Update: I remained on the fence for a few weeks, buy just got an unexpected bonus at work, so I got an iPad 2 while they were on sale and have no regrets. I don't care about the retina and I was concerned that the iPad 3 was actually a bit heavier than the iPad 2. My iPad 1 was getting a bit sluggish and the 2 is blazingly fast compared to the 1. I am very happy with the 2 i got and I think that the sale of my 1 combined Si my little windfall will make this a virtually free upgrade for me.

[HarryT]

I honestly notice no difference in weight between the iPad 2 and 3. Intellectually I know it's slightly heavier, but the difference in weight is not sufficient for it to be noticeable (to me). And of course it's still lighter than the iPad 1.

[pphilipp]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I honestly notice no difference in weight between the iPad 2 and 3. Intellectually I know it's slightly heavier, but the difference in weight is not sufficient for it to be noticeable (to me). And of course it's still lighter than the iPad 1.

True.
Weight is not an issue. There's little validity in fussing over air.

I have to admit that when I carried twenty pounds of video equipment, I was elated to have technology reduce it to under five pounds.
I loved getting rid of my seven pound laptop and update to a four pound unit.

But that said, the miniscule difference in the new iPad's weight gain of a few mere ounces is nothing at all. I would much rather have a couple ounces added than give-up the incredible battery which the iPad 3 contains! If you've ever used one of the numerous competitors which have a hard time of actually delivering five hours, then you know how great the long-lasting iPad battery is.

[jocampo]

Originally Posted by ilovejedd

Apple's implementation has a hard time understanding my accent. With Siri, I've had to repeat myself 5 times and it still doesn't get what I'm trying to say. Would've been faster to just type.

True!

I don't have an iPhone phone but I visited a store with my wife (she is american) and repeat the same stuff again and again. Every time it gave me weird and different resources. My wife start laughing so hard, that was embarrassing. I had to run for my life ...

It just hates my sexy latin accent ...

[Richey79]

Both the built in voice recognition and the earlier, third party Dragon Dictation pick up my (English) accent well.

Incidentally, while I do love the new resolution screen, I still find the one on the iPad 1 perfectly usable for everything except reading Epubs and browsing the web. Thought there might be no going back after seeing the new screen. I don't miss those horrid grey squares when browsing down web pages, though, due to the lower memory of the earlier device.

I do find battery life a little less on the new iPad, I have to say.

[pphilipp]

Originally Posted by Richey79

Incidentally, while I do love the new resolution screen, I still find the one on the iPad 1 perfectly usable for everything except reading Epubs and browsing the web.

Most people seem to forget that the original iPad was totally state-of-the-art when released in 2010. For the entire year of 2010, any competing tablet was so far behind the first iPad that it was without any legitimate competition until a year after it's release. It is still such a great device, that I refer to it now as the third best tablet of all tablets currently available. LOL

[ilovejedd]

Originally Posted by pphilipp

Most people seem to forget that the original iPad was totally state-of-the-art when released in 2010. For the entire year of 2010, any competing tablet was so far behind the first iPad that it was without any legitimate competition until a year after it's release.

Not to mention it was the first viable consumer-oriented tablet. I know a lot of folks complain about the price of the iPad but before the iPad was released, you're lucky if you can buy a tablet for $1,000.