Hands-on with the new iPad

The new iPad (or the iPad 3, if I may) is finally here in India! Less than two months after the new iPad was unveiled to the world, we got our hands on a retail unit for India. The new iPad looks exactly like the iPad 2, unless you look a little closely. The larger camera lens is a give away but that is more or less about it. Yeah, the specs do mention it is heavier and slightly thicker than the iPad 2 but that is not something one can figure out by merely holding it. Even I, who has been using the iPad 2 for a year now could not make out the difference in weight or thickness. So throw away all talk about getting fatigued holding the new iPad for extended period of time out of the window. At the moment, I cannot let it go off my hand. (Try prying it, you shall not succeed!)


The real magic starts on powering it on. The Retina display will blow you away. I have not been able to use my iPad 2 after I saw the new iPad’s display last month. It was the same experience when I moved on from the iPhone 3GS to the iPhone 4. You don’t find anything wrong with the older device till you see its successor. Then there is no going back.

I haven’t spent enough time with the new iPad for a comprehensive review but there are a few things I noticed during the short span that I have used it. It is certainly faster than the iPad 2 – mind you, the iPad 2 is fast enough for me. The 5.0 megapixel iSight camera is a treat to use. Certainly the best camera to be found on any tablet till date. Though I’m still not convinced of clicking pictures from a tablet but I guess people do use that and I’m not complaining if I’m getting a better camera. However, I’m a little disappointed that the front facing camera remains the same as the iPad 2 and does not do full 1080p HD videos yet.

Overall, there is no doubt in my mind that the new iPad is indeed the best tablet out there that you can buy. If you have a budget that exceeds Rs 30,000, you should not look anywhere else. And a word of advise, try buying a 32GB or 64GB variant. Most apps will get bigger in size due to the Retina display and 16GB might not be good enough in the long run.

Posted in: Gadget Review