Should I update my iPad? What’s inside doesn’t matter that much
Now you can have the first or second iPad, or you are considering buying the first. This article will explain the differences and help you decide which version of the tablet to buy.
The first iPad changed the rules of the game in technology markets. Apple had done it one more time and created a new market where none existed. I still remember in the early 2000s what was envisioned as a tablet. The initial tablets were laptops that had monitors that doubled like a paper notebook. I’d fold them to put the screen on top and then use a big, clunky stylus to write on them. They were also very large, bulky, and expensive. They had compatibility issues and a lack of optimized touch programs. Sales were disappointing. The worst was the swivel monitor design, which could easily make the monitor detach from the tablet. Also, PC makers had no idea who their target audience was or how to market the tablet to them.
Then Apple launches the iPad in April 2010. Apple designs a tablet with the consumer in mind, but where companies would accept it in the workplace. The tablet became for many a laptop replacement device. People are always looking for smaller and lighter devices to take with them while traveling. How popular has the iPad become? Results for the fourth quarter of 2011 showed that 15.4 million iPads were sold. The tablet beat HP’s combined PC sales for that quarter.
The latest iPad is now called the new iPad. Apple is ending the numbers game, following a similar path to its Macbooks and iMacs. When a new iMac is released, it is called iMac, not iMac 17. I would expect the same to happen with the iPhone in the future. This will bring some confusion at first, but as time goes on, people will keep up with the changes.
Now before we get into the internals of the new iPad, let’s first talk about the feature that stands out the most, the new retina display. Like the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4s, the retina display pushes more pixels per inch. The retina display has an astonishing 2048 x 1536 resolution. Compared to its predecessors, a 1024 x 768 pixel display. What does this number mean? Well, if you have recently purchased 1080p HDTV, the resolution of 1080p equals 1920 x 1080 pixels. The 10-inch retina display is over a million pixels higher than your 1080p HDTV. That’s roughly 50 percent more pixels packed into a screen that will be, on average, 30 inches smaller than what your HDTV is viewing. This creates an immersive image where colors and sharpness stand out better.
If this is your first time shopping, the quality of the retina display can greatly influence your purchase. The screen is what you stare at when you hold the tablet in your hands. You may never see what’s under the hood, but you’ll always be staring at the screen. Now examine exactly is inside.
Let’s examine memory first.
iPad 1st generation 256mb
iPad 2nd generation 512mb
The new iPad (3rd generation) 1024 mb
I always believed that the biggest mistake with the first iPad was the low amount of memory offered, especially for a device that many would use primarily as a replacement for a laptop. Opening multiple web pages on the first iPad would be slow and sometimes Safari will crash. If you are looking for a better web experience, any of the later versions will be an improvement. If you have the first iPad, I highly recommend an upgrade to any of the newer versions due to limitations caused by the small amount of memory initially offered.
Well, what about the processor? The new iPad has a new processor; Does it have to be a huge improvement over the previous generation? No, not really. It’s the same processor as before, just made bigger to handle a bigger graphics unit.
1GHz single-core A4 1st generation chip for iPad
1GHz dual-core A5 chip for iPad 2nd generation
The new iPad (3rd generation) 1 GHz dual-core A5X chip
Does clock speed matter? At this time, Apple does not believe that an increase in processor speed is justified. No faster clock speed was needed to power the new retina display. Tests show that there is no significant difference between the A5 or A5X processor in non-gaming applications. Since non-gaming apps don’t care about the retina display or graphics processing power, you don’t get any added benefit from email, web browsing, or productivity apps. If you’re using the first iPad for design, architectural or scientific calculations, either of the newer models will deliver identical performance gains regardless of which of the two newer devices you buy.
One more thing, about improving CPU performance and multitasking. Apple still does not allow the simultaneous execution of applications. So if you assume that an extra processor could help apps running in the background, it rarely does. In most cases, the background apps are suspended and only run to send notifications to your screen like email. This may change in the future, but it will most likely be in a few years.
One of the main but rarely discussed reasons that iPad sales have exploded is that the tablet has become an excellent alternative for gaming devices. Portable gaming devices have declined in sales and have in part been attributed to the gaming capabilities of the iPhone and iPad. This is where there is the greatest improvement. The graphics processing unit has gotten substantially better with each new model. The card model and its processing power are listed below.
iPad 1st generation PowerVRSGX535 2 gigaflops
iPad 2nd generation SGX543MP2 8 gigaflops
The new 16 gigaflops iPad (3rd generation) SGX543MP4
More gigaflops is better. One gigaflop represents more than a billion calculations per second. As you can see when it comes to the gaming aspect, each generation of the iPad has achieved a substantial leap in performance capabilities. Older games improve their performance with each release; some of them will also get notable graphical enhancements. With the Retina display, there is also greater sharpness and clarity, as the graphics processor scales them automatically. Future games will be designed to take advantage of this increased graphics power. If your purpose in owning an iPad is to use it as a gaming device, moving from any of the earlier versions of the tablet is a significant improvement. The quality of the games and the screen is where this new tablet shines.
There are a few other features to consider when making an upgrade decision. Now the new iPad has an improved 5 megapixel camera. The first version had no camera and the iPad 2 had a 7 megapixel camera. I see this as a value-added feature. I’m not convinced that people are buying a tablet as a camera / video recording device. Its size is too big and bulky for people to hold in hand for recording. The ability to make video calls is the main reason to have a camera. It would be awkward to carry a 10-inch device to take pictures.
The other feature to consider is voice dictation. I think voice dictation is good for those who don’t like to type on the touch screen and compose documents and emails. Voice dictation is also useful for people with disabilities or repetitive strain injuries to the wrist. Remember that voice dictation is not Siri. There is no indication that Siri will be added in the foreseeable future. Siri is the reason I upgraded from iPhone 4 to iPhone 4s, and the only reason I was forced to. If you want to have voice typing, you should definitely upgrade, but don’t keep your hopes that Siri will arrive anytime soon.
If you have the first iPad, upgrading to the second or latest version is a no-brainer. If you are looking for some savings, you can sell your first tablet to recoup the costs. You can also buy last year’s model to save additional costs. Now, if you have the iPad 2, an update is a change between whether the screen, games, or voice dictation are the basis for choosing the latest model. Outside of screen and gaming, there’s no real measurable performance boost. Productivity is the same between the last two models. Therefore, part of the decision to upgrade comes down to personal preference; as for me, I’ll wait until next year’s model.