Not to be outdone by other geeks getting the new Ipad on the first day it became available, mine arrived at my door just before Noon and it had 72% battery life upon initial power up. I have it plugged in now but this is near the end of my day as I took it with me on the road about an hour after the initial unboxing so it was down to 23% by the time I got home. Sure the battery is bigger and sure it will take longer to charge, but that shouldn't be a problem as I typically plug it in before bed anyway and since you can get close to, if not, 12 hours out of it (I'm more like about 10 since I use bluetooth for all my devices).. by the way I picked up the 4G-16gb version as my original Ipad 1 and 2 were also the 3G models. In my opinion, that extra $100 is well spent since I have the flexibility to be online any place there is cellular service.
Some of the reviews I have read are stating they have not noticed much of an improvement in speed and I can only figure this must be the apps they were using because I would have to say it's pretty close to twice as fast as my Ipad2 when it comes to using a program like "logmein ignition" which I use on a daily basis. I was also able to utilize the LTE in Houston but only managed to see speeds of 12mbps both up and down, unlike some people who have stated speeds as high as 40mbps although I don't believe that was in the Houston area. In any case it is pretty equivalent to a typical wifi speed now so that is nice to see.
The screen is most definitely a lot sharper and easy on the eyes to look at, not sure about the color temperature being 'warmer' as some have suggested.. All I can say is that it produces a nice quality image.
The size being a little thicker, I was wondering if I would be able to use my
Ipad2 Joby GorillaMobile Yogi stand which has the spider legs but was pleasantly surprised when it did fit. Noting the rear camera lens is a little larger but the cut-out on the stand was just the right size, making it actually a little larger than necessary on the Ipad2. Also note that I was initially using my Ipad1
Joby GorillaMobile Yogi stand for my Ipad2 until I could find the version 2 and it worked although not as snug as it should be, as well as the camera lens was blocked by no cut-out for the lens that doesn't exist for version1. I imagine version 3 stand will be out soon and will account for the thickness if nothing else. But I digress since this is a review about the Ipad itself and not the accessories.
So should you get one? In my opinion yes, absolutely.. you most certainly will not be disappointed but you may also be quite happy with the Ipad2 if you can get a good deal for one and if it is going to be your first ipad. I think it is important however, to decide what is important for you. Some people are going for the 32GB or even 64GB models but are wifi only.. I believe the 3G or in the Ipad3 case being 4G/LTE is more worthy of the additional money before spending it on a unit with twice the storage space. I really don't have a problem putting 8-10gb of Music/podcasts on my unit with the remainder filled up with apps, etc and having to sync it if I want to change out the data that much and feel this is really not a big deal. Those that complain there is no external storage card slot (still), I truly don't see this as ever being a problem for Apple. Since you can utilize the memory card adapter for importing your photos and utilizing bluetooth for all other connectivity issues, what should be more important here is the device itself and just how much you will use it and how much you won't be using your other computers. For me, I find myself picking up one of my three Ipads just as some would pick up a pen or pencil to write a note. The device itself becomes a tool and depending on what apps you find yourself using, I do believe you will be quite satisfied with whichever model you end up deciding on. I have friends now wanting me to sell my first gen device but even that is something I really am not ready to depart with, since it still gets a lot of use around the house, albeit not on 3G so I guess I should consider selling it if for no other reason then to be able to afford a new wifi model to replace it.
The question now is,"does this replace the desktop computer?" my answer would be a firm "no" because I believe there will always be the time when you want to sit at a desk and big screen and click away with your mouse...
