The New iPad 3 was announced over a week ago and since then has garnered up some record sales, with Apple CEO Tim Cook confirming that over 3 million units of the next-generation tablet were sold in the first weekend.
New iPad 3 arguably the best tablet on the market
With tech outlets in general only writing rave reviews about the iPad 3, while at the same time industry experts reminding us again how the tablet is cannibalizing PC sales, you would think that it would finally be time to spring for a tablet in case you didn’t have one.
While I can see the many benefits of having a tablet handy, I’m not going to jump on the New iPad 3 just yet. Instead, I am betting on the iPad 4 which should be out around the same time next year.
Here’s where I think the New iPad 3 falls short and hopefully where the iPad 4 picks up on.
New iPad 4 wishlist: where the iPad 3 fails
iPad 3 not great for gaming: While the iPad 3 boasts a Retina Display and quad-core graphics which will no doubt make games like Infinity Blade that much more fluid and nicer to look at, it is still a touchscreen device with no ability to connect a gamepad or keyboard. So despite the iPad and the games in the App Store getting better, it can’t compete with the likes of playing first-person shooters on your PC, Xbox 360 or the PS3. That is at least until Apple allows for game controllers to connect with it like how Android Honeycomb tablets support USB host.
Can’t run power software: With such a beautiful screen and power under the hood, popular softwares like Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and Microsoft Office aren’t available in their full featured variants. This makes it fall short for both enterprise and higher learning usage. At the moment, the iPad does have its fair share of apps for image and video editing but they are ‘lite’ versions at best and the next paragraph may explain why..
On the topic of running power software, there may be some limitations in the iPad that could explain why we haven’t seen these ‘apps’ just yet. For one, reports that the New iPad 3 is running hot already is troubling, given that we expect app developers to only now try and really push the hardware limits of the tablet. This could very well put a heavier burden on the processor and quad-core graphics, leading to more heat generated.
Lastly, while we were hoping for Apple to release a 128GB version of the New iPad, Apple has stuck with the biggest storage model still being 64GB. Now we’re not expecting the tablet to match the 500GB to 1TB hard disk spaces that laptops and desktops have but given the lack of external storage options (no DVD drive, USB ports, etc) and the expensive cost of data plans which rules out iCloud for many, storage could get tight very quickly given that the iPad 3 is a media-centric device after all. It would be ideal if I could load the New iPad with my collection of HD home movies and high resolution photos albums shot with my DSLR, which I wish to edit on the tablet and keep them there for portable viewing (what better way to see high-resolution pictures than on the Retina Display). This, alongside the many apps, songs and podcasts you will download over time, could pose as a problem in the long run.
Did you spring for a New iPad already? If so, what was the major reason that made you decide to get one? Sound off in the comments below.
