If the tablet market of 2012 were a monarchy, then the iPad 3 Wi-Fi would be the one you'd find sitting comfortably atop the throne. The kingdom's crown jewel? You guessed it: a sweet, sweet apple with a little bite in it. With the iPad 3, Apple has taken everything good about the iPad 2 and injected improvements all around. Design-wise, its undeniably as beautiful as any contraption made of glass, metal, and plastic can be. And as with many of today's available Apple products, in terms of technical specs, it does not disappoint.
Although it came out heavier and wee bit thicker than the previous iPad, the Apple iPad 3 brings features that do more than compensate for these minor inconveniences. The biggest highlights from the spec sheet include the dual-core Apple A5X System-on-a-chip which handles all the complex computing tasks on the device, the 9.7-inch Retina display that features a native resolution of 2048x1536 pixels, and the 42 WHr built-in battery that can give up to 10 hours of video playback or up to 30 days of standby time.
Just like every other iDevice before it, this product comes pre-packaged with the latest version of Apple's mobile operating system called iOS. It ships with iOS 5.1 which brings in plenty of new software features that will allow users to make the most out of the hardware. Speaking of which, the iPad 3 comes with a whole host of useful hardware features such as built-in sensors for motion and ambient light, wireless antennas for Bluetooth, GPS, and Wi-Fi, built-in cameras for image capture, video recording, and video conferencing, and built-in storage that starts at 16GB and can go all the way up to 64GB.
For all of its positives, however, Apple's 3rd iPad is still not quite a perfect product. For many people, a 10-inch screen can be too big to comfortably hold. Others find Apple's closed eco-system, one that only lets you install Apple-approved apps, to be too restrictive. Still, with its huge app catalog, delectable screen and polished user experience, most reviewers agree that this is the best tablet on the market today.
Need to know: Apple iPad 3 Wi-Fi
1. Complex computing and graphics processing duties are handled very well by the proprietary Apple A5X SoC under the hood. (The Good)
2. The 9.7-inch 2048x1536 pixel Retina display is unparalleled in the world of IPS LCD technology. (The Good)
3. It no longer holds the record for the longest battery life out of all 10-inch tablets. (The Bad)
4. The whole iOS App Store experience and required iTunes system integration for device management can be quite troublesome at times and needs improvement. (The Bad)
What the Critics Are Saying...
- Nadia Oxford, Pocket GamerSleep Attack TD is a challenging tower defense title that manages to add a couple of new layers to tower defense games in general. Just don't expect to be able to beat it in your sleep.
- Mobile88 Team, Mobile88The iPad 3 still lays down the benchmark of what a tablet should be, and improves on a proven design with an upgraded processor, Retina Display, and a better camera. But with the iPad 3, we would reiterate something you may have heard before. If you own the iPad 2, then the iPad 3 is not that much o...
- Adam Mills, GottaBeMobileI don’t have many complaints and the experience will only get better as time goes on. App developers will optimize their software for the new iPad and the web experience will improve – low resolution photos look terrible. The new iPad offers a far superior experience over the iPad 2 and so far, I th...
- Daniel Bader, Mobile SyrupYes, the Retina display is absolutely ridiculously stunning. Whether you love, hate or are ambivalent about Apple products, no other company has yet to mass produce a device with such an unmatched, and for a while, unmatchable, display.Yes, the iPad is thicker and heavier. It also runs quite hot on...
- Michael Oryl, HotHardwareThe third generation Apple iPad is a great tablet device. While I feel that the Retina Display, and its power requirements, might be overkill, there's no denying that it looks fantastic. The iPad's LTE performance on Verizon's network was equally filled with overkill, but in a way that I think is mo...
Prices (Where to Buy)
Resources
Manuals / User Guides
- Apple iPad 3 Manual (PDF)
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