iPad 3 review – iPad 3 specs – iPad 3 price – iPad 2 vs. iPad 3

It’s the iPad Hangover 3.  The dust has settled.  The hype is over and the iPad 3, dubbed “the new iPad” has finally been showcased by the Lords at Apple support.  Yes, there have been improvements from the iPad 2, most notably with its screen resolution at high-definition quality, but are the rest of the features worthy of you plunking down at least $499 for it?

Let’s get right to the head-to-head specs of the iPad 2 and iPad 3:

To boil this all down, the new iPad, or iPad 3, doubles the resolution, doubles the processor speed, doubles the memory speed, is 33% better camera, and Internet speed is up to 10x faster with 4G ability.  So, it’s faster and sharper.

Apple service folks tout that this model is meant for gamers and photo/video enthusiasts.  You’ll definitely be able to play around nicely with snapping shots and videos on the 5 megapixel, 1080p camera.  It will show up as high-def on your TV which is cool.  Gaming though?  I’m not seeing it.  This iPad is a bit heavier and thicker than the iPad 2, making this model not so portable for gamers.  Yes, gamers will be able to take advantage of the graphics and important 4G speed when playing opponents online.  But, the true gamer would just play off of a heavy-duty desktop or laptop that can install games easily.

Overall, this iPad is a vast improvement internally with its high-speed and fast processing.  But, as the iPhone 4S was to the iPhone 4, this is an upgrade internally without any cosmetic changes.  I would have loved to see cosmetic changes, including an SD card slot to insert your camera memory cards.  How about a USB port for easy connections to printers, scanners, external hard drives, and other components.  Yes, we are all about the cloud, but some people have devices they need quick access to.  Without such connectivity, it’s tough to see everyone throwing their laptops out for iPads.

By the way, one great part about the third generation iPad coming out is that the iPad 2 is on sale for only $399 now.  A $100 price cut!  Now, that’s not a bad option to go with!