Do I need to update my iPad? What’s inside doesn’t matter so much

Now you may have your first or second iPad, or are thinking about buying your first. This article will explain the differences and should help you decide which version of the tablet to buy.

The first iPad was a game changer in the technology markets. Apple had done it once again and created a new market where none existed before. I still remember in the early 2000s what was envisioned as a tablet. The first tablets were laptops that had monitors that folded like a paper notebook. You’d fold them up to put the screen on top of them, 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 touch-optimized programs. Sales were disappointing. The worst was the swivel monitor design, which could easily cause the monitor to 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 businesses would accept it in the workplace. The tablet has become a laptop replacement device for many. People are always looking for lighter and smaller devices to take with them when traveling. How popular has the iPad become? Results for the fourth quarter of 2011 showed that 15.4 million iPads were sold. The tablet outpaced HP’s combined PC sales in that quarter.

The latest iPad is now called the new iPad. Apple is killing the numbers game, following a similar path to its Macbooks and iMacs. When a new iMac is released, it’s called the iMac, not the iMac 17. I hope the same thing happens 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 internal specs 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 impressive resolution of 2048 x 1536. Compared to its predecessors, the screen is 1024 x 768 pixels. What does this number mean? Well, if you recently purchased a 1080p HDTV, 1080p resolution is equal to 1920 x 1080 pixels. The 10-inch retina display has over a million more pixels than your 1080p HDTV. That’s about 50 percent more pixels packed into a screen that will be, on average, 30 inches smaller than what you’re watching your HDTV shows on. 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 looking at the screen. Now to examine exactly what is inside.

First let’s examine memory.

iPad 1st generation 256mb

iPad 2nd generation 512mb

The new iPad (3rd Gen) 1024mb

I’ve always believed that the biggest flaw with the first iPad was how little memory it offered, especially for a device that many would primarily use as a replacement for a laptop. Opening multiple web pages on the first iPad would cause Safari to be slow and sometimes crash. If you’re looking for a better web experience, any of the later versions will be an improvement. If you have your first iPad, I would highly recommend upgrading to any of the newer versions due to limitations caused by the small amount of memory offered initially.

Well, what about the processor? The new iPad has a new processor; does it have to be a big improvement over the previous generation? No, not really. It’s the same processor as before, just bigger to handle a larger graphics unit.

1GHz single core chip for iPad 1st generation A4

1GHz dual-core chip for iPad 2nd generation A5

the new ipad(3rd generation) 1ghz dual core A5X chip

Does clock speed matter? Apple at this point doesn’t think an increase in processor speed is warranted. No faster clock speed was needed to power the new retina display. Testing shows that there is no significant difference between the A5 or A5X processor in non-gaming applications. Since non-gaming apps don’t care about retina display or graphical processing power, you don’t get any extra benefit in email, web browsing, or productivity apps. If you’re using the first iPad for design applications, architectural calculations, or scientific calculations, either of the newer models will offer performance gains that are identical no matter which of the two newer devices you buy.

One more thing, we improve CPU performance and multitasking. Apple does not yet allow running apps in parallel. So if you assume an extra processor might help apps running in the background, it rarely does. In most cases, background apps are sleeping and only running to push notifications to your screen like email. This may change in the future, but most likely it will be in a few years.

One of the main, but rarely talked about, reasons why iPad sales have skyrocketed is that the tablet has become a great gaming device alternative. Handheld gaming devices have dropped in sales and have been attributed in part to the gaming capabilities of the iPhone and iPad. This is where there is the biggest improvement. The graphics processing unit has improved substantially with each new model. Below is the model of the card and its processing power.

iPad 1st generation PowerVRSGX535 2 gigaflops

iPad 2nd generation SGX543MP2 8 gigaflops

The new iPad (3rd Gen) SGX543MP4 16 gigaflops

More gigaflops are better. A 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 gained a substantial leap in performance capability. Older games get performance improvements with every release; some of them will also get noticeable graphical improvements. With the retina display, there is also an increase in sharpness and clarity as the graphics processor automatically enhances them. Future games will be designed to take advantage of this increased graphics power. If your purpose of 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. Gameplay and screen quality is where this new tablet shines.

There are a few other features for your consideration in 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 0.7 megapixel camera. I see this as a value added feature. I’m not convinced that people buy a tablet as a camera or video recording device. Its size is too big and bulky for people to hold in their hands to make recordings. The ability to have video conference calls is the main reason to have a camera. It would be inconvenient 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 typing on the touch screen and drafting documents and emails. Voice dictation is also useful for people with disabilities or repetitive strain injuries of the wrist. Remember that voice dictation is not Siri. There’s no indication that Siri will be added in the immediate future. Siri is the reason I upgraded from the iPhone 4 to the iPhone 4s, and the only reason I was forced to. If you want to have voice dictation then you should definitely upgrade, but don’t get your hopes up that Siri is coming anytime soon.

If you have your first iPad, upgrading to the second or latest version is a piece of cake. If you’re looking for some savings, you can sell your first tablet to recoup costs. You can also buy last year’s model to save extra costs. Now if you have the iPad 2, an upgrade is a matter of whether the display, gaming, or voice dictation is the basis for choosing to get the latest model. Outside of display and gaming, there’s no real measurable performance boost. Productivity is the same between the last two models. So part of the decision to upgrade comes down to personal preference; As for me, I’ll wait until next year’s model.