I bet this one came as a surprise to you. I know I wasn’t fully expecting it, though we all knew that it had to happen someday. I am sure that a lot of people who bought a 3rd Generation iPad aren’t really happy with this announcement. You probably feel a bit slighted by Apple, and that is understandable. But what you really have to do is break things down a bit and see that the upgrades Apple made were minor.
Apple is now calling this new guy “iPad with Retina Display.” The 3rd Gen iPad had a Retina Display too, but they didn’t call it that. So that is one feature unchanged. Next we have the cameras. They are still 1.2MP front and 5MP rear cameras, same as before. However, Apple introduced the A6X processor, which is an improved version of the A6 processor Apple just released in the iPhone 5. Apple reports the A6X is twice as fast as the A5X (the processor in the 3rd Gen iPad), yet it is still a dual-core processor with quad-core graphics. Similar, but definitely faster. The final change is the addition of the Lightning connector. It is a better port hands-down (digital, reversible) so we should be happy that Apple is adding the best technology available when they can.
It’s definitely a bit of a shocker, but Apple wants to satisfy you, the customer, and deliver the latest and greatest technology they can to everyone. If Apple waited another six months to release an iPad with updated tech specs, people would be complaining. Unfortunately, you can’t be as big as Apple and not step on a few toes here and there. The 3rd Gen iPad is still a rock-solid machine, so don’t feel as if it’s too outdated!
I would love to hear what other consumers of Apple products think of this iPad update. Feel free to send me an email (click my name above), stop into any of our retail locations or continue the conversation on Facebook!
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