What the iPad 3 Looks Like

redletterdave writes "If you were expecting a radically different-looking tablet from the iPad 2, prepare for a minor letdown. In the same way Apple upgraded the iPhone 4 into the iPhone 4S, the exterior of the iPad 3 mirrors that of the iPad 2, despite completely renovated and upgraded innards. iLab Factory reportedly provided Sharp with the necessary parts to build the high-resolution iPad 3 display, and in a company blog post, various iPad 3 components are displayed alongside those of the iPad 2 for quick comparison. In addition to a new camera mount that will reportedly match or improve upon the 8-megapixel camera system in the iPhone 4S, the post also revealed that the iPad 3 will be approximately 1 mm thicker than its predecessor to house Apple's upgraded components, including a bigger battery, an improved camera, and a dual-LED lit system to make the 2048 x 1536 display even brighter."

Comments

I didn't read TFA, but...

[Intropy]

I'm guessing the iPad 3 looks kind of like a rectangle with rounded corners and a screen on one face?

Re:2048 x 1536?!

[poity]

YES PLEASE! Finally high res screens on consumer electronics! I hope the rumor that Apple's computers will get updated with high res screens is also true. Laptop manufacturers need a kick in the butt to get them out of the 1366x768 doldrums.

Fail, nothing like an iPad

[SuperKendall]

That device (and I notice you had to look VERY hard pre-iPad to find something even sort of close) doesn't even have SYMMETRIC borders! They vary from 1-2".

Also it had all kinds of features along the front plate like speaker grills. Basically you were a mile away from anything like the iPad we have now.

Re:Cheaper iPad 2

[Anonymous Coward]

First off, I am most assuredly not an Apple shill. I work for a company called DiSTI (www.disti.com). I would be happy if anyone at Apple even knew who the hell we are and what we do, let alone actually PAY me to post on slashdot.

But let me rebut your answer to the question: "Are they [tablets] more useful than a desktop or laptop?"

They most assuredly ARE more useful in a very large number of specific niche markets. Sure for _generic everyday use_ a laptop is better, but when your purpose is to make someone more productive at a specific job, then tablets can be not only better, they are also often much cheaper and more capable.

For instance, laptop computers have been around for a decade and yet not one has been approved for use by pilots in the cockpit as a job performance aid. You've doubtless seen the numerous stories about pilots using tablets as Electronic Flight Bags, replacing pounds of paper? And for $500. And it weighs hardly anything. And it has a 10 hour battery life, enough to have it on the entire time while crossing the Atlantic, though they usually only use them before takeoff and their approach for landing.

There are numerous other niche markets where the iPad is a totally disruptive technology. In the military training field, soldiers are now carrying training with them on an iPad instead of going to a dedicated training center.

I will also personally rebut "Are they as easy to read on as a dedicated e-reader?". I have friends who have Kindles, Nooks, etc. I have an iPad2 and a GalaxyTab 10.1 (my company's products support both). I've read dozens of books on my iPad and see no reason whatsoever to spend extra money or add extra weight to my bag for a dedicated reading appliance.

Re:Far more likely to be 1.5x not 2x

[shutdown -p now]

No, you're talking about bitmap scaling which is not what is happening. When you create an iPhone 4 app you provide separate graphics at the new resolution. The same would be done here. UI elements are also native images for the resolution.

When you create a new app, or update one, sure. But it won't happen overnight; in the meantime, existing apps should be usable. iPhone 4 can still run apps created for iPhone 3 and below. And the reason why it can do that without them looking like crap is because it scales them up using an integer factor.

Re:Why would it be radically different?

[MobileTatsu-NJG]

I have both an iPad and a Galaxy Tab. I also have an HP Touchpad. I have on a couple of occasions grabbed the Tab thinking I was going for the iPad, and vice-versa. They actually are strikingly similar. I have never mistaken the Touchpad for either of the other two.

You can look at jpegs of the devices in question until you're blue in the face, but when you actually have your hands on them it's embarrassingly clear that Samsung copied the iPad down to tiny little details. That's why the 'rounded corners' bit of the case is only one of twenty five details Apple took issue with.