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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."
Why have we grown so accustomed to the style changing radically every new release? Not just apple, but any phone, or gadget, or car... Why do we feel this need to see a new fancy box?
Seems like once we arrive at the thinnest tablets, it will be the ultimate "form follows function": a flat panel. Will we then no longer expect a radical new shape? (circular tablets?)
https://www.accountkiller.com/removal-requested
Normally I don't pay much heed to comments like this, but that shit was so canned it still has the ring marks. Cranberry anyone?
"Gold still represents the ultimate form of payment in the world." - Alan Greenspan, 1999
Yes, that's literally the only thing that separates the iPhone/iPad's design from everyone else's, the fact that it's a rounded rectangle with a flat surface and glossy paint. It's certainly not the radius of the corners, the 1-inch black border with chrome backing that peeks over just enough to frame it, the grid of icons, the thievery of artwork, the touchscreen gestures that originated with iOS, etc.
Tablets didn't start looking like the iPad until the iPad came out. That really should clue you into the idea that the design comes from Jonathan Ive's design studio and isn't some obvious thing that has been around forever. Of course it seems obvious now, because the iPad is so successful. There's a cognitive bias going on where the thing that succeeded now seems obvious in retrospect even though it didn't before it came into existence.
"Sufferin' succotash."
Anyone who has ever written iOS software knows that the UI scaling is done by float, and can easily take a value of 1.5.
It can technically be done, but results will look like crap, because scaling of bitmaps does not look well if you don't use an integer factor - either you get some pixels larger than other, or you need to use interpolation, resulting in an altogether blurry picture. There's a reason why Apple did 2x upscale with iPhone 4, rather than going for the then industry-standard-already 480x800.
Besides, from TFA, it looks like they have already identified the specific LCD screen that looks like it's tailor made for iPad 3 in dimensional terms - and it's 2048x1536.
Of actually knowing (or predicting) what and when the notoriously secretive Apple will release its next product. Swallow any claims not coming from 1 Infinite Loop with a Large Dose of skepticism.
Like it or not, Apple basically defined the tablet market, and their hardware + iOS ecosystem is incredibly profitable. Like it or not, Samsung is perceived as a major clone maker -- the 21st century equivalent of Compaq in the late 1980s.
That was once true, but desktop and laptop screens have regressed over the past few years towards 1080p (high-def TV) resolutions. There are only a few 2560x1600 desktop displays now - Apple for example no longer sells one. 1600x1200 screens were available on laptops for some time, too, but no longer.
With that resolution and dual backlights, I bet the new iPad screen will look fantastic. Now give me a 'retinal' 30" display for my desktop, please.
Everyone knows that the 3rd party accessories market for iDevices are HUGE, and one reason is because Apple sells MILLIONs of devices out of very few form factors. If you've ever been shopping for any iPhone accessory (cases, car holder/radio kits) vs. a typical android phone, you'll see what I mean. Apple knows that being 'different' isn't the same as being 'good', and that changing the design and button placement of their iOS devices just to be 'new' isn't a good enough reason.
Okay, you people are retarded. What jabs at Google? And of course it quickly went to +5 (or whatever it's rated now), it was the first post that moderators saw.
Normally, I don't respond to comments like this, but the goofy paranoia on Slashdot whenever anyone dares to--gasp--say positive things about a really popular tech gadget is really nutty.
"Sufferin' succotash."
There seems to be an assumption that you would need to upgrade. New cars get released every year. Why would I upgrade to the new Honda Civic when the model I bought two years ago is working fine for me?
Apple (and car manufacturers) are going to continue to release new models year after year. Some people are going to immediately get the newest thing (much more so with a relatively inexpensive tablet), but a large member of the user group is going to stick with what they have because it is already working fine for them.
Our tendency is to mistakenly think that this works against Apple. Yes, I'm sure that Apple would love it if everyone who had an iPad 1 or 2 threw it away and bought a 3. However, read your own words - you're saying that you bought version 1 of a device and it is still working out great for you around the time that version 3 comes out. Sounds like you are pretty happy with your purchase. Companies like Apple should be happy about that. It works against them if owners of previous models feel burned when the new version comes out.
Judging from the article's speculations about the iPad 3 (who knows how accurate they are), these are fairly incremental improvements - better battery, better screen resolution, etc. This is similar to what I'd expect with a new car model from year to year.
Only a small segment of the market is going to rush out and buy the latest and greatest. Companies like Apple can succeed by recognizing that and growing a set of repeat buyers out of the remaining field. The fact that consumers aren't feeling burned when new models come out, and feel that old models work fine, makes those consumers more likely to repeat a purchase.