Three iPad 3 Features We Desperately Need, and 2 We Don’t Care Much About
All signs point to the iPad 3 debuting sometime in February or March, but in typical Apple fashion the company has kept basically all the specs of the new device totally under wraps. That hasn’t stopped rampant Internet speculation however, so we thought we’d round up some of the most pervasive rumors and provide our take on things. So without further ado here are the iPad 3 features we desperately want and the ones we can live without.
Please Let It Be Real
Retina Display
While Apple’s super-crisp resolution has been an iPhone mainstay for a while now, the iPad still suffers from a slightly lower res screen. In spite of all its technological marvelousness it still stinks to see blurry pixels marring the screen. That’s why we’re desperately hoping that the iPad 3 will finally be the first Apple tablet to feature a true Retina Display. This improvement seems like a slam dunk, as word on the street is the new iPad 3 screen is 2048 x 1563, precisely double the resolution of the iPad 2. Even better, the screens have already gone into production. There are also cryptic references in the iBooks 2 files that seem to suggest Retina Display is on the way. In any case, this is the must-have feature of the iPad 3 and the primary component that will determine whether or not we upgrade.
LTE Compatibility
Even though the iPad has supported Wifi and 3G since its inception there have been some grumblings about its data transfer speeds. That may be a thing of the past though as the iPad 3 is rumored to be LTE compatible, making it the first iOS device to make the jump to the next generation of data. Strangely enough, the reason for the jump (beyond the obvious performance improvement) seems to stem from a redesigned battery which will allow the iPad to stand up to the power demands of LTE. It’s funny that one of the iPad’s most beloved features, its long-lasting battery, was one of the primary pieces of tech holding back LTE until now.
Dedicated USB Port
This one is a total longshot and something we don’t expect of the new device, but we still want it nonetheless. Adapters for the iPad 2 have allowed some USB devices to interface with the tablet, but the added dongles and compatibility questions mean we still aren’t even close to being able to hook up any USB device into our wonder-tablet. Instead Apple seems to be putting all its eggs in the Thunderbolt basket, and while we have no qualms with it that still means we’ll likely need a Thunderbolt to USB adapter. Why not just cut out the middleman?
What We Can Live Without
A Chunkier iPad
The primary downsides of the rumored enhanced display and upgraded chip (quad-core anyone?) is that it looks like the iPad 3 may be adding a bit of girth. Granted, the iPad isn’t exactly a hefty device and make it a touch thicker and heavier probably won’t be a big deal, but when televisions are debuting at CES which are measured in millimeters it’s a bummer to see any device get fatter. Also, considering the fact that one of the Kindle’s main selling points is that it’s light as a feather the iPad really can’t afford to pack on the pounds.
Gesture Controls
One of the more out-there rumors is that the iPad 3 will support gesture-based controls akin to what one might find on Microsoft’s Kinect peripheral. When your device really has a touchscreen do you really need gesture controls? As the original article points out, wouldn’t it be a better idea to bring Siri to the iPad instead? That’s something we could definitely get behind. These are just a few of the potential new features we’re really excited about and others that don’t get our juices flowing, but we’re always excited to potentially be surprised. Now that there’s some serious competition heating up in the tablet space we’re interested to see what Apple comes up with next in the name of continued marketplace dominance. Also, this being the first major product unveil since the death of Steve Jobs it should give us at least a bit of insight into what direction Apple will be taking for the foreseeable future. In any case it’s all eyes on Cupertino for the next few months.
