What’s that state of mind when your favourite tech company brings out a new, better revision of hardware a matter of months after you bought the last? Envy? Lust? Greed?
Nope. Buyer’s remorse.
The truth is that from the very first moment I bought my New iPad (and bear in mind this was only six months ago) that the (undeniably) amazing screen was really pushing the on-board circuitry beyond its means.
[drop2]This was concreted when certain games appeared that made the New iPad struggle – NOVA 3 from Gameloft was the notable title but there were a couple of others.On the latest model, with that Retina display, the game was missing special visual effects and ran at a lower framerate. It was better, without question, on previous hardware, and this was a frustrating experience on the latest tech.
Gameloft later conceded and issued an update (another GB or so download, sadly) that effectively made the game run at the same resolution of the iPad 2, to get things moving.
But the fact remains: the A5X chip on the New iPad didn’t pack enough grunt.
And now, as of yesterday, this New iPad, is effectively outdated. Sure, it’ll still do the same job but those claiming that it still holds the same position might be missing the point: the new one is more powerful, and as we’ve seen over the years, developers love to push hardware.
This isn’t just tech envy (although there’s certainly some of that) – it’s about owning the most capable hardware. I adore the iPad and use it daily, and have done since the first one. The annual updates are easier to swallow financially because I tend to sell on the previous model, but an update after just six months? That’s a much tougher ask.
[drop]Take Real Racing 3, a game that was used to show off the iPhone 5. That’ll no doubt run on the New iPad, but it’s likely to run better on the latest model. A faster framerate, better graphical effects?They don’t make a game, but it’s right to say they can enhance one.
“The new A6X chip inside iPad is our most powerful mobile chip yet,” says the blurb on Apple’s freshly updated website. “It delivers up to twice the CPU and graphics performance of the A5X chip. And it makes iPad feel faster and even more responsive.”
It’s not just gaming, too – Apple say that Apps launch faster, and the camera’s sharper.
The branding’s a little confusing too. This new model is no longer the New iPad, it’s “iPad with Retina Display”, presumably in order to distinguish it from the also announced iPad mini. I don’t really mind either way, of course, but with Apple’s shares dipping last night after the reveal, it’s tempting to think that this hasn’t been Apple’s smartest move.
A six monthly tech cycle’s just too rapid, in my opinion.
mcphatty
It’s too soon, they would have know about this six months ago and really this March’s release is the one that shouldn’t have happened. The price drop on the 2 would have stood brilliantly on its own, then the newest model with the mini and new phone could have had a bigger impact if announced all together (that would have taken the irritation factor down a few notches on the new connector too). Anyway, I’m a bit stuck on whether to get a mini or a 2 for my other half, really not sure what she’d prefer size wise, I can only stretch to £300 which is a pain :(
XisTG
I was going for the mini-pad, but that’s too expensive for the specs it has.
The problem is that in my country, as in so many others, the Nexus 7 is not available, so the mini-pad will find little competition on going on sale.
I did try to get one from the UK, but it ends up costing me more than the mini-pad :/
Galgomite
Shocked that Apple broke their 1 year rule, but this probably just signals new iPads in the fall rather than the spring, just like the shift for iPhone. Tim Cook said a year or so ago that they had finally overcome the staffing issues that were forcing them to “choose” between iOS updates and Mac updates. Maybe shifting all their refreshes to the holiday season is their new objective.
bunimomike
They used to show new iPhones to the world in the Summer (historically June) but shifting that to Autumn is a smart move. That Christmas quarter is hard to resist.
plutoniumdragon
Owning a Galaxy S3 I was never interested in a 6/7/8″ pad anyway so the “mini” was never for me, I did cave and buy an iPad back in July though. Am I bothered they have released an updated one already? Not really, as already said by others it still does exactly what I bought it to do and I don’t play any of the games that particularly tax it.
It does seem to have got a bit slower overall since the update to IOS 6 though, wonder if that was part of the reason for the refresh?
That said it’s still quicker than my Asus 300T, which is like waiting for paint to dry compared to the iPad.
I *might* get the new one, but I’m waiting to see if Surface is going to be as bad as I think it will be ;)
Jag
I bought the original iPad shortly after launch and it was great until the iPad 2 launched. Now since iOS 6 my iPad is technically not supported and I can’t see myself shelling out £500 again for an iPad (32GB) when Google have their Nexus 7 for under £200.
From now on I’ll be sticking to devices with a more sensible pricetag so when the next big thing comes out I won’t feel so stung.
The Lone Steven
This is one of the few reasons why i flat out refuse to get an Ipad. The other reason is that i despise touchscreen tech. I usually end up telling the self service checkout at supermarkets to shut up or to wait a bloody moment.
I’ve not kept up with the Ipad releases but was there really a reason to release the Ipad 4? As i don’t think the Ipad 3 was outdate thus requiring an updated version. O-o Also, 6 month cycles for tech is unacceptable imo.
RitualNET
I’m old (not THAT old but still) and a year is a bit too short for me in regards of hardware cycles, six months is just extracting the urine. I know people will say “well don’t buy!”, but it hurts, to know that the device you just spent/wasted several hundred pounds on, is now not only underpowered compared to the new device, but also new apps will come out that will not work (or won’t work well) on your device. My iPad 1 back when the iPad 2 came out, had apps that wouldn’t work on it, and I can imagine it’s even worse now (I sold it for a Nexus 7, so can’t check).
stonyk
Doni’t understand all the hate for this really. Surely it gives consumers more choice and should thoeretically reduce the pricing of the new Ipad (Old)? Surely the one that came out 6 months ago works just as well as it always did and people bought it for this reason. Suppose only people who bought it to have the latest model will be unhappy?
TSBonyman
Yeah new processor and hires gfx – and they’ll still primarily be used for facebook and checking the news and weather.. lol :p
Bambo_19
I really wanted to get the iPad mini but the specs are way below par to keep up with the nexus 7. on Hotukdeals the nexus 7 is at £180 right now for the 32GB!!!! madness and by the sounds of it the nexus 10 will be announced on the 29th of October with 300ppi and a absolutely huge screen resolution.
NEXUS 10 is what im waiting for. I can put any format of video on it and It can play Flash. The iPad is so limited while the nexus is limitless.