With both the new 4th generation iPad and the iPad mini finding their way into excited hands today, there are bound to be a lot of people getting their very first iPad out there. On the flip side, many current iPad owners love their device and are happy to fork over the dough to do the upgrading thing and get with the very latest tech.
Whether you’re brand new to the iPad or merely just upgrading, it’s interesting to see just what peoples’ impressions are when they finally have new devices in hand. The 4th generation iPad is said to be nearly twice as fast as the previous iPad, so exploring just how powerful and fast the device is will likely be what many people are curious about. Then there’s the iPad mini, which essentially has the guts of the still very capable iPad 2 but comes in a much smaller form factor. Here, hearing just how light and easy to hold the iPad mini is will be on most peoples’ minds.
With that, we’ve gone ahead and opened a special discussion thread in our forums where we ask you, our dear readers, to leave your impressions on the new iPad devices. Whether you’re brand new or just upgrading, full-size iPad or the mini, we want you to leave your thoughts on how the device itself feels, how it performs, and how you’re liking it when playing through the many games and apps available for it.
YouTube user Alex Tobaly (forum name spajdr) has a new 4th generation iPad and has made some nice comparison videos between it and the previous 3rd generation iPad. Check out this one below, which unforuntately only shows a couple of games, but should give you an idea of the noticeable speed difference between the devices.
He’s also got several other videos on his channel, including one comparing the iPad mini to the newest iPad as well as some various speed benchmarks compared to other iOS devices.
Forum user Echoseven leaves some of his first impressions with the 4th generation iPad, his first iPad ever:
“I like the new connector. One thing I didn’t realize based from pictures and demos is just how TINY the thing is. It’s pathetic, but still feels strong and durable. Quite amazed there, I must say.
I’ve used the iPad for 4 hours straight with heavy internet (images and stuff) surfing and a few games here and there and the battery went down from the 94% it came out of the box with to 68%. Unless you’re going to be gaming for a lot, the battery is really, really good.
Wi-fi is still only as fast as your network. If you don’t have a router (and internet speeds) capable of supporting the new speeds, you won’t see any difference. It’s definitely faster than my iPhone 4 though."
Forum member eloquent upgraded from an iPad 2 to a 4th generation and is quite impressed with the speed of the new device:
“Got the new iPad (4) …. My last device was the iPad 2 … The speed is stunning…. Incredible device with an incredible display and and amazing amount of speed…. Just was shocked how fast it loads up GoF 2 HD (Galaxy on Fire 2 HD (Free)) in compare to my iPhone 4S."
Forum member dannythefool seems to like his iPad 4, but notes that the corner gets a little warm:
I just picked a 4 up in a store. Man, these things are mainstream now…
Anyway, it does get a little warm near the bottom left corner, which is no big surprise since the previous models do the same thing. As far as games go, I’ve only played a bit of The Room (which I previously had to watch my wife play on her iPad 2 as it doesn’t support my iPad 1). Apart from that, only non-games, sorry (my favourite painting app Art Rage, and so on). No issues so far, everything has been nice and smooth.
Forum member GrimStone82 is thinks iPad mini might be “the nicest tablet ever made." Check this out:
I’m typing this from my new iPad Mini and I must say, I think this is the nicest tablet ever made. I have an iPad 3 and a Nexus 7 and both are going to be collecting dust from here on out. The size of this this is absolutely perfect for me, and the design of it is unbelievably sexy. My only complaint is the screen but it’s really not THAT bad, but it’s certainly noticeably lower res than what I’m used to. That really is a minor quibble though, because it does look nicer than the iPad 2 (same resolution + smaller screen = higher PPI). As far as the specs are concerned, even after all this time the iPad 2 is no slouch and this has the same internals. I suspect it will be just fine until the iPad Mini 2 comes out, and you can bet I’ll be buying one when it does. Final verdict: 9/10.
We’ll post some of the more insightful impressions here on our front page, and will keep this article updated throughout the day as more and more people get their devices and start leaving their thoughts in the forum thread. Make sure you drop into the discussion and let us know what you yourself think or ask any questions you might have of our iPad-owning members, and be sure to keep checking back as we add more to this post during the day. We’ll also have our own impressions coming from the TouchArcade staff so make sure to keep an eye out for that as well.
