Apple "The New iPad" Thread

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by sclitheroe

I don't understand the logic behind screen protectors at all - they get dirty and scratched in their own right, plus they degrade the optics. They also feel considerably worse than glass for scrolling, multitouch gestures, etc.

If you're using any kind of case at all with the iPad (even a smartcover), you're protecting it against the number one cause of screen scratches, which is from being in transit, not from being used.

I can understand why someone might want a screen protector on an iPhone, since they don't typically have cases that cover up the face when not in use (plus the whole mushing it up against your head thing), but that doesn't apply on the iPad.

Because Apple products hold their value so well, I like protecting the crap out of them so they look pristine when I inevitably sell them on Kijiji to trade up.

I get what you're saying, though, and it makes sense.

[photon]

SGP makes an actual tempered glass protector:

http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/rev...r-iphone-4-4s/

They're coming out with one for the iPad, though $70 is pretty steep.

http://www.spigen.com/tablets/apple/...red-glass.html

[getbak]

I got sick of the screen protector on my iPhone getting scratched up and kept hearing how the glass on them is supposed to be scratch resistant, so I took the protector off and have been carrying it around with no screen protector for well over a year. Other than finger prints, it looks as good today as the day I bought it.

I'll use a microfibre cloth if I have one handy, otherwise, as already said, pants work just as well.


I've only had the iPad for a couple of weeks, but I'm not using a screen protector on it either (other than its case, which has a flap over the screen), and while it still shows finger prints, they wipe right off (and are only noticeable when the screen is off).

[sclitheroe]

Experimented with wifi tethering my Macbook to the iPad when it was in LTE coverage..all I have to say is that if LTE scales as demand on the network ramps up (and it should - each cell can handle 4x what an HSPA cell can, apparently, so if they have good backhaul capacity to each cell it's gonna be good), it could be a game changer for businesses. It's fast, symmetrical, and really blurs the line between mobile and land line net access.

I read that an LTE equipped iPad running in personal hotspot mode with the screen off will last up around 24 hours continuous. Not too shabby.

I could totally do my job from an LTE serviced campground this summer

[CubicleGeek]

Am I the only one that is not overly impressed with this iteration of the ipad? The only thing it has going for it is the retina display - which is amazing.

Not quite as comfortable to hold with the extra thickness and weight - I thought it would be negligible, but it was quite noticeable the moment I picked it up.
Battery drain is off the charts.
Battery charge time is significantly longer.
Battery charge is nonexistent when the device is in use while plugged in.
And dang this thing gets hot.

At this point I'm not even sure if LTE is even a factor - HSPA was fine for everything I did - even streaming HQ off my Slingbox.

I'm still on the fence as to whether I keep this and sell the 2, or return this and just keep using the 2 and see what the next generation brings.

But the screen is so nice!

[Meelapo]

Originally Posted by flamesrule_kipper34

^In that case, what's a good way of removing smudges/fingerprints when they do come up on the screen without the protector on?

Your best bet might just be distilled water and a nice microfibre cloth. You can get a kit from monoprice.com for fairly cheap. I find that combination works well for our "viewing" products (i.e. Kindle, iPad, iPhone, engagement ring, etc.).

[CubicleGeek]

Originally Posted by Meelapo

Your best bet might just be distilled water and a nice microfibre cloth. You can get a kit from monoprice.com for fairly cheap. I find that combination works well for our "viewing" products (i.e. Kindle, iPad, iPhone, engagement ring, etc.).

They sell those optico wipes at costco that are designed to work on capacitive screens.

[sclitheroe]

Originally Posted by CubicleGeek

They sell those optico wipes at costco that are designed to work on capacitive screens.

The iKlear Apple Polish is also really good. I know, it's horribly cliche, but the cleaning solution works really well, and contains some kind of wax compound that makes it easy to wipe off fingerprints with just a dry microfibre cloth in-between applications. You can feel the difference wiping the screen with a dry cloth after using iKlear - there's less drag than an untreated (stock) screen. It's also less likely to leave streaks or films than other cleaning solutions I've tried.

[Devils'Advocate]

I went to an Apple seminar yesterday.

For increased battery life:
- close out all applications 1/day
- if you don't need internet connectivity for the next little while, throw it into airplane mode

For faster charging:
- USE THE CABLE THAT CAME WITH THE NEW iPAD
- Don't just put the iPad to sleep, turn it off completely

As for the heat, some people are really sensitive. I have the 64GB LTE and was running FFT for 2 hours and, yes, it was warm. But not so much that it was painful or even uncomfortable.

And if the weight is bothersome, you really, really, really need to work out some because as I said, I've got the maxed out one and the weight is absolutely negligible.

-=-=-=-=-
Of course, I never had a 2. I went from the 1 to a 3, so I'm completely blown away with the improvements. Maybe going from a 2 to a 3 isn't a significant enough change, but for me this is like night and day. And we haven't even seen many apps upgraded to use the retina display.

[CubicleGeek]

Originally Posted by Devils'Advocate

I went to an Apple seminar yesterday.

Just pointing out that this iteration compared to the prior is worse in many aspects - they made alot of sacrifices in order to get a similar battery life with the new screen (which is gorgeous!). Going to an Apple Seminar isn't going to change that.

[Russic]

Originally Posted by getbak

I got sick of the screen protector on my iPhone getting scratched up and kept hearing how the glass on them is supposed to be scratch resistant, so I took the protector off and have been carrying it around with no screen protector for well over a year. Other than finger prints, it looks as good today as the day I bought it.

I'll use a microfibre cloth if I have one handy, otherwise, as already said, pants work just as well.


I've only had the iPad for a couple of weeks, but I'm not using a screen protector on it either (other than its case, which has a flap over the screen), and while it still shows finger prints, they wipe right off (and are only noticeable when the screen is off).

I haven't used a screen protector for several years. I went through an iPhone 3, 3GS and iPad 1 and they all look as good as the day I bought them. My new 4s though now has a giant scratch across the middle. I have no clue what caused it or how as I'm overly protective (it has never shared a pocket with anything). Aside from getting the screen replaced I don't think there's much I can do about it.

[fundmark19]

Originally Posted by CubicleGeek

Just pointing out that this iteration compared to the prior is worse in many aspects - they made alot of sacrifices in order to get a similar battery life with the new screen (which is gorgeous!). Going to an Apple Seminar isn't going to change that.

Depends how you feel really

Not quite as comfortable to hold with the extra thickness and weight - I thought it would be negligible, but it was quite noticeable the moment I picked it up.
Many people enjoy the heavier weight then iPad 2 myself included makes it feel solid
Battery drain is off the charts.
Can't comment haven't used one for extended amount of time. What is your total usage before needing a charge?
Battery charge time is significantly longer.
If I don't use the proper cord to charge my iPad 1 then it doesn't charge while using it just stays neutral
Battery charge is nonexistent when the device is in use while plugged in.
See above
And dang this thing gets hot.
It is only 10 degrees at most hotter then previous iPads. Put a case on it and problem solved. My iphone 4s gets really hot while I stream music and video I bet it is pretty comparable and it never gets to the point of I can't hold it any longer

[sclitheroe]

Originally Posted by Devils'Advocate

For increased battery life:
- close out all applications 1/day
- if you don't need internet connectivity for the next little while, throw it into airplane mode

For faster charging:
- USE THE CABLE THAT CAME WITH THE NEW iPAD
- Don't just put the iPad to sleep, turn it off completely

No need to close apps, they are suspended in the background. Airplane mode is a standard Apple recommendation. Nothing new or surprising there.

Charging, what is this talk about the cable? A 30 pin iOS device connector cable is the same - I'm even using the old-school big ones with the squeeze locks and its fine. The power adapter that comes with the iPad is the highest current power supply available - using anything else will result in a slower charge.

In terms of charging from USB, plugging in via a USB hub will result in little to no charge, because the iPad won't be able to request high-current mode from the USB port. On top of that, not all machines (older Macs included) can switch USB ports to high power mode, which could explain issues with extremely slow or non-existent charging when computer attached.

Powering down to improve charge time is ridiculous. With the screen off, and no apps running (ie. sitting at the home screen), the current draw of the device is negligible. You'll burn as much power booting up again as you'll save powering down.

[CubicleGeek]

Originally Posted by fundmark19

Many people enjoy the heavier weight then iPad 2 myself included makes it feel solid

Fair enough. It feels that I need to hold it a little tighter so it doesn't slip out of my hand. Not a deal breaker - I am just used to how the 2 felt in my hand and I'm sure over time I'd just get used to this as well. The weight of this reminds alot of the iPad 1. I was in the camp that I liked the weight reduction and slimming of form factor coming from the 1 to 2 so moving to the new iPad to a heavier and thicker device, is a step back IMO.

Originally Posted by fundmark19

Battery drain is off the charts.
Can't comment haven't used one for extended amount of time. What is your total usage before needing a charge?
Battery charge time is significantly longer.
If I don't use the proper cord to charge my iPad 1 then it doesn't charge while using it just stays neutral
Battery charge is nonexistent when the device is in use while plugged in.
See above

I have been getting around 5 hours doing light activities such as web, e-mail, Slingplayer (well this might not be considered light), and Drawsome. My brightness is at full though. Yes, I realize that if I lower my brightness, I will get more battery life. But comparing apples to apples, I cranked the brightness on every generation of iPad I've owned and my usage behavior hasn't changed. I'm sure if I adjusted my usage behavior I can get more battery life on the new iPad - but the same can be said if I did this with the previous generation, so the conclusion would be the same. Long story short - all else being equal, the battery life on average is less on the new iPad compared to the older ones.

Battery charge time being significantly longer is just physics - the battery itself is physically larger and has more capacity - they had to do that to provide a similar battery life with the new screen. A by-product of the new screen however, is that it draws more power from the battery, so when it is being used, it draws almost as much as the packaged charger can push into the battery (which is the same charger as the iPad 2, btw, I've used both and don't notice any difference).

Battery drain and charge time in itself could be a deal breaker for me. I've almost gone completely paperless in the office and often I'm not in a position that I can charge the device or I might only be back at my desk for 15 minutes. The iPad 1 and 2 lasted a full work day without charge effortlessly. I'm not sure this one can.

Originally Posted by fundmark19

And dang this thing gets hot.
It is only 10 degrees at most hotter then previous iPads. Put a case on it and problem solved. My iphone 4s gets really hot while I stream music and video I bet it is pretty comparable and it never gets to the point of I can't hold it any longer

Yes, this thing gets about as hot as my 4S under load, which in itself isn't a deal breaker, but is definitely at least in my opinion, a step back from the predecessor.

And just to make something clear, because I'm worried this is going to spiral into something we don't want - these are my observations I have with the new device, not an attack on the brand-loyal bunch.

I'm not the only one that has raised any of the above observations either, they are quite common discussion topics right now.

[sclitheroe]

Originally Posted by CubicleGeek

And just to make something clear, because I'm worried this is going to spiral into something we don't want - these are my observations I have with the new device, not an attack on the brand-loyal bunch.

I don't think its spiraling, don't worry.

The thing that amazes me this product launch round is that this might be the start of the end in some ways for the reality distortion field surrounding Apple. They've doubled the RAM, the screen resolution, the graphics performance, upgraded the camera and radios, and put it in a package that is within a few percentage points size and weight of the old package. On top of that, it runs every app from ones written for the iPod Touch all the way to new retina-class apps, works with existing accessories, and does it all with comparable battery life.

And yet a vocal minority of media and people are complaining that it takes longer to charge and that it gets warmer than the old one (when it's clearly in the exact same ballpark as all tablets, when used under load). Throw in other nutball stuff like the controversy over the iPad continuing to charge after reporting 100% battery, or that it overcharges batteries, the possibility of getting burnt, etc, and I've never seen as much misinformation and outright FUD before. It's like Antennagate all over again, but with less intelligence (since antennagate was, in some real world situations, real)

The truly ironic part is that the most important aspect of the new iPad is the one almost nobody is talking about - the increase in RAM. Irrespective of the retina display and the camera and the LTE, the RAM is going to prove, in the long run, to be the absolute biggest improvement to this device - it gives Apple the headroom to do new and innovative stuff with the operating system, and it gives apps the memory developers crave to work with real, significant data sets like high res photos, big complex PDF documents, spreadsheets, etc. It's the first iOS device that has an appropriate amount of RAM in this form factor.

[You Need a Thneed]

Originally Posted by sclitheroe

No need to close apps, they are suspended in the background.

Real world experience shows this to be not true, closing apps is essential. Perhaps not all apps, but ones that constantly check the internet even when in the background can kill battery life. That's more apps than you think.

[You Need a Thneed]

Originally Posted by CubicleGeek

I have been getting around 5 hours doing light activities such as web, e-mail, Slingplayer (well this might not be considered light), and Drawsome.

Playing video that is streaming wirelessly to the device is always going to lead to shorter battery life. One of the biggest battery drains in my experience.

[CubicleGeek]

Originally Posted by You Need a Thneed

Real world experience shows this to be not true, closing apps is essential.

I can echo this. I experienced on several occassions significant battery drain with the device on sleep that were resolved by killing all the apps. I only wish I knew exactly which app was the culprit.

[KTrain]

With all iOS devices, you have to cautious of how many applications you give notification access to. Having them constantly calling their servers for updates, messages, etc will drain the battery quicker.

[sclitheroe]

Originally Posted by KTrain

With all iOS devices, you have to cautious of how many applications you give notification access to. Having them constantly calling their servers for updates, messages, etc will drain the battery quicker.

I don't think this is how it works. Apps register with the push notification service, which make a single call to the Apple push server on behalf of all of them.

There are not scads of apps running or getting launched in the background to check for notifications.



Notice in this diagram that at no time does the app talk directly to its servers, other than the initial token setup - all push notifications are between a single service on the device, and Apple's servers.

The number of apps registered for push notifications does not correlate with battery drain - only the volume of received notifications would have any bearing, since those typically cause the device to wake up and illuminate the screen.