Well, I have been the proud owner of my New iPad for a grand total of two days now and thought it was time to share some initial impressions. To help you keep my impressions in perspective, I use my iPad for a variety of tasks. I am a photographer and use the iPad to display photo albums and portfolios to prospective new clients and to present initial results to clients when I am doing a new shoot. I read a lot on the iPad – books, magazines, blogs, etc. I write some articles. I play some games. When traveling I use it to watch movies (in flight) and to listen to music. I love the size, versatility, and ease of use. I had read the pre release stats, etc.on the New iPad so I knew this wasn’t going to be an earth-shaking techno revolution in the world of tablets. I wasn’t expecting miracles. Still, keep in mind that I have been working with my Original iPad ( 16 gig, black model, wi-fi only) for several years and had not upgraded to the iPad 2. So I did expect the New iPad to be a noticeable improvement. That said, keep in mind that my impressions are based on the move from the Orignal iPad to the New iPad. I’m sure that owners of the iPad 2 would have rather different expectations and impressions. For reference, the New iPad I selected was the 64 gig model, in white, with Verizon 4G capability.
The Retina Display: The incorporation of the “Retina Display” has been one of the most highly touted “improvements” in the New iPad. As I have said previously (related article) I have always been rather pleased with the display on the Original iPad. For my purposes it appeared very acceptably sharp with good color and clarity.
My New iPad presented me with a rather interesting screen experience. On my first day of ownership, once I had loaded everything up and started working with the New iPad, I noticed what I will call a slightly pinkish color cast or tint to the screen. It was really only noticeable on pages with large white areas, such as when writing an email, etc. I didn’t really see it in photo images. But the more I worked with it the more this pinkish tint bugged me. I looked at the same pages in different lighting situations, I “rebooted”, I changed brightness settings. Nothing seemed to make it go away. Sometimes it appeared stronger or more noticeable and sometimes less so, but it was always there. And it really irritated me, definitely detracting from what I had hoped would be a great New iPad experience. I did an internet search and found noting about the problem with the New iPad. There were some old articles about pink tint on older iPhones. Finally, out of frustration, I went back to the Apple Store to get help.
I’m not going to give you the moment to moment review here – just a few basic pieces. My iPad did not show the same clear pinkish tint to the screen at the Apple Store (of course). The Apple sales person, who was very patient and attentive, did say that my issue might be related to the white frame. He said some people have noticed that with the white model the frame seems to pick up or reflect various colors and this might be what I am noticing. He also said this is the reason that most televisions use a black frame. This explanation appealed to the photographer side of me – to a degree. And also, I may be a bit more critical or sensitive to color cast issues than the non-photographer? Who knows. Anyway – the sales person offered to swap out my white model for a black model and I agreed to give it a try. At least there was hope in this suggestion. The result? I’m happy to say I see no such pinkish color tint on my replacement iPad. What caused the problem? Was it a funky screen? Or was it the white model in combination with my critical eye? I have no idea and may never know. But I do know that I’m happy (and greatly relieved) that the pink tint is gone! My sincere thanks to an understanding and helpful Apple sales person.
Beyond the “pink tint” issue, I am generally pleased with the Retina Display. Sharp images, clear, good color. I hope to put it through more serious paces in the future. At this point I have used it as I did my original iPad – writing emails, reading, viewing images. And I do notice a difference. There is a bit more clarity and definition to text and images. It’s good. But so far I am not exactly blown away by the changes / improvements. Perhaps I am not really looking at the right materials and / or apps? Maybe some HD videos will reveal some, as yet hidden, potential of the Retina Display.Time will tell. So far my impression is that it’s nice – but not outstanding.
In future articles I will share additional impressions. Meanwhile ——–
Keep On Travelin’ ………………. And Enjoy The Adventure!
Dr.B, The Photo Trekker
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