‘iPad 3’ upgrade guide: Who should and who shouldn’t

When Apple unveiled the new iPad today, it did so in a market where there are tens of millions of people like me who already own an iPad. Last year’s iPad 2 was a remarkable advance on the groundbreaking original iPad released a year earlier; for many of us, it made sense to dig into our wallets to get the iPad 2. I’m not sure the same is true for the new iPad.

The new iPad popularly called the “iPad 3” — gone is a version number in the official name — looks to be very much like the iPhone 4S: a fine device with solid enhancements that you can nonetheless skip if you have the previous model. For example, the iPhone 4S’s Siri voice-based assistant is cool, but most of us can live without it until our two-year iPhone 4 contract comes up for renewal; ditto with its faster processor and improved rear camera. The same logic applies to the new iPad if you have an iPad 2; the new iPad’s addition of voice dictation (it does not come with Siri) is a nice addition but not worth the $500 and up if you grabbed an iPad 2 last year.

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With the Retina display in the new iPad, text will certainly seem sharper, as it did on the iPhone 4 thanks to the same technology, and movies will look even nicer, especially HD titles. But if you have a year-old iPad 2, the difference in screen quality probably can’t justify the $500 for a basic model or $830 for the top-of-the-line unit.

The same goes with the better rear camera and CPU. These types of features are always improved; unless you can’t help buying the latest version of every Apple product, it makes more sense to wait until there’s a truly must-have new capability or the sum of changes over two or three years justifies the new iPad.

Then there’s the new support for the 4G LTE cellular technology for Verizon Wireless and AT&T models. Both carriers aggressively hawk their 4G services, but the truth is that LTE covers just a few cities for AT&T and about a couple dozen for Verizon. AT&T also markets its HSPA+ 3G network falsely as a 4G network, saying in the fine print that its allegedly fast backhaul makes its HSPA+ locations seem as speedy as real 4G. The bottom line is that true 4G availability is quite limited, and speeds are often no better than 3G rates — that’s certainly the case in the San Francisco Bay Area for both networks.

In and of itself, 4G support is not a good reason to shell out for a new iPad. Over time, 4G will improve and increase in availability, but that reality is a good year or more away for most people. And remember that if you have fast 4G where you live, the carriers will encourage you to use video services that will quickly eat up your data plans and greatly increase your monthly costs. Even if you don’t use more data, your costs will go up: Verizon and AT&T are charging essentially 50 percent more for 4G data than they do for 3G data on the earlier iPads — and you can’t get a 3G plan instead for the new iPad, only the pricier 4G plans.

What could justify buying a new iPad if you now own an iPad 2? Not much. The Retina display certainly is appealing, but unless you’re doing high-res photo editing or artistic creation — where new apps such as iPhoto and Sketchbook Ink take advantage of its resolution — that appeal is more emotional than practical. Ditto with some of the high-res games coming to the new iPad. Such apps will be more of a driver to getting a new iPad than the onboard software is, such as the new voice dictation capability.

The Apple TV update also announced today with support for 1080p HD video streaming could justify a new iPad purchase, as it’s highly unlikely the iPad 2’s hardware would be able to support HD streaming.

If you have an original iPad, the case to get a new iPad is more compelling. Apple has significantly enhanced the iPad’s hardware since the 2010 model, and several capabilities in iOS 5 don’t run on the original iPad. That gap will grow with the new iPad. Many original iPad owners noticed slower performance with iOS 5, and some iPad apps run only on the iPad 2 (and of course new iPad), such as Adobe’s Photoshop Touch image editor. If the iPad apps you primarily use are Mail, Calendar, Contacts, Reminders, Music, Notes, iBooks, Video, YouTube, Maps, Messages, newsreaders, social networking, and Safari, you can stick with the original iPad for another year.

Of course, if you have no tablet, get a new iPad. You’re going to get a tablet at some point anyhow — if you have the funds, why deprive yourself of what these remarkable devices can do any longer?

This article, “‘iPad 3’ upgrade guide: Who should and who shouldn’t,” was originally published at InfoWorld.com. Read more of Galen Gruman’s Mobile Edge blog and follow the latest developments in mobile technology at InfoWorld.com. Follow Galen’s mobile musings on Twitter at MobileGalen. For the latest business technology news, follow InfoWorld.com on Twitter.