Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Can the iPad 3 Keep Up?



With the release date of the iPad 3 likely to be announced within the next month or two, we wondered if the iPad 3 could keep Apple on top. The biggest compeition that the iPad 3 will face as far as technology is concerned is the Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime. This is the newest Android powered device to hit the market in the near future. The iPad 2 of course still holds a firm grip on the tablet marketplace. The Asus tablet hopes to take a chunk out of the Apple and part of the tablet market at the same time. The iPad 3 is rumored to be released in late February or early March and are reported to already be in production.

iPad 3 Power

The Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime will be powered by the Nvidia Tegra 3 chipset. This chip boasts a quad-core CPU clocked at 1.3GHz for each chip. The device will have 1GB of RAM and has two different storage options of 32 or 64GB and also supports a Mico SD card. The iPad 3 is rumored to have the A6 processor which should also be quad-core. Each core will probably be conservatively clocked around 1 GHz. The iPad 3 will also probably come with 1GB of RAM and the multiple storage options as are found with the iPad 2. Although we’d like to see a Mico SD slot, this goes against Apple’s normal so we won’t hold our breath.

iPad 3 Display

Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime will have a 10.1 inch Super IPS+ LCD display, and is by far the best screen on a tablet to date. It boosts a resolution of 1280 x 800 and has a pixel density of 149PPI. It also features Corning’s Gorilla Glass which is a nice protective feature, protecting you from a shattered display. This puts the Asus ahead of the current iPad 2 for sure, the iPad 3 is another story. The iPad 3 was long rumored to feature a Retina Display similar to that used in the current iPhone. This has recently changed though with recent iPad 3 display rumors. Some are pointing to the iPad 3 featuring the same display as the iPad 2. Others are saying that the Retina Display is in production and will be featured in the iPad 3. We don’t know which side to believe, of course we hope for the last.

iPad 3 Camera

The Asus features a 8 megapixel primary camera with LED flash, autofocus, geotagging and 1080p video capture. The secondary camera is 1.2 megapixel that can be used for video chat etc. Both cameras perform well and easily are better then anything seen on any current tablet, especially including the lackluster iPad 2 camera. The iPad 3 of course is rumored to include an upgraded camera, and is one feature we’d bet our lives on. We expect the iPad 3 to feature a similar camera to the Asus. Some rumors point to the iPad 3 featuring the same camera as the iPhone 4S. It will also of course feature 1080p video etc.
iPad 3 Form and Design
The Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime is a thin (8.3mm) tablet with a well spaced bezel and curved edges. Initial impressions make you think of the iPad 2. The back of the device is a brushed metal finish which offers little to grip on to. The iPad 3 is rumored to offer a curved glass display and slightly thicker then the iPad 2. This is reported to be because of the vastly improved battery life the device boasts. There have been no other rumors for the iPad 3 design but we expect it to be minimalist and similar to the current iPad 2 design.
iPad 3 vs Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime Winner
The winner of this battle really comes down to the display. We already know that the Asus will be sold with an impressive display. That coupled with the powerful processor and good battery life makes this a great Android powered device. With Android OS becoming more and more polished it defiantly becomes a viable option in the tablet market. If the iPad 3 is released and only has an upgrade in battery life and camera then we will be dissapointed with the iPad 3. The Asus will honestly be a much better device in this case. However if the iPad 3 offers a big upgrade over the current iPad 2 then it can easily be the best tablet on the market.

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