'iPad 3' Problems: 6 Things Critics Dislike About Apple's New Tablet

Reviewers love the new iPad. Daring Fireball's John Gruber writes, "Reading on the big retina display is pure joy." All Things D's Wal Mossberg tells readers the screen is so amazing that you literally have to see it to believe it. TechCrunch's MG Siegler actually warns people who are sticking with their iPad 2s not to even look at the new iPad because they will be forever scarred by what might have been.

So is there anything not to love? Of course there is, even if some writers appear to be deeply digging to find something to gripe about. Their complaints range from the pretty big (you can't use FaceTime via 4G) to the minute ("warm corner").

Take a break from iPad praise to find out which 6 aspects of the new tablet reviewers don't quite love (below). Then check out what the reviewers love about the new iPad, and find whether HuffPost Tech's Captain Gadget thinks current iPad owners should consider buying the new model.

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Comments

[Parker Peterson]

11:30 AM on 05/15/2012

The wifi range issue on the new iPad (3) is really annoying, I was really sadden when I tried my new toy and this happened to me I spent quite a bit of time researching for a solution, without any luck. All of the methods I found didn't work for me. Finally I had the luck to land on a review of a case from Pong Research. They produce this really interesting cases that have an antennae in between layers of the back cover, which redirects and boost the wifi signals into/from the antennae built-in the iPad, this fixes the new iPad 3 poor wifi range .

[Richard Biggs]

11:48 PM on 03/18/2012

yeyey

[tom49504]

01:05 AM on 03/18/2012

I did have a chance to play today with the new ipad , and I do have a question. What i did is I went to iphoto and iphoto imported pictures from "PHOTOS" .I made one of the pictures brighter - since was to dark . That picture was not changed in "PHOTOS" . I went back to iPHOTO and the picture was still brighter - just like I want it. Then I delete that picture from (iPHOTO) , but the picture was not deleted in my "PHOTOS". So it looks like iPhoto imports pictures (COPY) and they stay in iphoto folder. I asked the guy in Apple store if iPhoto creates a new folder. He told me YES .My "beef" with that is that if you got only 9GB of pictures, and they are copy to iPhoto folder - now you got 18GB of data on your ipad, and your 16GB ipad is to small for only 9GB of pictures (if you use iPhoto ) . If you fix the picture in iphoto the picture stay in iphoto. We could not find a way ( with the apple store guy ) to fix the original (with iPhoto ) and than ....delete pictures from iphoto. Question is - Is 64GB ipad good only for 32GB of storage ( since iphoto copy your picture files ) ? Can anyone answer this ? This would make the new 16GB ipad, the worst 9.7" tablet ( as far as storage ) on the

[ChrisBrooks84]

04:40 PM on 03/18/2012

Real video games on the ipad rit now: GTA 3, Prince of Persia 3, call of Duty, Black ops:zombies, need for speed carbon, (if by "real" you mean new and on other platforms. But you also have a host of great games only available on the ipad)

Students using iPads: my wife did here last 2 years of online classes on an ipad 2. And saved about $500 on books doing it. I use one for all of my office work. (I use MS office via remote desktop, as well as photoshop)

Apple zombies buy from apple every year: the reason the people I know buy apple is precise so they don't buy new ones every year. There is no real obsoletion.i know guys still rocking ipad 1s with joy, I still use the 2 and it still rocks. I even know some people using old 6 year old iMacs that are great. And couple of iPhone 3G phones still working great too. Apple may update incrementally. But everything still works great to me. Whens the last time you got a virus btw?

[reasonseason]

12:44 AM on 03/19/2012

You make ridiculous either/or assumptions. Most tablet owners own laptops too. Each have respective strengths and weaknesses. Voracious readers (endangered species on college campuses as you tell it) much prefer tablets to laptops. In any case, someone who rates gaming as a higher calling than reading has no business calling anyone else "mindless."

[Volantiad]

05:15 PM on 03/19/2012

Well done, Reasonseason! I read more now than I ever did before I got my iPad. Not proud of that ~ should've read more ~ but have to acknowledge that the light, handy pad is great for carrying around a couple dozen books when I would've had to have had a camping backpack for them in the past.

Sounds like Pat Fenton neglected to find out what an iPad was before he bought it. Not saying that's precisely 'mindless,' but not really 'mindful,' either.

[Runey]

07:09 AM on 03/17/2012

Ok seriously, I'm all for finding flaws in a product, but:
"Reviewers found that enhanced apps and high-definition movies look amazing on the iPad's mind-blowing Retina display, but they noted with disappointment that non-HD content doesn't quite shine. "

The reviewers are handicapped. non-hd content doesn't look good because it's NOT HD. You could already forecast this 'epiphany' with all existing displays viewing low resolution videos/pictures/whatever.

[Diane Alber]

10:15 PM on 03/17/2012

I was questioning #2 as well..."Non-Retina apps look more or less like they did on previous iPads -- but on the new iPad's Retina display those pixels really stand out"
But that's simply not true...I just got my new ipad yesterday and actually the apps look better...I did a whole blog post about it....http://kipandgary.com/blog/2012/03/iphone-apps-enlarged-look-greaton-the-new-ipad-hd-display/

[DRaymond]

07:38 PM on 03/18/2012

If they look better it is most likely because the new display also features more saturation in the colors.

[rotary]

02:41 PM on 03/16/2012

Reading huff post on the new iPad is an unbeatable experience! No zooming out required, the pages just flow like glass and look crystal clear. Love it!!!

[J0E1]

12:12 PM on 03/16/2012

Retina display + VGA camera = even worse looking face time.

[CharlesBrown008]

12:38 PM on 03/16/2012

LOL. Is there an option to dull the camera?

[ChicoHash]

04:16 PM on 03/17/2012

If you knew what VGA meant and its place in history, you'd understand his comment. The key word is 'history' = past = no longer leading technology (hasn't been for years).

[reasonseason]

12:48 AM on 03/19/2012

LOL. Although I suspect a hi-def camera and a low-res display would be far riskier–you might think you look great while the other party is thinking "someone should have gone heavier with concealer today!"

[hpruk]

11:21 AM on 03/16/2012

transformer prime and galaxy are very good tablets . in our tests most people use tablets for browsing, emails, listening to music,photo ,video watching and games, . some people use them for running MS office, video and photo presentation on tv (1080p at best) using hdmi. all of the tablets you mentioned do these well. In addition blackberry playbook does these very well. It has 5 mp rear camera for shooting and showing 1080p. it also has a hdmi port, email integration, very slick web browser and can multitask. with the new keyboard it works as a laptop and is small enough to fit in a jacket pocket. with the wonderful media coverage of blackberry these days although playbook is less than half price of the above tablets, its appeal is limited. From security point of view in public places playbook is the most secure followed by apple and android. Apple sells well because it appeals to most people and not necessarily on technical merits. Is in that what Jobs said ?

[theveggiedude]

02:27 AM on 03/19/2012

Those same tablets were compared by PC World to the iPad 2 and the new iPad and both Apple tablets blew them away in most tests.

http://tinyurl.com/7gld2z5

[JJJSchmidt]

10:27 AM on 03/16/2012

One more complaint: Still no SD or micro SD card slot. Now that the apps are using more storage space expandable storage makes sense at least to the customer. Surely, Apple can add an SD slot without affecting the size or weight of the tablet. It is a matter of greed and control. Why give the customer an SD card slot so that they can expand their storage for less money than we will charge them for an iPad with a bigger hard drive? With an SD card slot 16 Gb of storage can be added for about $30. To get an iPad that has a 16Gb bigger hard drive is $100 more.

[SamBarber]

10:35 AM on 03/16/2012

Exactly; when the iPad gets both an SD-type slot and a USB port, then I'll buy it.

[Jay from Ottawa]

10:41 AM on 03/16/2012

That has always been one of the main reasons I've stayed away from Apple products. I'm pretty sure it's because they don't want you being able to use your tablet without having to use;
- itunes, apple specific cables or the icloud.

I want to be able to move content on and off of a tablet, drag and drop, like I do with a USB key (or almost every other product I own with internal memory). Most other products work that way, but that means not having to use itunes or icloud.

[Scvoter1]

10:22 PM on 03/16/2012

The IPAD2 and 3 already have a USB port.

It is comes with the IPAD2 & 3 and is found at the end of the other end of the power cord. You can either plug the USB port into your computer or into the USB port on the special plug furnished by Apple with your purchase of the IPAD 2 and IPAD 3.

[ChrisBrooks84]

04:26 PM on 03/18/2012

I don't know if they can. No other tablet with the same dimensions has an SD slot either. The ASUS transformer is close but it's the size of an ipad 1 and it only supports micro SD.

[DRaymond]

07:45 PM on 03/18/2012

Actually most of the non-apple tablets offer a SD card slot, usually a micro-SD.  But let's be honest, with what must be Apple's profit margins on upgrading you from the 16gb versions to the 32 and 64 gb versions you can expect SD card availability one week before never.

[Blackspeare]

10:11 AM on 03/16/2012

Once Apple comes out with their TV, then the iPad will have a thunderbolt port. There is no USB port because Apple wants you to use the "cloud", though I suspect that when they add thunderbolt, the USB will be there too. And don't forget, use of thunderbolt and USB ports will shorten the battery life----something that Apple is very sensitive to.

[Scvoter1]

01:19 PM on 03/18/2012

My question is why will there be a thunderbolt port? I am asking this in all respect.

Yesterday I preordered a $99 "Apple TV Box" which will stream everything in ITUNES from my cloud to my HDTV (Panasonic). It is all done wirelessly. Everything I see on my IPAD or IMAC can be streamed wirelessly to my TV.

What am I missing here?

[Blackspeare]

02:28 PM on 03/18/2012

Not everybody will be able to "stream" media.

[DRaymond]

07:54 PM on 03/18/2012

One thing that a lot of iPad users would like to do is to duplicate their screen to a projector or monitor for presentations.  Currently you need a separate dongle for that, but it would be nice and save money if it were built in.

And your statement includes the fundamental truth.  As long as you are paying Apple at every possible point (tablet, iTunes, Apple TV) then things work fine.  Some folks like being able to choose among multiple vendors, and genuine neutral standards like HDMI make that feasible.

[JohnTheMac]

09:54 AM on 03/16/2012

I went to BestBuy a week ago, after not going there in months. I was shocked by how much the CD/DVD/BluRay section had diminished. It's for die hards now, and I'm not criticizing their choice, but I've been on the 'upgrade' carousel one too many times! vinyl to CD, VHS to DVD to BluRay, phew! no thanks.
Just my thoughts.

[JohnTheMac]

09:53 AM on 03/16/2012

"but I want HDMI, USB, and a memory card reader..."

right. And you would look over at your dream iPad, connected to your TV with HDMI, and an external drive of movies, via USB, and almost always connected to a power source and say "tsk! I wish I had something that was more portable, that I could just pick up and walk around with without thinking twice".

Their machines start with a philosophy. They talk about it at product introductions. You're either in agreement or not, so you buy it , or not. IT's better to make something that's perfect to one philosophy than a dozen products that are designed by committees, and try to please everyone.
If you don't like it, go and pick your Paybook, or Xoom, or whatever.
You don't hear it much anymore, but some of the early criticisms of the first iPad were that it didn't have a DVD player. This was echoed in early criticisms of the Macbook Air.
Apple saw those things "going away", years before everyone else.
It's like the iMac, "without a floppy!??". Years ahead.
You can be years ahead in what you ADD to a device, but also in what you TAKE OUT of a device. This is important in portable devices especially.

[JJJSchmidt]

10:51 AM on 03/16/2012

Apple years ahead as you say or stubborn to a fault? Who is talking about Apple having to offer a dozen products rather than one? All Apple has to do is offer ONE other alternative to their limited iPad device. Apple's iPad comes in one flavour, much like Ford's Model T did? Ford did offer his customers variety in colour so long as it was black. GM took off because of Ford's stubbornness. The simple addition of a micro SD card slot would be hugely valuable to the customer without affecting size and weight of their devices. I can only size up Apple's reluctance to add an SD card slot to greed. 16 Gb of storage can be added for about $30 with an SD card or Apple can charge you $100 more for the bigger hard drive. Apple chooses the one size fits all model of marketing and so far it works and until they see some erosion in sales I don't see things changing in their attitude.

[jabreal00]

01:40 PM on 03/16/2012

iPads, iPhones, and iPods are niche products. They are not meant to be jack of all trade tech products like some of the Japanese or Korean electronic manufactures. People bemoaned that the iPod did not have an AM/FM radio receiver. The iPod went on to become a huge success with over 70% market share. The iPad was bemoaned for not having HDMI, SD card slot, DVD player ect. The iPad has over 60% market share and reaps huge profits for Apple. The MacBook Air was ridiculed by some for not having an optical drive. The MBA has been a hit and every other manufacture is apeing the design. I have the iPad-2. I don't need SD card slots, HDMI cables etc. The future is now with cloud computing. With music match, I have my entire iTunes library available. With Airplay and mirroring I can watch movies, listen to music or play games on my television screen without ANY wires.

If one doesn't like this model, get the competitor's product.

[J0E1]

12:02 PM on 03/16/2012

Why is it that my smart phone, at a fraction the size of the ipad, has HDMI, USB, AND a micro-SD card slot?  Are you that brainwashed that you think Apple can't include those without bulking up the ipad so much it can't be taken out of the house?  ROFL!

[ochaye]

09:32 AM on 03/16/2012

http://computersight.com/computers/10-things-the-playbook-can-do-that-your-tablet-cant-p/

[dudervision]

08:32 AM on 03/16/2012

The criticisms in the article make perfect sense. No new product is perfect and I agree with all of them. Additionally, to all those whining in this thread, you are entitled to your own opinion. You do NOT have to buy one. But, mine is listed as on the truck for delivery and I, for one, am VERY EXCITED! Call me a "fan boy", call me a "sell out" but I can't wait to get this thing in my hands and see what every reviewer claims is a truly amazing display!

[ChrisInYao]

08:21 AM on 03/16/2012

I think the new iPad offers too much because trying to keep up with its advanced capabilities is not what most others can maintain or match in terms of compatibility. Yet if Apple waits for the content to catch up to the hardware, it would not be Apple as we know it.
Also I have to laugh when people expect non-HD content will magically look like HD content if on an advanced screen, and that HD content should not use up more storage space

[J0E1]

12:05 PM on 03/16/2012

They probably think that because Apple themselves claim everything will magically look amazing with the new display.

http://www.apple.com/ipad/features/

Retina Display.  See everything like never before.


Four times more pixels than iPad 2. Razor-sharp text. Richer colors. The Retina display transforms the entire iPad experience. So everything looks and feels incredibly lifelike and perfectly detailed.