This product is amazing. It's not perfect, but considering that I'll have it for at least 2 years and I've used it every day so far, I certainly get my $.40 worth each day! It's very sturdy and I know it will hold up well, as my other Apple products have. I have friends who still use their original iPads (they work just fine, but many applications don't run on the operating system). I have a Kindle (an old version), and still love my Kindle as a reader. It's the only way I can read in the sunlight and it's SO lightweight. Eventually, I'll upgrade to a new Kindle reader, but I see them as having different purposes. The iPad is a mini computer, and the non-Fire Kindle is the equivalent of carrying around a book (or a thousand).

iPad 3 vs. iPad 4:

I purchased the version right before this one--the iPad 3--several weeks before the announcement of this version. I called Apple a few days after the announcement, and they immediately set me up with a way to return the iPad 3 to repurchase the newest version. I realize that some people were angry about the announcement, but there has to be a cut off date for new technology at some point, and I thought that Apple treated me as well or better than I've seen from any other technology company.

Yes, both the iPad 3 and 4 have very crisp, clear screens (which are stunning for video quality compared to my Macbook from 2010). However, the increased speed of the iPad 4 makes the video quality seem clearer. It's difficult to explain, but movies definitely got a bit crisper. Also, the increased speed really is incredible when opening apps and running a lot at once. I'd say the time it takes to open large applications is cut in half. But, I was so impressed with the iPad 3 when it came, and if I hadn't been able to exchange it, I would still give it a 5-star review--it's definitely not "obsolete."

Nice But Not An Overwhelming Nice

Honestly, I had been trying to figure out what an iPad4 was. Well, this is essentially an iPad3 with a few improvements that I really like.
I already own an iPad2, but decided to upgrade to this because I needed to bump up to 32GB. That, and a deal on this iPad which was incredible convinced me to upgrade now. I still use my MacAir and my Dell laptops, but the iPad is my daily go to device and where I go an iPad is going. Great battery life and minimal problems make this a much loved convenience.
The improvements are not overwhelming, but the truth is I already love the iPad and this makes it better. I've always thought the screen image was very good, but this is an obvious step up. It is clear, bright and vivid with the improved retina display.

The iSight camera at five megapixels is very good, but I wasn't complaining about the pictures I took with my old iPad. Still, it is a nice improvement and it takes a much clearer picture than my old iPhone.
The new processor is really fast. I didn't think it was slow before but when I have a lot of apps running I've noticed that it is faster. You'll have to trust me on this one. I tend to run a lot of stuff at the same time and the old iPad was slower, but not to the extent that I found it irritating or irksome.

I like the new lightening connector which is an 8 wire adapter. Just me, but it seems less clunky. However, if you have a lot of Apple products that use the old 30 wire adapter, this may be a pain. I'm going to have to get another car charger/wall charger and I'll have to take two chargers to cover both adapter types when I hit the road.
Another thing I like is my personal secretary Siri. Depress the screen button and Siri is ready to roll. It is voice interpretive intuitive software that retrieves information. While this will probably seem like rudimentary artificial intelligence in a few years, I get a total kick out of it. It's nice to get directions or find out where the Sox are playing or get the earliest showing of a movie. Love it, though I am still playing around with it and probably haven't scratched the surface yet. I don't know if there is any truth to this, but I've heard that the Suri software may be available for the earlier versions of iPad at a later date.

As for the size and weight, minimally larger but I'd be hard pressed to say this except I compared the specs.
Here is the thing. If you don't care about a better camera or a better display or a faster processing speed or having your own cyber slave to talk to, go with the less expensive iPad2. I like Apple products. I have been using the iPad for two years now and it is fairly trouble free. The few problems I've had were the result of software upgrades. I am absolutely no techie type, but the problems have all been fixed with minimal grief.

This product is getting 4* because the differences between this iPad and its predecessor are slight when you look at the overall big picture. This takes a great product and kicks it up a notch or two, but it hasn't reinvented or reimagined the iPad. Update: I am liking this better each day. The updated processor is nice but this also seems a bit more intuitive if it can possibly be so.

The imaging is incredible and the pictures this takes are amazing in their clarity and level of detail. I found that my pricey Joby stand case, which was supposedly made to fit with my iPad 2 works with the new iPad despite very slightly different dimensions. I'm delighted that it doesn't have to be tossed. The only problem I've encountered thus far was an upgrade to the software. This is Apple's problem since it screwed up our other iPads with the same problems, most notably with mail. There is a fix that I found on an Apple forum.

Love this, but it is still a 4* considering everything.

Apple iPad with Retina Display MD511LL/A (32GB, Wi-Fi, Black) NEWEST VERSION

• 9.7 Retina Display; 2048 x 1536 Resolution 
• Apple iOS 6; Dual-Core A6X Chip with Quad-Core Graphics. 
• 5 MP iSight Camera; 1080p HD Video Recording. 
• Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n); 32 GB Capacity. 
• Up to 10 Hours of Battery Life; 1.44 lbs