Apple iPad 3

New iPad Wi-Fi:
16GB – £399, 32GB – £479, 64GB – £559
New iPad Wi-Fi 4G:
16GB – £499, 32GB – £579, 64GB – £659

Also read:
Special report: iPad 3 / New iPad : What You Need To Know

Apple’s iPad line is the best-selling tablet range of all time and when it came out the iPad 2 set some pretty high expectations for the tablet market, so to say that most people were excited about the potential of the iPad 3 – officially called the “new iPad”, which is ridiculously confusing – is a bit of an understatement.

But does the it live up to the hype? In most ways, the answer is a resounding yes. The iPad 3 sports the highest-resolution screen ever seen in a mobile consumer device; internals with more graphics power than most handheld consoles barring the PlayStation Vita; seriously improved cameras; and it’s all still stuck into a light and slim aluminium shell. Yet despite this the new iPad maintains the same 10-hour battery life and will cost you no more than its predecessor did. However, if you weren’t a fan before, there might not be enough to this latest model to change your mind.

From a design standpoint, Apple hasn’t fixed what wasn’t broken. If you didn’t have them side by side, the iPad 3 (we’re not going to call it New iPad all the time) could easily be mistaken for its predecessor’s twin, though at 9.4mm it’s nearly a whole millimetre thicker! This means that many of your old accessories may still fit – have a read of our iPad 3 Accessories: Will Your iPad 2 Cases and Docks Still Fit piece for more details.

Weight has increased more measurably. Compared to the 601g of the iPad 2, the Wi-Fi iPad 3 comes in at 652g and the 4G model takes that to 662g. Still, that’s light enough that it shouldn’t cause discomfort. If you do insist on something lighter and thinner, the 586g Transformer Prime might be a better option.

So dimensions are very similar, and the new iPad’s look hasn’t changed much either. It’s still an attractive slab of immaculately finished aluminium with a glass front, and it’s still available with black or white bezels. As is usually the case with Apple products, build is superb, and it’s reasonably comfy to hold. Volume, rotation and power controls are still in the same locations as with the previous iPad, as is the iconic central Home button at the front.