Fans of Apple and iPad lovers will argue that the iPad is a pretty amazing and innovative item; and they may well be right. But with the iPad having been out for some time and already being in its 3rd incarnation (4th if you count the new ‘iPad Mini’), some people are starting to ask whether it is worth the upgrade.

Of course, the iPad 3 has been phenomenally successful, just as you would expect. But if you happen to already have an iPad 2, you could well be feeling a bit put-out. Or maybe you have neither and you are wondering whether the iPad 3 is really worth the extra cost?

What About The Cost?
As you would expect, as soon as the iPad 3 came out the iPad 2 was effectively de-valued. In fact a new iPad 3 will cost you pretty much what an iPad 2 would have cost before the 3rd generation came out.

The good news though, is that an iPad 2 is still a very sought after device and if you do want to upgrade you should be able to offset the cost by selling your older model on eBay. Depending on spec then, you can probably upgrade from an iPad 2 to an iPad 3 for around $150-300.

Having a more expensive device isn’t always a good thing of course, so before you make any decisions consider whether you definitely want to be carrying such an expensive piece of equipment out and around town. For many people, the much cheaper “iPad 1” is ideal; it does most of the same things and is now much more affordable thanks to it being an “older” version.

High Resolution Display
The main draw and selling point of the latest iPad is the high resolution retina display. In simple terms, the iPad 3 has twice the resolution of the iPad 2. This means that the screen contains 4 times as many pixels.

The screen isn’t any bigger; those extra pixels are just crammed in to the same space. In theory this means that the images on screen are sharper, crisper and more “real”.

For most people the extra pixels look nice, but don’t honestly offer much additional value. If you love to watch videos on your iPad, or you are a real gaming enthusiast, then the sharper screen might be exactly what you need. If, on the other hand, you just use your iPad to check emails and maybe watch the occasional Youtube video, then you might not get the full value from the new display.

But What If You Love To Read?

Ok, so the appeal of the new display might spread a little further. Apple claims that the new high-resolution display appears brighter than the old one and is easier on the eyes. They also claim that the new display is much easier to read in sunlight, which may come as great news if you have ever tried using your Kindle app whilst on the beach.

So Should You Switch?

It’s hard to give a simple answer; it basically comes down to preference. The newer iPad is faster, the battery is about the same, but with a brighter screen and faster processor, that is impressive in its own right.

Ultimately, it is going to be the tech lovers who feel the biggest difference. For a lot of more “basic” users the upgrade may or may not be noticeable, and may or may not be worth the cost. The questions you probably should ask yourself are:

• Do I use my iPad enough to get the most out of a better one?
• What if my iPad 3 is made obsolete if/when the next iPad is released?

If you are still psyched to go for the upgrade then maybe it is worth the extra cost. The one thing you can be sure of; is that you will have fun comparing your iPad 3 to your friend’s iPad 2!

Sam Jones, the author, has been researching iPad 3 deals and is anxious to get one as soon as possible.