It’s one of the most emailed questions I’ve received recently. “Should I upgrade from the 3rd Generation iPad to the 4th?” Many people are asking this question and it’s time to look into it a little bit…

During the most recent Apple announcement everyone was really waiting for the iPad mini. That was supposed to be the star of the show, and in a way it was. However, Apple unleashed a slew of upgrades for their product lines including the iMac and MacBooks. One smaller announcement that has some people up in arms though is the release of the 4th generation iPad.

Now Apple was pretty careful not to call this the “iPad 4″, instead making sure to call it the 4th generation.  What has some owners of the 3rd generation iPad angry is that the release comes months after the last release, which is off schedule for their typical yearly cycle. Everyone has opinions on this matter, and mine is that it was necessary. Apple has never said that the iPad would be updated yearly, and the upgrades they brought with the 4th generation iPad are not rendering the 3rd Generation iPad obsolete or useless…they are simply intended to bring the latest to their full size tablet and that’s what they’ve done.

So what does the 4th Generation iPad bring in comparison to the 3rd Generation?

The two devices are the same dimensions. The screen resolution is the same, they run the same OS, have the same storage capacities and RAM, they cost the same, and according to Apple have the same battery life.

What is different though, is that the 4th Generation contains Apple’s latest processor, the 1.3GHz A6X chip, compared to the 3rd Generation’s 1GHz A5X. It also has an upgraded front camera, from .3MP to 1.3MP, upgraded WiFi speeds and expanded LTE frequencies, and the lightening connector. In an odd addition, the newest model is 2 grams heavier than the 3rd Gen model…which is peanuts, but still it’s part of the package.

What this amounts to is; iPad 4th Generation owners will have snappier graphics performance and “double the chip speed”. They’ll have better looking FaceTime conversations, faster WiFi speeds, and will be able to take advantage of charging their iPad 4th Gen with the same cable as their (potentially) new iPhone 5, iPod Touch, and/or iPad mini. It’s basically a really really good 3rd Generation iPad. It’s been beefed up so to speak!

So should I upgrade?

Well that’s really up to you. If you’re happy with your iPad (3rd Generation) then I personally don’t see the need to rush out and get the latest model. However, some feel the need to always have the latest, and with the addition of the new lightening connector, perhaps they would feel better if their iOS devices all charge via the same connection…without having to fumble around with (expensive) adapters. With the upgraded processor, users who use their device to “get stuff done” within heavy graphics, video, or music recording applications, will certainly enjoy the better performance. If you’re simply using the iPad for web-surfing, watching Netflix, social networking, reading, and perhaps some document creation…well, the iPad 3rd Generation will continue to work just as well as it did before the announcement.

Besides…while nothing says Apple still plans to put out a full-blown update to the iPad in the Spring, as they have done the last few years…there is also nothing that says they won’t.

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