New iPad impressing more buyers, tops Consumer Reports tablet picks

Posted:
in iPad edited January 2014


Overall customer satisfaction with the new iPad, the only "excellent" tablet according to Consumer Reports, is slightly above the 97 percent rankings of last year's iPad 2, but significantly more users are now reporting they are "very satisfied."



A report by ChangeWave indicates that 98 percent of new iPad buyers say they are satisfied with their purchase, a one percentage point increase over iPad 2.



However, 82 percent report being "very satisfied" with the new Retina Display iPad model, a jump over last year's iPad 2, where 74 percent of users responded similarly.









Among the features of the new iPad that impress users were its high resolution Retina Display, which 75 percent of users listed as their top three favorite details, along with 22 percent liking its long battery life, 21 percent calling out its 4G LTE data service option, 20 percent citing speed, 18 percent its newly improved camera, and 13 percent citing the wide range of apps available.















Among the tops downsides of the new model, 26 percent said they'd like a cheaper iPad while 23 percent complained about the cost of mobile wireless service. Asked about iPad heat issues, 89 percent said they hadn't experienced any problems, and none reports it to be a "very big problem."



Consumer Reports says new iPad the only "excellent" tablet



Despite recording the highest temperature readings among a series of lab testers seeking to find if the new iPad was really running hotter than the previous model, or other similarly specced tablets or notebooks, Consumer Reports says it "didn't find the temperatures to be cause for concern."



The group has listed the new iPad as a "recommended" product, and describes it among 9-12 inch tablets as the only one achieving an "excellent" rating, saying the "high-resolution screen of the new iPad establishes a new benchmark in excellence, providing the best rendering of detail and color accuracy we've ever seen on a tablet display



"Performance on the new iPad ($500 to $830) was superb in virtually every other way as well," the site states. "The 5-megapixel camera took very good photos. Verizon's 4G network yielded very fast, dependable connectivity to a 4G-compatible version of the iPad in our informal tests. And despite the energy-intensive display and graphics, the iPad still has longer battery life than all other tablets."



Highlighting the "standout performance of the new iPad's screen," the site stated, "we have recalibrated our standard of excellence for tablet screens. The iPad alone now receives an excellent overall score for display quality.



"A number of current models, including the iPad 2 (which remains on sale and is a fine performer), that received excellent scores under the past standard will now be adjusted to receive very good scores overall. Likewise, some models that received good scores may also be adjusted downward, and some overall scores have changed slightly."



In 2010, the magazine generated some controversy over refusing to list iPhone 4 as a "recommended" product due to testing it ran that suggested the phone had a defective antenna design, after first stating that there was "no reason" to not buy an iPhone 4.



A year later the group began recommending the iPhone 4S to customers, stating that Apple's latest handset "doesn't suffer the reception problem we found in its predecessor."



[ View article on AppleInsider ]

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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 47
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,176member
    Replies should be interesting.
  • Reply 2 of 47
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    In before Gruber.
  • Reply 3 of 47
    freshmakerfreshmaker Posts: 532member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Gatorguy View Post


    Replies should be interesting.



    Yep. /popcorn
  • Reply 4 of 47
    maccherrymaccherry Posts: 924member
    I have the new iPad 16 gig wifi only( I ain't paying for no goddam 4g!) and it is awesome as hell. Build quality is excellent and the screen is magnificent.

    Here is my dream feature for the next iPad or the next after the next:

    I want to be able to write on the ipad as if I'm writing on paper.

    NO LAG. Or lag so minimal I wouldn't notice it.

    That would be awesome!
  • Reply 5 of 47
    apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member
    Everybody else might as well just pack it in, because your shit sucks.



    The new iPad is great! I began reading a new book on it last night, and it is most impressive, to put it mildly.



    Many developers have been real quick to release updated versions of their apps to take advantage of the retina display, and almost everytime that I reach for the iPad, there's a new update or two or three waiting for me in the app store.
  • Reply 6 of 47
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Gatorguy View Post


    Replies should be interesting.



    All of the research is irrelevant. Try one today and you'll be a convert! Everyone I know who has sat down with the iPad for more than 20 minutes wants one.
  • Reply 7 of 47
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    1) LOL All that bellyaching about the iPad being heavier and thicker is going backwards. How Steve Jobs would haev never allowed it. How the new display is overkill and that no one really cares about it. Yet... we see the most attractive feature is the new display and size/weight is not an issue to most. In fact, the data plan which Apple doesn't control and isn't even part of all iPads 3x more of an issue, according to ChangeWave.



    I think many on tech sites aren't realizing the iPad (3) is lighter and thinner than the iPad 1. I don't think Apple expects for everyone to buy a new iPad every year. Conclusion: Apple made the right choice to go with the Retina Display.



    2) Interesting how cost is an issue despite being so competitively priced that competitors aren't making headway with 10" tablets. The closest is a glorified eReader with inferior parts and construction being sold at a loss. The Kindle Fire isn't a bad device for the money, but neither are $300 notebooks. They are what they are.





    3) So despite the 116° F temperature CR says it's the only excellent iPad? CR needs to test bipolar drugs... because theres isn't working.
  • Reply 8 of 47
    I've had an original iPad since Day One, 3 April 2010, and have used it at least two hours / day...until I received my new iPad on 16 March this year. Now, just for comparison's sake, I occasionally fire up the original to see how it feels after using the new one. The screen alone makes the (3) worth it, with sharper than sharp images and text, and deeper / richer colors. One has to see it to fully appreciate it, and one has to use the new iPad for quite some time to get a feel for how much better the reading experience is. The new screen is by far the best of any screen on any device I've seen. Truly, Apple has outdone themselves, and the wannabes are going glub, glub beneath the waves.
  • Reply 9 of 47
    isheldonisheldon Posts: 570member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Gatorguy View Post


    Replies should be interesting.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Freshmaker View Post


    Yep. /popcorn







  • Reply 10 of 47
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,176member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by RegurgitatedCoprolite View Post


    and the wannabes are going glub, glub beneath the waves.



    ...as the ipad owners did gyre and gimble in the wabe
  • Reply 11 of 47
    ko024ko024 Posts: 68member
    Hey guys... its a great time to be alive dont you think..??? you know, the internet was big, and changed everything, then came the internet on phones, and that was big... but then came apple, (or apple was already there) and gave us the world of apps...!! ITS ALL ABOUT THE APPS....!! really, what is a computer..?? sure the geeks can write code and do all their fancy stuff on their machine but the majority of people just want something that works as easily, efficiently, and as beautifully as possible.. well guess what.. that is what the iphone and ipad are, they are machines with apps optimized for the most convenient, most beautiful experience a user can have... it makes my life simply enjoyable... APPLE does it the best, and apps are here to stay... sure the droid user can say their apps are just as good... fact is, THEY ARE NOT... those users will eventually switch to the BEST PLATFORM.... anyway... life is good... I am just glad to be right here, right now... long aapl if you didnt know.....
  • Reply 12 of 47
    quadra 610quadra 610 Posts: 6,757member
    LOL @ CR. Doesn't matter what they say anymore.
  • Reply 13 of 47
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,176member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ko024 View Post


    Hey guys... its a great time to be alive dont you think..??? you know, the internet was big, and changed everything, then came the internet on phones, and that was big... but then came apple, (or apple was already there) and gave us the world of apps...!! ITS ALL ABOUT THE APPS....!! really, what is a computer..?? sure the geeks can write code and do all their fancy stuff on their machine but the majority of people just want something that works as easily, efficiently, and as beautifully as possible.. well guess what.. that is what the iphone and ipad are, they are machines with apps optimized for the most convenient, most beautiful experience a user can have... it makes my life simply enjoyable... APPLE does it the best, and apps are here to stay... sure the droid user can say their apps are just as good... fact is, THEY ARE NOT... those users will eventually switch to the BEST PLATFORM.... anyway... life is good... I am just glad to be right here, right now... long aapl if you didnt know.....



    All mimsy were the iOS users...
  • Reply 14 of 47
    I don't ever believe a single word ever said by Consumer Reports. They are always just plain wrong.
  • Reply 15 of 47
    charlitunacharlituna Posts: 7,217member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Apple ][ View Post


    Everybody else might as well just pack it in, because your shit sucks.



    I think that that interpretation is pushing it. A lot.



    This whole 'impressed' stuff came from a survey of 200 new owners. That's probably not enough to be statistically sound. And they were already invested in the product so they would be biased for it to at least some degree.



    Nothing about any other product was done. Even with the Consumer Reports game, we don't get a lot of information about how they form their ratings. It too could be biased towards the iPad if the factors are such that the iPad would have a high score. that is if they have even rated anything else at the moment. It's possible that they only looked at tablets released in 2012 or even in the last six months which would cut out several models either way.



    None of the tablets released are necessarily crap, some of them might actually be pretty decent. But there could be other factors at work with why folks are going Apple mad. Things like ease of getting local support. I work in the film industry and my iPad is a key tool. Sure I COULD probably find a samsung that would do the tasks I need just as well for half the price. Or even perhaps be able to do them on the Fire for a quarter the price. But being able to go to a store right in my neighborhood and get help rather than having to mail it in, wait several days etc is worth the extra cost. Apps are another possible factor. If I can't find the apps that I need/want on an Android of course I won't buy it. Especially if I know it's on the iPad.
  • Reply 16 of 47
    My iPhone 4s is like an iPad, but it fits in my pocket!
  • Reply 17 of 47
    charlitunacharlituna Posts: 7,217member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post


    1) LOL All that bellyaching about the iPad being heavier and thicker is going backwards. How Steve Jobs would haev never allowed it. How the new display is overkill and that no one really cares about it. Yet... we see the most attractive feature is the new display and size/weight is not an issue to most.



    Yep and yep. Cause most folks don't even realize that it's 1 mm thicker and like 0.01grams heavier



    And since the fancy screen didn't raise the price or really hurt the battery what do they care what the specs are. It's too purty not to love it.



    Quote:

    3) So despite the 116° F temperature CR says it's the only excellent iPad? CR needs to test bipolar drugs... because theres isn't working.



    I think a lot of folks saw through the veil. they could see that CR tested one iPad in one usage that logically would push the heat just like it would on a computer so their result was a No Shite Sherlock kind of thing. I think CR got dissed enough for that reality that they have basically issued this as a way to recant and gloss over that first article.
  • Reply 18 of 47
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ko024 View Post


    Hey guys... its a great time to be alive dont you think..??? you know, the internet was big, and changed everything, then came the internet on phones, and that was big... but then came apple, (or apple was already there) and gave us the world of apps...!! ITS ALL ABOUT THE APPS....!! really, what is a computer..?? sure the geeks can write code and do all their fancy stuff on their machine but the majority of people just want something that works as easily, efficiently, and as beautifully as possible.. well guess what.. that is what the iphone and ipad are, they are machines with apps optimized for the most convenient, most beautiful experience a user can have... it makes my life simply enjoyable... APPLE does it the best, and apps are here to stay... sure the droid user can say their apps are just as good... fact is, THEY ARE NOT... those users will eventually switch to the BEST PLATFORM.... anyway... life is good... I am just glad to be right here, right now... long aapl if you didnt know.....



    I like the positivity! Too much complaining goes on around here!



    Oops! I guess I'm complaining about people complaining. Oh well.
  • Reply 19 of 47
    andyappleandyapple Posts: 152member
    So, the 2% who were not satisfied... WTF were they expecting that Apple failed to deliver?
  • Reply 20 of 47
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,176member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by charlituna View Post


    I think that that interpretation is pushing it. A lot.



    This whole 'impressed' stuff came from a survey of 200 new owners. That's probably not enough to be statistically sound. And they were already invested in the product so they would be biased for it to at least some degree.



    Nothing about any other product was done. Even with the Consumer Reports game, we don't get a lot of information about how they form their ratings. It too could be biased towards the iPad if the factors are such that the iPad would have a high score. that is if they have even rated anything else at the moment. It's possible that they only looked at tablets released in 2012 or even in the last six months which would cut out several models either way.



    None of the tablets released are necessarily crap, some of them might actually be pretty decent. But there could be other factors at work with why folks are going Apple mad. Things like ease of getting local support. I work in the film industry and my iPad is a key tool. Sure I COULD probably find a samsung that would do the tasks I need just as well for half the price. Or even perhaps be able to do them on the Fire for a quarter the price. But being able to go to a store right in my neighborhood and get help rather than having to mail it in, wait several days etc is worth the extra cost. Apps are another possible factor. If I can't find the apps that I need/want on an Android of course I won't buy it. Especially if I know it's on the iPad.



    Very fair statements Charlituna. The iPad is simply the easiest choice among all tablets for many buyers. It just works.
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