I recently purchased an iPad 4 (also known as the “iPad with Retina Display”) and spent several weeks breaking it in on my travels (to China for two weeks, for instance). The iPad 4 is very similar to the iPad 3, but with several important differences. Both iPads represent a huge upgrade from the iPad 2 (which I traded in to get the iPad 4). So for this month’s “12 on 12,” here’s a dozen compliments and complaints about the iPad 4.

Like:
1. Retina Display. Going from an iPad 2 to an iPad 4 is like jumping from a bulky black box television set replete with cathode-ray tubes to a flat-panel high-definition LED television. The graphics and screen resolution are sharper and more clear than ever, thanks to Apple’s Retina Display. The display — which was also included on the iPad 3 — has been one of the main selling points of the iPad 4, with Apple even marketing the product as the “iPad with Retina Display.” It’s definitely a plus for lawyers making presentations, viewing graphic-heavy documents, or reading articles on the go.

2. Faster performance. The iPad 4 is powered by an A6X processor, which is faster than the A5X processor in the iPad 3. A study of the A6X in the iPhone 5, conducted by MacWorld.com, shows that it is twice as fast as its predecessor. For legal professionals handling document-heavy matters, like a complex litigation or a deal involving lots of contracts, the speed difference will be noticeable.

3. Better camera in front. The previous two generations had a front-facing camera that was vastly inferior to the one in the rear. For instance, the iPad 3 had a 5 mega-pixel rear-facing camera, but the one in front was only 0.3 mega-pixels. The iPad 4 has the same 5 mega-pixel camera in the rear, but has improved the camera in front, upgrading it to a 1.2 mega-pixel high definition camera that produces photos with a maximum resolution of 1280 x 960 — double the resolution of the previous camera. The improved front-facing camera makes FaceTime and Skype much better. The iPad 4 should work well for people who work remotely and need to conference into a meeting at the office. During my China trip, I used FaceTime almost every day, and the video quality from the front facing camera was excellent. I also used FaceTime to conference in a participant for my three-hour fantasy football draft the day after I got back from China.

4. Siri and voice dictation. The iPad 3 had voice dictation, but not Siri, the personal assistance app that made its debut on the iPhone 4S (and made a memorable appearance in an episode of The Big Bang Theory). Voice dictation would come in handy for lawyers, although I’ve found that it isn’t as reliable or accurate as plain old typing. Plus, you need to say “period” when you want to insert a period into your sentence, “comma” when you want a comma, etc. It may work for those of us who used to operate telegraph machines, but that isn’t how people talk. The voice dictation is good enough for Tweets, social networking, and texts, though.

5. 4G/LTE. Like the iPad 3, the iPad 4 has 4G/LTE connectivity. According to CNET News, the iPad 4′s 4G/LTE chip did very well in speed tests, outperforming the iPad mini’s 4G/LTE capabilities. 4G/LTE networks are more widespread than they were when the iPad 3 was released. For lawyers constantly on the go, 4G/LTE might be a better bet than Wi-Fi.

6. Better battery life. The iPad 3 had some battery problems when it first launched. According to TechRadar, the iPad 4′s battery is an improvement over its predecessor to the point that you could probably watch four full-length movies on a flight before the battery died. That would have come in handy during my 13 hour flight to Beijing (and if I didn’t have the airplane’s personal entertainment center at my disposal). Apple says that the iPad 4′s battery lasts for 10 hours for surfing on the web with Wi-Fi, watching video, or listening to music. Gaming, video conferencing, or using large apps will drain the battery faster, of course. I use the iPad 4 about as often as I used my old iPad 2, and I find that I have to charge it about half as often. Additionally, during my aforementioned three-hour fantasy football draft, I had FaceTime going for that entire time, and my battery only drained from 99% to about 70%.

Don’t Love:
7. Still no peripherals. This is an old complaint about iPads, to be sure. If you’ve been avoiding the iPad because you can’t use USB devices on it, then the iPad 4 won’t change your mind. As Frederic Lederer, professor of law at William & Mary Law School told me this summer, (see “Technology Lust”) he chose to purchase a Dell XPS 12 convertible tablet computer because iPads were too limited. For litigators, it makes more sense to have a computer with a detachable tablet because its easier to type things, make changes, and load documents, he observed.

8. Compatibility issues. Another old complaint is the iPad’s lack of compatibility with Flash. One of the reasons Michael Kraft, general counsel at Kraft & Kennedy Inc., chose the Surface Pro ( “Technology Lust”) is because of the iPad’s incompatibility with Adobe products, such as Flash. With no resolution in sight (and workarounds often being more trouble than they’re worth), Flash adherents might want to look elsewhere.

9. Weight. The iPad 3 is heavier and thicker than the iPad 2. The iPad 4 has the same problem. The iPad 4 weighs 1.44 pounds while the iPad 2 tips the scales at 1.33 pounds — a small, albeit noticeable difference. The iPad 3 and 4 are both thicker than the iPad 2, which means you have to buy a new case.

10. Lightning connector. Sorry. Unless you have the iPhone 5 and the newest iPod or iPad mini, you won’t be able to use the new lightning connector on your other Apple products. Not a big deal, but some people are going to have to carry around two different chargers if they have an older iPhone. Of course, for lawyers who travel a lot, carrying around two different chargers is child’s play.

11. Wi-Fi issues. The iPad 4 has had well-publicized issues regarding connectivity to Wi-Fi. I had problems connecting when I was traveling, but I was never sure whether it was a problem with the iPad or the network I was trying to connect to. In China, I often had problems connecting to the Wi-Fi in my parents’ apartment. I even tried the old “restart/reboot” trick that every IT customer support staffer suggests, and it didn’t always work. I also had a problem connecting to Wi-Fi during my football draft, but that problem was alleviated after the sports bar I was in restarted its modem. For lawyers who absolutely need a constant internet connection, the 4G/LTE option is probably a better bet.

12. Color. Finally, this might be nitpicky, but why won’t Apple release different colored iPads beyond white and black? Remember the iPod minis, that came in several different colors like blue, silver, and red? Those were pretty cool, weren’t they? The company announced on Tuesday, Sept. 10 that it would release the new iPhone 5C in different colors. People waiting for different colored iPads will have to wait.

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