Apple’s new iPad (AKA iPad 3) is an amazing tablet. One look at that shimmering Retina Display screen and we were smitten.
Yet there’s a problem. Because each of Apple’s iPads is more easily broken that the last. SquareTrade, a warranty supplier, has found one of the reasons more iPad 2s end up cracked, dented or smashed than the original iPad has less to do with its slimmer form and more to do with Apple’s Smart Cover.
Owners who dropped their iPads often grabbed hold of the cover, not the tablet, in their attempt to save the falling tablet. The magnets yanked free from the tablet, leaving the iPad 2 to fall to its splintery doom.
It stands to reason, then, that Apple’s meatier iPad 3 will disconnect from the Smart Cover more easily than the iPad 2, and its extra heft could also cause it to fall more heavily.
We still think Apple’s iPad 3 is the best tablet in the world. But if you’re a butter-fingered gadgeteer, you might want to stick to your original iPad. Or take out some decent insurance.