I had a chance to check out the new iPad this weekend at the Apple store. At first glance, the form factor is thinner and “feels” lighter. The screens seem to have the same sharpness, brightness and contrast. The front and back camera seem to make this desirable if you Facetime with people.
As far as processor speed, it felt very similar to the original iPad. I suspect that you won’t notice a difference unless you play games. I bet they’ll do another iOS release that will require a little more processing power to new multitasking features.
If you have an iPad already, you probably can skip this one. If you don’t, I’d still skip it. Wait next year for their next release. I have a hunch they’ll release a higher resolution screen by next year. It’s a nice device… but it’s not a MUST-HAVE unless you do development on it.
It however, makes an awesome gift if you want to shell out half a grand for one.