Apple? Pass me a Pear.

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Now I may have to be frank. I am not a fan of Apple products. I can almost see you closing this blog after that statement. But give it a few minutes.



I do own an Ipod, just a simple classic which I don’t feel the need to replace as it still works and I rather like its chunky design. But I simply cannot understand why some rush out to buy the latest product when they have one that is pretty much identical.



Take the newest product for example. The ‘new’ Ipad, the Ipad 3, whichever you wish to call it, was launched today. I have looked at the specifications, and trust me I am not really that sussed on technology, but it appears to be the same as its predecessor.



Okay, it does have something called a Retina display, which I will happily admit looks amazing. As the Apple website explains it has ‘4 times more pixels than the Ipad 2...everything looks and feels incredibly life like and perfectly detailed'. Click here to see what they mean. It also has 44 per cent greater colour saturation and 3.1 million pixels. The figures are impressive and Apple confidently explains that this ‘technology is a breakthrough’.



The Ipad still has an ‘amazing’ 10 hours of battery life, flash storage, 5 Megapixel Isight camera and advanced optics that can shoot 1080p HD video.



There were two features which did make me raise my eyebrows in appreciation. Firstly there is the ability to make the Ipad a hotspot; connecting to up to 5 Apple devices and secondly, their Dictation feature. This would be great for journalists as it types as you talk.



But, and for me this is a big but, all those fancy words and big figures may look great but a quick summary is that the new Ipad just has a better screen. So, at a price of £579.99 is it really worth it?

This is what many reviewers are asking. Webmoco are pretty keen on the new product swaying in favour of the new screen and great picture quality, and a critic for The Telegraph compares it to putting on glasses for the first time. Even The Guardian, who point out the dictation feature is a bit rusty, are in favour as they say ‘The iPad 3 puts Apple a mile ahead of anything we've seen from Android tablets’.



So maybe I am a little cynical, and maybe I should embrace the fact that Apple appear to bring out the next ‘must-have’ item in the space of a couple of years.



After all, I wouldn’t think twice about buying the latest dress from Topshop which has received great hype for being an amazing catwalk copy. I might not follow technology trends but I certainly do within fashion.



On a final positive final note there is one thing about the Ipad which does draw me into the popularity. My favorite magazines, Vogue and Elle, have now created apps especially for the device. Being able to carry the bibles of fashion so easily really is a 'must-have' in my mind...

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Have you brought the new ipad 3?