IF YOU HAVE AN OLD IPAD, IT'S GOOD ENOUGH

Yes, the iPad is an amazing device.  If you bought the original, it is two years old.  Only two years old!  The marketing machine at Cupertino works in overdrive to create planned obsolescence.  But do you really need to upgrade every time?  No.  The new iPad 3 has two very cool features:  4G/LTE and the so-called "retina display", which is a marketer's term for very high resolution.  I've seen the new retina display, and yes, it is very impressive.  But, if you have an iPad 1 or iPad 2, the display looks good enough unless you compare it alongside the new iPad 3.  I suggest you don't.  Besides, if you are over a certain age, the improved resolution is probably lost on you.

But what about 4G?  Yes, 4G is very nice.  But guess what?  I have an iPad 1 and I have 4G.  In fact, I've had 4G on my iPad almost since the day I bought my iPad in July 2010.  How?  I have a Samsung 4G "Mifi" card sold by Verizon, called a "jetpack".  See picture below.  It gives me 4G on my iPad, and has the added benefit of allowing me to share my 4G wifi with other devices.  For example, I can share the 4G with my wife's Kindle Fire when we are traveling.  The one disadvantage to the Mifi card is you have to be careful not to lose it.  I have put a a velcro strip on it, along with a velcro strip on my iPad's Cruxcase (see my May 19 review of Cruxcase  at http://thehightechlawyer.blogspot.com/2012/05/must-have-in-every-lawyers-toolkit_19.html) so I don't have to lug it around separately.  Alternatively, I stick it in my pocket.

Notably, the iPad 3 did not come with Siri.  A cynic would conclude that Apple is saving Siri for its next iPad release, in 2013.  Others speculate that Apple might release Siri as a software update to the iPad operating system IOS sometime later this year.  Apple is more secretive than the CIA, so who knows.  If Apple releases Siri as a midstream software release, it might be worthwhile to upgrade, but otherwise, I'd be inclined to wait for the iPad 4 before upgrading.