For a long time I resisted the urge to buy an iPad. I have to be honest, my main reason was because I was holding out for the inevitable iPad 3 which will come along eventually and will very likely have a nice crisp retina display as one of its main features.

For those that don’t know, a retina display is something invented by Apple for the iPhone 4. It basically doubled the number if pixels (tiny dots) that make up the display. The physical size of the screen remained unchanged from the iPhone 3G but these extra pixels give the iPhone 4 (and the iPhone 4S) a wonderfully clear view that is simply unrivalled by any device from competitors. I feel sure that the iPad 3 will have something similar.

My biggest criticism of my new iPad 2 is that the display (which isn’t retina) isn’t as clear as my iPhone 4 – which it wouldn’t be, of course. There’s no doubt that reading on the iPad causes more eye strain than on my iPhone. However, this is not to take away from what is, quite simply, a clever, well designed and easy to use piece of kit. It’s great. Really great. I just know that when the iPad 3 comes out I’ll wish I’d waited a little longer. Oh well, I needed one for a project I’m working on so I had no choice so I can’t really complain too much.

Oh, and by the way, I typed this post on my iPad curled up on the sofa – so much more pleasant than sitting at my desktop computer feeling like I’m working…