IPad... 3... Is here

[johnrr6]

Any app that has the keyboard function has dictation available.

It is simply a little microphone button built into the keyboard on the lower left of the keyboard.

I think the keyboard works fine if you have the Wi-Fi plus 4G version. I have that version, and will try to verify that later. But yes you have to have some kind of net connection either Wi-Fi or 4G.

I have had lots of ambient noise while I do my dictations and have not noticed any type of problem. So it appears that they have handled the ambient noise really well. I dictated the short review while a basketball game was running on television and it did not pick up that ambient noise at all.

I also just dictated this and did not have one error.

[Sir Skully]

Originally Posted by zapionics<alt>

Omg, it looks like your posts are going to get longer now that you guys can talk directly to it!
We'll have to provision more disk!

Yes we must brace ourselves for a major outbreak of over confabulation...

[zapionics<alt>]

Ok, this is a deal breaker for me
There are no caveats on what they collect or how they use it and the idea of a transcript being recorded on servers somewhere in foreign countries of all my spoken words throughout the life of my iPad is just the ultimate invasion if privacy and hello 1984!

The other thing I'd worry about is whether you can disable the mic.
Sure, they give you settings for it, but if you've already given them explicit legal permission to collect data then why wouldn't some apps activate it?

Seriously, I know many people will think it's just paranoia and that Apple would never do anything malicious with our data, but that ignores theft and future breaches of the confidentiality of our data which they cannot guarantee.

I just don't understand why there isn't more outcry over this. Recording every word we speak? No thanks.

[edit] and the most annoying thing is that dictation and speech to text shouldn't need this! It should be done locally on the iPad.

[zapionics<alt>]

Well, notwithstanding that I've picked up a new iPad.
Basically had to since I'd already indicated to my gf that she'd be getting the iPad2.

I tried dictation and it's pretty nifty, but turned off for now. Fortunately we can activate and deactivate that on a message by message basis, which helps to mitigate the risks.

I assume law enforcement and government will do deals with Apple because the repository of voices will be too hard to resist for searching.
Of course it's then a small step for the government to start fishing the repository for other purposes.

<rant on>I think the idea that you could be held accountable for a comment made years in the past in a different economic, social or political context by some over eager government agency boffin is incredibly scary and challenging and we should be putting in place some controls over that.
Stuff that's innocent or acceptable today could be considered sedition or criminal in the future and if you think thst I'm exaggerating then you don't know history.<rant off>

Apart from my gf's expectations, the retina display won me over. I found that the text on the iPad2 was causing me fatigue and I was often expanding it to avoid that. I've already noticed a benefit with the retina in that I'm doing that far less often now. I can easily read the text even at the default 4 point size.

Also I notice that I can actually read the notes clearly now! before they could be a challenge, especially O's and 0's.

There seems to be a few differences between this version of the OS and what I had on the iPad2. Extra features and little tweaks. For instance I notice that the browser has tabs and the way the text search works is different. Annoying little differences that I need to adjust to.

[johnrr6]

You are gonna love that 3!!

I absolutely agree on the reading part.....I read all day Sat and Sunday on the iPad 3 and my eyes were not as fatigued....

The sharpness of the text helps.

Understand where you are coming from on the security issue....

I will leave on the Dictation but I understand it is a personal choice,

and it really doesn't matter----the NSA is monitoring everything I do daily anyway....every time I use a Cell or a PC,,,,,,,ANY electronic gadget....

If we think otherwise----I think we'd be shocked at what is already done as a common daily sweep of daily traffic using very sophisticated algorythems....in the name of Homeland Defense or National Security.

And yes----the question is just how much is needed to "protect" .....and gosh I hope those in charge are honest and true people....

Having said all of that..... I really have no issues with the NSA knowing I still love my wife----even after 30 years, I pay my debts, I don't beat my dog, I still hate it when my HS baseball team loses, I always prefer desert to vegetables, and I'm proud of my two knucklehead sons who are developing into fine young men....

I must bore the spy boys to tears ......LOL

[zapionics<alt>]

Originally Posted by johnrr6

...
Understand where you are coming from on the security issue....

I will leave on the Dictation but I understand it is a personal choice,

and it really doesn't matter----the NSA is monitoring everything I do daily anyway....every time I use a Cell or a PC,,,,,,,ANY electronic gadget....

If we think otherwise----I think we'd be shocked at what is already done as a common daily sweep of daily traffic using very sophisticated algorythems....in the name of Homeland Defense or National Security.

And yes----the question is just how much is needed to "protect" .....and gosh I hope those in charge are honest and true people....

Having said all of that..... I really have no issues with the NSA knowing I still love my wife----even after 30 years, I pay my debts, I don't beat my dog, I still hate it when my HS baseball team loses, I always prefer desert to vegetables, and I'm proud of my two knucklehead sons who are developing into fine young men....

I must bore the spy boys to tears ......LOL

Heh, your viewpoint nicely counter balances mine, and frankly scares the hell out of me.
It's a kind of "I've done nothing wrong so why would they come after me or my family?" position... Which promotes apathy IMO. We need to remain vigilant about the powers of the state. The next generation of boffins and politicians who inherit these powers and tools may not be so nice and rational as the ones we have today. Yeah, my position is a paranoid one... which I regard as healthy.

Unless someone, like me, suffers from reading fatigue or needs (and can use) the 4G then I wouldn't recommend upgrading from the iPad2.