New iPad Receives Rave Reviews

A day before the release of Apple’s long-awaited third-generation iPad, the Web is going wild with stories on the imminent arrival of the newest tablet.

While Apple-loving Americans will have to wait until Friday morning at 8 a.m. to buy one, an Australian man has already laid claim to the title of the first person in the world to buy the latest tablet. CNET reports that he purchased a white 64GB iPad Wi-Fi and 4G model at a midnight launch in Sydney.

The newest version, with its higher-resolution retina display, updated processor, and 4G connection, has gotten mostly rave reviews from those critics who got an early chance to play around with the new iPad. For a fuller roundup, check out PC World’s overview.

The New York Times points out that the new tablet shares plenty of similarities with its predecessor, but nonetheless notes that the Verizon test unit its reviewer played around with "got download speeds ranging from 6 to 29 megabits a second in San Francisco, Boston and New York — in many cases, faster than home cable-modem service."*

And for those die-hards who must absolutely get their hands on the new tablet as soon as possible (without having to fly out to Australia), Wired has compiled a guide on how to properly wait in the nearly certain hours-long queue, which includes this particularly comical snippet:

"If you call in sick and end up on the local newscast, your boss will not be happy. Instead, plan to start your work day late, or simply take a vacation day. Score bonus points by offering to pick up an iPad for your boss. Don’t offer to pay for it. Just pick it up."

Meanwhile, the Associated Press reports that all the hubbub surrounding the latest tablet helped skyrocket Apple stock to $600 for the first time ever on Thursday morning.

*Correction: An earlier version of this post mistakenly cited an older review of an earlier-generation iPad. The new review was generally positive, but not as gushing as the older review.