Consumer Reports Says New iPad the Only “Excellent” Tablet

Despite recording the highest temperature readings among a series of lab testers seeking to find if the new iPad was really running hotter than the previous model, or other similar tablets or notebooks, Consumer Reports, says it “didn’t find the temperatures to be cause for concern.”

The group has listed the new iPad as a “recommended” product, and describes it among 9-12 inch tablets as the only one achieving an “excellent” rating, saying the “high-resolution screen of the new iPad establishes a new benchmark in excellence, providing the best rendering of detail and color accuracy we’ve ever seen on a tablet display

“Performance on the new iPad ($500 to $830) was superb in virtually every other way as well,” the site states. “The 5-megapixel camera took very good photos. Verizon’s 4G network yielded very fast, dependable connectivity to a 4G-compatible version of the iPad in our informal tests. And despite the energy-intensive display and graphics, the iPad still has longer battery life than all other tablets.”

Highlighting the “standout performance of the new iPad’s screen,” the site stated, “we have recalibrated our standard of excellence for tablet screens. The iPad alone now receives an excellent overall score for display quality.

“A number of current models, including the iPad 2 (which remains on sale and is a fine performer), that received excellent scores under the past standard will now be adjusted to receive very good scores overall. Likewise, some models that received good scores may also be adjusted downward, and some overall scores have changed slightly.”