Our Resident 13-Year-Old Tech Expert Weighs In On The New iPad

We've hired the expertise of 8th grader, Spencer, before, to get the skinny on the tech toys that are actually worth it (and the ones that aren't — sorry, Beats by Dre!), and the results were pretty stellar. And recently, we had to come a-callin' again, for his services. Many of us have been waffling over whether or not to buy the new iPad, and we needed Spencer's well-researched advice to help us finally pick a side. Ahead, his list of pros and cons that'll help you decide once and for all, whether you really need another gadget fighting for outlet space.

— The new high resolution screen is much more detailed and much smoother than the previous iPads. You’ll especially notice that detail in text is far higher with the new iPad, especially if you have an iPad2.

— The graphics processing speed is twice as fast, which means nothing is likely to stutter on the new display. I mean...it has one million more pixels than a HDTV!

— 4G LTE will make the new iPad faster, making for download speeds of up to six times quicker than the iPad 2 with 3G.

— Apps launch a lot quicker on here. For example, iBooks launches noticeably faster but the extent to which the faster graphics will improve the iPad is not known at the moment.

— The iPad becomes a gaming controller when connected to an HDTV, and you can also play content through it using airplay. And, you can now do dual screen gaming with the iPad acting as a controller, a stats display, and a map.

— The camera is a great improvement over the one on the iPad 2. The forward-facing five-megapixel camera is actually worth using. (The other camera is the same as the one that's on the iPad2)

— The autofocus on the camera is very good, and the newly redesigned lens allows for far better shots.

— The video capability has been greatly increased with a five megapixel camera that has the ability to shoot 1080p video. The iPad2 could only shoot 720p.

Though it’s for the most part the best tablet around, here are a few points against it:

— The camera still suffers from rippling of image on screen when you move the iPad while the front camera is being used.

— Though the camera is a great improvement, it’s still attached to an unwieldy 10-inch tablet — not the easiest to maneuver for serious photographers.

— The digital zoom has focus issues if you zoom in too fast.

— The new iPad gets hotter than the iPad 2. This may affect performance during this coming summer in some environments.

— The iPad 3 is slightly heavier than the iPad 2, but still a bit lighter than the first iPad. (iPad 1: 1.5 lbs, iPad 2: 1.33 lbs, the new iPad: 1.44 lbs. All weights are for Wi-Fi-only models.)

Verdict: If you’ve been waiting to get a tablet, don’t hesitate to buy this one – if you’re sitting on enough cash, that is!