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Poll Technica: are you buying a third-generation iPad?

Is the third-generation iPad compelling enough to buy immediately? Vote in our …

Phil Schiller shows off the new iPad's
Phil Schiller shows off the new iPad's "retina" display

The third-generation iPad has officially been outed and will land in users' grubby little hands on March 16. Now that the hype has cleared, what do Ars readers really think of it—and how many of you are planning to buy one when next Friday rolls around?

Most of the major rumors about the device from before the March 7 Apple event ended up coming to fruition: the third-generation iPad (notably not named the iPad 3 or iPad HD) indeed comes with a "retina"-class display with a resolution of 2048x1536, it has a much improved camera (though not quite 8 megapixels, as in some previous rumors), it uses Apple's A5X processor, there's a 4G/LTE option for both Verizon and AT&T, and it's just a hair thicker than the iPad 2. There was no price increase over the iPad 2, either, and the iPad 2 is still around at a lower price.

Some of the more obscure rumors didn't pan out. There was no "iPad mini" and no haptic touch feedback, for example, and apparently no Siri to report (though there is support for voice dictation).

So that's what we know. Are you putting your money down for one come March 16? And if you're not buying, what's holding you back? Tell us in our reader poll and give your explanations in the comments. And don't forget that we're gearing up to give the third-gen iPad the usual Ars Technica review treatment, so if you have any special requests you'd like us to cover, get them in now before the onslaught begins next week!

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