5. Capture Photos and Video

The iPad includes two built-in cameras for capturing photos and video: one mounted on the back and one at the front. The front-facing one isn’t great—it’s the same camera introduced in the iPad 2—but it’s fine for FaceTime video calls. The camera on the back, however, is a nice upgrade if you had the displeasure of using the one in the iPad 2. (I’m being harsh, but that camera’s resolution and quality wasn’t up to the level I expect from Apple.) The rear camera on the third-generation iPad captures 5 megapixels of data, features great lens elements, and captures 1080p video with automatic image stabilization.

And yet, specifications quickly lose their importance when you’re video-chatting with a friend in another city or capturing a photo or video that you otherwise might have missed. Specs improve over time, but events happen now.