We’ve been spending some quality time with a new iPad here today at GeekWire, focusing on the new and updated apps for the tablet’s high-definition retina display.

It’s impressive, particularly when it comes to viewing high-resolution photos, but we’re not convinced that the display alone is enough to recommend buying one of the new iPads vs. its predecessor, the iPad 2, which is now available at a lower price.

What impresses me more about the new iPad is the speed, and the obvious improvements in the processor and RAM under the hood. Some apps installed and loaded like lightning.

As another example, there was zero perceptible lag as we used the Star Walk augmented reality astronomy app to pan around the sky, with rich graphics of the universe flying by as we moved the iPad.

A number of companies in our backyard here in Seattle have released new apps or updated existing ones to support the new display. Some of the ones we tried today:

Share your own favorite iPad apps in the comments below, and if you bought a new iPad today, let us know what you think of it so far.

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