I've have iPad(1), iPad2 and now iPad(3) - all 64GB version. Newest iPad (3) is the fastest and best display by far. Crisp text is very visible in books, web pages and the photos look better too. In fact, when I moved my photos from iPad2 to iPad(3), the size of the photos has gone up (less down sampling). So photos take up more space on the Retina display and you can also see the difference. I've started viewed the same photos on iPad(1), (2) and (3). iPad(1) wipe left to change photo and new photo shows up in low resolution mode, and then flickers to a clean image. iPad2 dual core A5 is faster and you can flip through photos at will without seeing the low res, then higher resolution image. new iPad(3) A5X dual core processor with retina display has an nVidia quad-core graphics processor and it flips through photos very fast and at retina display 4X resolution. After this test, I just sold my original iPad(1). I couldn't stand the low resolution photos for that .5 second.
There are some situations where the iPad2 is slightly faster (like booting up from cold). But overall the new iPad is much faster, more responsive and super sharp. The only downside is its extra 2oz more weight. But I'd say the new iPad is worth and extra $100 to me for its screen clarity and general improvement in speed. You really can't see the screen dots, since the dpi is so high. If you get the cellular option 4G vs 3G, then 4G LTE wipes out 3G anyday - no contest - new iPad is the clear winner.
