Apple introduces 'The new iPad', available starting March 16

Shawn Knight

Shawn Knight

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Apple has unveiled “The new iPad” at a media event at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco. The highly anticipated third generation slate is packed with a wealth of new features while retaining the same pricing as the iPad 2.

It seems that many of the rumored features leading up to the event were indeed accurate. The new iPad includes a Retina Display operating at a resolution of 2,048 x 1,536 with 3.1 million pixels; that’s over 1 million more than the iPad 2. This equates to 264 pixels per inch and, according to Apple, still qualifies as a Retina Display when held 15-inches from the face. Additionally the new panel’s color saturation has improved by 44 percent.

Powering The new iPad is a dual-core A5X processor with quad-core graphics that Cupertino claims offers four times the performance of Nvidia’s Tegra 3. Clock speeds of the CPU and GPU remain a mystery at this time, nor do we know how much RAM Apple’s latest iPad is packing.

The new iPad also gets upgraded optics in the form of a 5MP backside illuminated sensor that features a 5-element lens, IR filter and ISP built into the A5X chip. Auto-exposure, auto-focus and face detection are all standard and the unit is capable of 1080p video recording with software stabilization that produced “clear improvement” according to media at the event. Apple is calling this an iSight camera.

New cellular models pack 4G LTE radios rated at up to 73Mbps on AT&T and Verizon Wireless in the US. Bell, Rogers and Telus will be carrying speedy models internationally as well. Unfortunately the cellular technology requires separate devices for each network, meaning there isn't a universal iPad that will work on both networks.

Apple claims The new iPad is good for 10 hours of battery life and nine hours when using 4G LTE. As one might expect, all of these additional features come at a physical cost. The new iPad is 9.4mm thick and weighs 1.4 pounds – increases in both categories over the iPad 2.

Pricing for The new iPad remains the same as when the iPad 2 launched. Expect to pay $499, $599 and $699 for a 16GB, 32GB and 64GB Wi-Fi only model, respectively. Wi-Fi + 4G variants will set you back $629, $729 and $829 for the same capacities. Pre-orders are being accepted now with availability starting March 16.

Apple also said it will continue to sell the iPad 2 in a 16GB Wi-Fi-only model for $100 less, at $399, while the 3G version is now $529. There are no longer any 32GB or 64GB versions of the iPad 2 available via Apple.

Update: Apple has posted the video of the new iPad event on their website, click here to watch it.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/47697-apple-introduces-the-new-ipad-available-starting-march-16.html

 
Well I already have an iPad 2 that I've won thru work, it is a nice toy, but I'm gonna wait for the iPad 50 to upgrade, that shouldn't take long, probably couple of years! :p
 
Not very impressive improvements for me to upgrade from my ipad 2. With all the hype, I thought it would give me massages and send me to the moon. They could've at least improved on the audio.
 
Guest said:
Not very impressive improvements for me to upgrade from my ipad 2. With all the hype, I thought it would give me massages and send me to the moon. They could've at least improved on the audio.
Click to expand...

I bet it could send you to the moon if you're watching the right content!
 
The new iPad looks good and Apple will be one of the first companies to ship with a high resolution display which is what matters (shipping and not just announcing). Also, you can't blame Apple for the unfounded rumors and the weeks and months of speculation pushed by media. Like one of our editors was telling me, it's got to a point that is almost obscene.

Lastly, for Apple fanboys out there who are pushing tech specs down everyone's throats, remember this moment. A few months later and you will be saying, tech specs are dead, just because it's not in your loved company's best interest :).
 
So are they ditching the numbering system and just calling this the new iPad now? Like the new Macbook/iMac
 
"Over 1 million more pixels"? That would be 2,359,296 more pixels. The previous iPads had a resolution of 1024 x 768. I can't say that more pixels makes this an any more useful device though.
 
The claim that a dual-core CPU and quad-core GPU is 4x faster than Tegra3 is a bit.. surprising.
 
I think most people who criticize tablets don't really have a use for it. Alternatively, they are not looking at the tablet device objectively. I know I don't have a use for a tablet and probably won't own one in the next 5 years. Therefore, even if the iPad was $100, I wouldn't buy it. Having said that, does owning a tablet make sense for some consumers out there?

People who do basic things such as email, browse the web, videocall, chat, send messages, watch movies, listen to music, read books while in bed, want to do something while on a long 8 hour flight/8 hour train ride, the tablet makes sense. It's far lighter than a laptop, has a gorgeous screen, it's very easy to use and costs just $500 (not a lot when you consider Apple's resale value).

Now if you come to the conclusion that a tablet makes sense for you as a consumer, your choices are not that great:

Kindle Fire / Playbook - only 7 inches, inferior screens, too thick, not cool/sexy
Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 (Not out yet) - worse screen, worse cameras, slower CPU and FAR slower GPU
iPad 2 - the budget choice $399

So now it really comes down to only 2:

New IPad
Asus Transformer Infinity

The Infinity starts at $599, has worse GPU (Tegra 3), has slightly lower resolution, it is lighter, thinner, has microSD slot, weighs less, has 32GB of RAM.

The New IPad actually costs $100 less, has the Apple image/brand (high resale value). Also, I own a Samsung Galaxy S and I find that Android updates aren't good at all. I have to either hack my phone or eventually get a new version of Galaxy to get Jelly Bean and for sure Key Lime pie.

However, Apple continues to provide constant iOS updates, it has a $100 lower price, and you can actually buy it this month. So at the end, really, objectively speaking, it's not bias that causes people who actually want an tablet to get one. But it's because it's arguably the best one.
 
I'm flabbergasted that the new Apple CEO feels obligated to dress like, and even display the same sort of "Auschwitz chic" that Steve Jobs did in his final decline.

Kate Moss made heroine addiction fashionable, how is Apple pulling this off?

As a matter of fact, it even seemed the product was introduced in Jobs' public speaking style.

The meter, the syntax, the stage pacing, it was all there.
 
$100 for a 16GB upgrade or $200 for a 48GB upgrade? These should be starting at 32GB by now.
 
captaincranky said:
I'm flabbergasted that the new Apple CEO feels obligated to dress like, and even display the same sort of "Auschwitz chic" that Steve Jobs did in his final decline.

Kate Moss made heroine addiction fashionable, how is Apple pulling this off?

As a matter of fact, it even seemed the product was introduced in Jobs' public speaking style.

The meter, the syntax, the stage pacing, it was all there.
Click to expand...

Now that you mention it, it did look like that when I saw it on the news earlier.Hmm
 
captaincranky said:
I'm flabbergasted that the new Apple CEO feels obligated to dress like, and even display the same sort of "Auschwitz chic" that Steve Jobs did in his final decline.

Kate Moss made heroine addiction fashionable, how is Apple pulling this off?

As a matter of fact, it even seemed the product was introduced in Jobs' public speaking style.

The meter, the syntax, the stage pacing, it was all there.
Click to expand...

(i missed you cranky)

If it ain't broke.....

Apple sells an image as well as a product. Look at any iPhone 4 commercial. Young, creative, carefree, happy people able to drive to Cali just because it's cold in vermont in the car that's worth less than the phone. (And get a signal in the middle of nowhere when they run out of gas?!) Nostalgia of a simpler time? Or just unrealistic fantasy?

Either way, it's selling a lot of gadgets...maybe not to boring, married, employed guys like me, who haven't sacrficied clean clothes, a haircut, and car with a working fuel gauge to pay for a phone, but it's still working.
 
Guest said:
$100 for a 16GB upgrade or $200 for a 48GB upgrade? These should be starting at 32GB by now.
Click to expand...

Not if people keep paying for them. They could also include a micro SD card slot and let you buy another 32GB for $30. But if people are lining up to pay $200 for 32GB of storage, why change?
 
MilwaukeeMike,

Well compared to any other smartphones on the market, the iPhone isn't that expensive. If you actually go and try to get an Android phone, you'll also pay $199 or so if it's a new model. In other words, its not iPhones that you have a problem with it seems; but rather all modern smartphones that have a data plan and cost $199.

However, if you actually wanted a smartphone and were already singing up for a plan, then an iPhone doesn't cost any more than does a comparable smartphone device from BlackBerry, Sony, Samsung, whoever.
 
Yup, I know the base iphone is the same as any other phone. I was talking about the upgrade models. I don't know of any other phone that has 3 models with different storage options for different prices. The others have SD Card slots. Only Apple charges you for additional storage. i was responding to the Guest questioning the cost of upgrades.

My question about the iPad 3.... battery life with 4G. No phone has a drop off so small comparing wi-fi to LTE. Apple claims 9 hour wi-fi, 8 hour LTE, that doesn't make sense when compared to the differences in smartphones. 4-5 hours LTE is what i'll expect to see when we get a review out there.
 
I have not bought a ipad yet and do not plan to. Simply put...Desktops are the best.
 
So... it's called iPad, right? Just iPad? Or "The new iPad"? Confusion is not in the question, I see...
 
kuroiei said:
So... it's called iPad, right? Just iPad? Or "The new iPad"? Confusion is not in the question, I see...
Click to expand...
It really doesn't matter what it's called. All you have to do, is go to the Apple store and walk in. After which, they dangle an iPad Nano on a gold chain in front of your face, begin to swing it gently back and forth, and tell you to count backwards from a hundred.

The next thing you know, you wake up feeling very refreshed, with an all consuming need to purchase what ever bauble has been released that month.
 
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