Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, unveiled the brand new iPad today.
“We are redefining the category that Apple created with the original iPad,” Cook said.
The new iPad looks much like the iPad 2 but the new one has internal hardware with a high-resolution screen that has been called a retina screen. The new iPad also features an A5X processor with quad-core graphics, which Apple claims is ‘twice as fast’ as the Tegra 3 and has ‘four times the performance.’
All of the stock apps have been optimized for the new iPad and the new A5X chip allows app developers to take advantage of the better resolution and higher power. Also new with the unveiled iPad is iPhoto. iPhoto is Apple’s desktop photography software that is now available on the iPad for the first time ever. The software features effects, gestures, touch editing and iCloud synching.
The camera on the new iPad is the best camera any of Apple’s iPads have ever had. The new camera has a 5MP shooter that can record video in 1080p. This means that users of the iPad will surely want to use the camera, which was not often the case with previous versions of the iPad. More light can be let in with the larger f/2.4 aperture. The camera app also has all of the same software features as other IOS cameras from Apple, especially the iPhone 4S camera app. The features with this camera on the iPad include photo editing, swipe to preview and facial recognition.
A voice dictation app comes with the new iPad and supports Australian, British, English, Japanese, German and French languages.
High speed networking is also possible on the new iPad. The new model has 21 Mbps HSPA+, 42Mbps DC-HSDPA and 73Mbps LTE. All of these features provide superbly fast data connections. The new iPad can be used on Bell, Verizon, Rogers, Teslus and AT&T networks.
The brand new iPad features 9.4mm thinness and weighs only 1.4 pounds. This iPad is just a tiny bit heavier than the iPad 2 but the added weight allows for bigger batteries that increase unplugged life.
The 16GB iPad goes for $499, the 32GB iPad goes for $599 and the 64GB iPad goes for $699. The LTE iPad prices are $629, $729 and $829. Apple is not removing the iPad 2 from the market. It is still being sold for $399 and $529. Ship date for the new iPad is March 16, which is when customers will be able to purchase in stores across the country.