We've finally confirmed all the true rumors and forgot all the false ones as Apple officially revealed "the new iPad," as it is called. With it A5X processor and stunning Retina display, the 3rd-generation iPad is a wonderful update to Apple's ever-famous line of products.
But a faster processor and gorgeous screen aren't the only things the new iPad has to offer. It is also sporting a 5 megapixel iSight camera, 4G LTE mobile broadband, and voice-dictation software.
First of all, the processor, as previously stated, is called the A5X processor. Apple claims it to be twice as fast as the iPad 2's A5 processor and four times as fast as competitor processors. However, some are dubious toward these statistics.
The beautiful Retina display we saw introduced on the iPhone 4 was extremely crisp, and now it's coming to the iPad. With over 3.1 million pixels, this screen has the highest resolution of any mobile device on the planet. It has more pixels squeezed into its tablet-sized screen than HDTVs have in their large size. This makes images, videos, text, and everything else extremely crisp and beautiful to behold.
The 5 megapixel camera appears to be very nice for being on a mobile device. Borrowing from the iPhone's camera, it takes some of the same optics and upgrades the iPad 2's camera considerably. The photos taken are also synced to all your iDevices via Photo Stream.
The iPad 2 had 3G, and though some believed that iOS devices weren't going to see 4G for another year, Apple proved them wrong with the new iPad's 4G LTE connectivity. The 4G enabled iPads will be priced $130 above its WiFi-only twin, but for people who love their iPad and travel a lot, this will be worth the extra money.
Before March 7th, a lot of rumors were flying around about Siri, the iPhone 4S's voice assistant, being on the new iPad. Unfortunately, Siri hasn't joined the iPad yet, but something similar has. Conveniently placed in the virtual keyboard of the new iPad is a button with a microphone symbol on it. Tap this, and you can dictate your email instead of typing it out. This can prove to be very convenient and a speedy way to send emails among other things.
Apple also release iOS 5.1 and updates for several of its iPad and Mac apps, but one of the more groundbreaking software releases was iPhoto for iOS. This application allows for a variety of options to manage your photos including quick, easy, and highly effective photo editing right on your iPad. This announcement was certainly one of the highlights of the software portion of Apple's Keynote.
You may be wondering about the name "the new iPad." Well, that is exactly what Apple calls it. Most of us were expecting the iPad 3 to come out this March, but apparently Apple had different plans. This play on names may hint at something Apple has up their sleeve, but there doesn't seem to be much speculation floating around about that yet. However, time well tell, as it always does.
Succinctly put, the new iPad has added some wonderful additions to its processing power, screen resolution, camera, and software. It is slightly thicker and it does weigh a bit more than the iPad 2, but that is justifiable, as the benefits greatly outweigh any extra ounces the new iPad put on. Personally, I'm anticipating getting a hands-on experience with the new iPad when it ships next week. Pre-orders are available at the time of this writing.
The new iPad seems to be a wonderful addition to Apple's already wonderful line of products, and I'm confident that it will blow most of its competitors out of the water. Apple is once again practicing its slogan of "Think Different."
To view the full Apple Keynote, click here.
Click here for the Apple Inc. website.
