This morning Apple officially revealed what we’ve been calling the iPad 3. The moniker for the 3rd generation tablet won’t be called that; it will be called simply “the new iPad”. The new iPad release date has been set as March 16th for Australia, the States and other countries and the 24th for the rest of the world.
The new iPad retains the same screen 4:3 ratio and size, but increases the resolution of the display to an incredible 2048 by 1536 pixels. This brings the pixel density to 264ppi, up from 132ppi for the original iPad and iPad 2. This makes it the highest resolution and densest display for a tablet yet.
Processor-wise, iPad has also taken up the fight to the new breed of Android tablets, boasting a new A5X chip with quad core graphics and a quoted four times superior performance to the Tegra 3 chip. I’m sure there will be plenty of benchmarking happening once the new iPad is released to quantify that claim!
The back camera has been improved, with 1080p recording up from 720p for the iPad 2. It’s very similar to the iPhone 4S but with a 5 megapixel camera instead of 8, and it does have the 5 element lens as well.
From a mobile broadband perspective, the exciting news here is that the new iPad will boast 4G capability here in Australia. The 4G network is developing quickly in metropolitan areas in Australia so we can imagine that the 4G network will start to get a real workout with new iPad users.
Alongside the 4G speeds for its own data network, the new iPad will also be able to share its internet connection with Wi-Fi hot spotting available. At the 4G speeds, connected devices are sure to experience some great online performance through the hot spot connection.
So what does the new iPad release represent for the manufacturer, its customers and developers? For Apple, it continues the trend of releasing progressive hardware with exciting improvements and more than combats the growing number of tablets in the marketplace. It’s hard to see how the new iPad and iPad family as a whole won’t continue to dominate the tablet category.
For users and potential buyers of the iPad, the screen was probably the most wished for improvement in the iPad 2, and for those that had held off upgrading from the original iPad, the new iPad makes a compelling reason to own one. The high resolution screen, quad core graphics processor, 4G mobile speeds and improved camera are all more than incremental changes to the previous iPad. To users they will represent a massively different on-screen experience in performance, display and online connectivity.
For developers, the new iPad release remains as attractive as ever. With the new resolution and processing power, developers are able to create even more detailed and commercially attractive content to increase their revenue and success within the Apple ecosystem. Not to mention HD content from movie and television houses, which may be able to charge a premium for upgraded content.
We can’t wait to see the new iPad release for ourselves. As enthusiasts of the technology industry, we’ll be doing comparisons with other tablets and pitting the new iPad against some of its future competitors as well. Stay tuned for more!
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Nazmul Haque says
Thanks your your creative review Ritchie.
I want to know that I am going to Japan soon in April so the new IPAD (white) be available in Japan apple store that time or not.
Please help me to make sure about it.
Ritchie says
Thanks Nazmul,
The new iPad is due in Japan this Friday, so by April there should be stock available. Enjoy your trip!
Darren Thompson says
Ritchie
Really looking forward to you doing a side by side comparison between the new iPad and the current ASUS Transformer Prime (and perhaps the 701 when it becomes available).
Regards
Darren
Ritchie says
Hey Darren,
Oh, yeah, we can’t wait to put the iPad through it’s paces either, right next to the Prime. We’ll have that as soon as we can upload!
Naing says
Hi Ritchie,
Expecting a nice comparison from you. 🙂 Ipad 2 and ATP .. I am impressed with the screen display of so-called The New Ipad. However android is the OS preferred over iOS as a tablet PC.
With regards,
Until next time … 🙂
Ritchie says
Hi Naing,
You just KNOW it’s coming 🙂
And yes, until next time!
Arbaaz Patel says
Hi Ritchie,
I like your videos a lot, after viewing your review about the Samsung galaxy tab 7.7 I bought one for me,,, :D..
I just want to know whether the new Ipad will be available in my country or not, I stay in India 🙂 ….
And one more thing——>>>>> any news about ICS update on tab 7.7?
Thanx. 🙂
Lynna says
Hi Ritchie!
Which would you suggest? The New iPad -aka- iPad 3 or the Asus Transformer Prime TF700 Series?
Thanks,
Lynna
Mark says
According to Australian carriers Telstra and Optus, Apple’s new iPad 3 DOES NOT run 4G LTE networks.