Apple has added a Retina display, faster processor and 4G support to its iPad, confounding pundits by refusing to give it a new name.
Many had expected it to be called the iPad 3 or iPad HD, but CEO Tim Cook merely referred to it as "the new iPad".
The new iPad features a Retina display, first seen on the iPhone 4. At 2,048 x 1,536 pixels, it features 3.1 million pixels - which Cook said was more than an HD TV.
The new A5X chip includes quad-core graphics, which Cook promised was four times faster than the iPad 2, while still offering comparable battery life of ten hours on Wi-Fi and nine hours on 4G. It support HSPA+ (21Mbits/sec) and dual-carrier HSDPA (up to 42Mbits/sec) as well as LTE at speeds of up to 72Mbits/sec - although British users won't be seeing those speeds for quite some time.
The new "iSight" 5-megapixel camera features backside illumination for low-light conditions. It also shoots 1080p video with image stabilisation.
The new iPad doesn't get Apple's Siri assistant, but it does come with a dictation tool, for speaking instead of typing emails and updates for apps such as Twitter.
Apple has also updated its own apps for the Retina screen, and revealed iPhoto for the iPad, with multitouch editing, retouching tools and iCloud-based "Journals" to show off images.
Existing iPad applications will be automatically rescaled for the new high-resolution display, in much the same way they were when the Retina screen was added to the iPhone 4.
The next-gen iPad will be available 16 March, with pre-orders starting today for the US, UK and nine other countries. For Wi-Fi only, the 16GB is £399, 32GB is £499 and 64GB is £549. The iPad 2 will remain on sale, with the price of the Wi-Fi 16GB version cut to £329.
The Apple TV also saw an update, adding 1080p support, content from Netflix and a new interface. The media streamer is also available on 16 March for $99.
0 comments:
Post a Comment