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Apple fans and tablet shoppers: Say "hi" to a
high-def iPad.
At a media event in San Francisco on Wednesday, Apple unveiled its
latest version of the iPad with an improved high-definition display
screen. Though the newest iPad is fairly indistinguishable from the iPad
2 on the outside -- same screen size, almost identical shape and weight
-- the new iPad's screen doubles the resolution and quadruples the
pixels of the iPad 2, from 1024x768 to 2048x1536. Apple says that the
new iPad's screen features a Retina display, which means that the eye
can't distinguish individual pixels on the screen.
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Along with a crisper display, the new iPad is also Apple's first device
that has an option to come equipped with 4G LTE technology, as 4G iPads
will be available on both AT&T and Verizon with subscription plans. This
represents a major first for Apple (which has, in the past, been
resistant to add 4G to its phones due to design compromises); a major
boon for cellular companies, which have been spending billions to bulk
up their 4G networks despite the largest smartphone and tablet seller
not producing a 4G device; and perhaps a hint at Apple's plans for its
next iPhone, which is still months away though already hotly-anticipated
(and rumored to be a 4G device as well).
Phil Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing,
embraced the 4G technology, praising its upload and download speed at
the event.
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"The performance is amazing," Schiller said, according to Engadget,
while demonstrating just how much faster the photo download process is
on 4G than on 3G, "and you're going to love using it on these new
high-speed networks."
Among the other new additions and improvements landing on the iPad are
Voice Dictation, which can translate speech-to-text for email and
messaging dictation; a faster quad-core A5X processor for improved
gameplay graphics; an improved 5 megapixel rear-facing camera capable of
shooting HD video; an improved battery, which Apple promises can get 10
hours of talk time on the power-hungry 4G network; and a slew of new or
improved apps, including updated versions of GarageBand, Sketchbook,
iPhoto, iMovie and the popular Infinity Blade game series.
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With the new iPad (which Apple has simply named "iPad," dropping the
numerical scheme it used for the iPad 2 and for its iPhone series),
Apple is looking to extend its already dominant hold on the tablet
marketplace. Despite handling the competition of several similar-sized
tablets running the Android OS -- like Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 and
HP's discontinued TouchPad -- as well as facing the insurgency of
cheaper, smaller alternatives -- like Amazon's Kindle Fire and Barnes &
Noble's Nook Tablet this past fall -- the iPad has remained the easy
leader and sales champion, maintaining a 59 percent tablet market share,
according to Strategy Analytics. The first iPad practically created the
tablet market when it was released in March 2010, and the iPad 2
continued Apple's dominance after it was released in March 2011. The
first iPad sold more than 15 million units in its first year, and the
iPad 2 sold more than 15 million units between October and December of
2011 alone.
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Look for those explosive sales to continue with the
release of the new iPad, which has been hotly anticipated by consumers
who have waited a year since the release of the iPad 2. On the tech site
AllThingsD, 65 percent of users indicated they would be buying the
next-generation iPad in a February poll, and a TechBargains survey found
that over half of Kindle Fire owners plan to also purchase a new iPad
when it is released.
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Apple's event wasn't just about the iPad, however. It also announced
that iOS 5.1 would be available, a long awaited update to the Apple
mobile operating system that the company has promised will address
battery issues, as well as a new model of the Apple TV box, which can
now handle 1080p high-definition video transmitted from the new iPad to
an HD television.
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Most of the focus, however, was on the third-generation iPad, finally
unveiled and hitting stores soon. The latest iPad will be released on
March 16, with prices matching those of the iPad 2: a 16GB, Wi-FI only
iPad will cost $499, a 32GB, Wi-Fi only iPad will cost $599, etc.
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