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Everything You Need To Know About Apple's iPad 3

News
by Jeff Cork on March 07, 2012 at 09:20 AM
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Apple hosted a press conference today where it showed off the next installment of its popular iPad. Why do you want it? Here's why.

The latest version of the device broke with tradition, going by "the new iPad" instead of the iPad 3. Fortunately, there's more to the new iPad than just an odd name. The biggest upgrade to the iPad line is the fact that it has a Retina display. In English, that's a resolution of 2,048 by 1,536 pixels. Compare that to the iPad 2, which boasts a more conventional 1,024 by 768 pixel display, and you can appreciate the improvement. Cosmetically, it's much the same as previous models, and Apple claims battery life will hit 10 hours, or nine hours on its newly supported 4G wireless.

AT&T and Verizon will both sell their own versions of the device, starting at $629 for the 16 GB model, $729 for 32 GBs, and $829 for 64 GBs. If you can live without the convenience of a dedicated network connection, the barrier to entry on the wi-fi only models is significantly lower at $499, $599, and $699, respectively. The iPad 2 has dropped $100 across the board (so 16GB for $399, etc.).

Games and apps will scale to fit the new display, though developers will be able to account for the higher resolution with new projects. Namco demonstrated a new flight sim, Sky Gamblers, while Epic showed off Infinity Blade: Dungeons. 

The new iPad goes on sale starting March 16.

Take a look at our liveblog below, for blow by blow details from the event.

 

Livestream Recap:

*There's a new model of Apple TV. Supports 1080p. iTunes and movies sync to iCloud. You can redownload as many times as you like.$99. March 16th release.

*iPad users apparently love their iPads. Tim Cook says that owners prefer it "overwhelmingly" for email, reading, and watching movies.

*Haha, he says it's their favorite for gaming, even among console users.

*Comparing the iPad to other tablets on the marketplace.

Uses a Samsung tablet running Twitter app as an example. Cook says the iPad version looks as though it was built for the platform.
And it's a new iPad. SURPRISSSSSSE...?
Apple CEO: The new iPad is amazing. It is rectangular and has a screen.
Now it's time for a demo.
Aha! It has a Retina display
Apparently we can't appreciate it until it's in our hands. Oh well.
The images look pretty amazing zoomed in. 3.1 million pixels! Take their word on it. 264 pixels per inch. 2048 X 1536.
Apple says it creates a problem, since its resolution is greater than that of the screen it's being demoed on. A nice problem, if you can get it I guess.
That's more than 1 million pixels more than an HDTV.

Quad core graphics. A5X processor.
Moving away from the display news now...
Now it's time to talk about the camera... iSight.
Looks like it's a similar setup as on the iPhone 4s

5 megapixels
autofocus and white balance
1080p video recording
It looks to be compatible with the beach, judging from the sample images and video shown.

Hey, it's got voice dictation, too!
Waiting for "How much would you pay for such a wondrous device?"
There's a new microphone key on the iPad's keyboard for... Siri.
And it's 4G LTE! (That's one more G than 3G)
Download speeds are waaaaaaay faster, too.
21 Mbps HSPA+. 72 Mbps LTE.
Verizon and AT&T 4G LTE carrier support.
Rogers, Bell, and Telus are also partners worldwide in addition to AT&T and Verizon.
Looks like AT&T and Verizon versions run on different bands, so they'll require special versions of hardware.
It can now be a personal hotspot for up to 5 device if the carrier offers it.
Battery life is the same, too. 10 hours, 9 hours on 4G
1.4 pounds
9.4 mm thin
$499 for the 16GB wi-fi one. 32 GB = $599, 64 GB = $699.
$629, $729 and $829 for 4G version.
March 16.

All the build-in apps have been updated and optimized for the new display.
Existing apps will be scaled, devs can take advantage of higher resolution for better results.
Game demos!
Namco.
They've got a new flight game called Sky Gamblers.
Wondering why they didn't call it Ace Combat... looks like a similar game.
Taking off from a carrier and blasting apart a bunch of other planes.

Shake the ipad to device. This will be great on a bus. Namco says it's console quality. They didn't say which one...
Enough fun stuff. Now some guy from Autodesk is going to talk.
The new version of Sketchbook, AKA "Program to keep kids quiet in a restaurant."
Sketchbook Ink is designed to take advantage of the better display.
It has a new ink engine, too.
Looks vector based, so you can zoom in like crazy.
Coming out in April exclusively for iOS.
Epic Games! Amazing new project, you say... President Mike Capps is here.
Infinity Blade: Dungeons.
I hope Mike Capps talks about not being able to see pixels... HDR graphics and tone mapping.
Looks more like an isometric dungeon crawler than the first person thing that Infinity Blade has been known for.
Mike Capps says the new iPad has more memory and resolution than the PS3 and Xbox 360.
I wonder what Tiny Tower looks like on this display.
www.infinitybladedungeons.com = official site
iWork getting updated, $9.99, free if you've already bought it. Updated Garage Band, too.
iMovie update. Looks like the iPad version will let you make trailers for your creations now, too. $4.99 or free if you already have it.
Should work nicely with the iPad's 1080p video recording...
iPhoto now.

If they start talking about spreadsheets next I'm outta here.
New ways to edit photos. Send photos wirelessly between your devices.
Smart browsing, for all you intellectuals out there.
You can swipe your brains out to look at pictures, switch between them, select albums, etc.
My finger is throbbing in anticipation.
Double tap a picture and similar images pop up. App supports up to 19 megapixel images.
Auto enhancing, can straighten images or adjust levels by a single tap. Clearly this is witchcraft.
This reminds me of the Dance Dance Revolution portion of a Konami press conference...
Blah blah black and white, extra photo effects.
They have now spent as much time talking about the new version of iPhoto as they did the new iPad. Huh.
It's $4.99. Available now.
Whew! It's over. I thought they were going to read iPhoto's online documentation aloud next.
Looks like they're wrapping things up.
There is no fancy new name for this thing. It's just being called "the new iPad" or "3rd-generation iPad" at this point.
iPad 2 isn't being phased out, though it's getting $100 price drops. $399 for the 16GB wi-fi.
"The new iPad." Seriously?
This could be a very confusing naming convention years from now, if Apple keeps it up.
Apple CEO: Everyone at Apple is amazing.
And there's more ahead in 2012...?
That's all, folks!
Whew!

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Comments
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  • by Tuesday, March 06, 2012 at 01:20 PM
    I bought an iPad 2 about a month after its release. It was my first apple product and I fell in love with it. I use it every single day. Now my question is: should I get this next installment? And will it be worth selling my old iPad?
  •
    by Tuesday, March 06, 2012 at 01:21 PM
    As an Apple fan, I will definitely check it out.
  •
    by Tuesday, March 06, 2012 at 01:22 PM

    I'll make sure i'm here. I want to see what Apple releases although I probably won't buy it (mainly because of the price tag). Also, it's going to be more interesting because Steve Jobs is gone.

  •
    by Tuesday, March 06, 2012 at 01:44 PM
    new ipad, old ipad, current ipad... it's all the same.
  • by Tuesday, March 06, 2012 at 01:45 PM

    So cool...I love the iPad.

  •
    by Tuesday, March 06, 2012 at 01:56 PM
    http://techskipper.com/images/EvolutionOfAppleiPHONE_294A/apple_iphone_evolution.jpg
  •
    by Tuesday, March 06, 2012 at 01:59 PM

    I hope they make it as amazing as the iPad 2. Although I won't be getting it as I still use my iPad everyday.

  •
    by Tuesday, March 06, 2012 at 02:24 PM

    Will be checking this out...love Apple products and who knows maybe this persuades me into buying my first IPad.

  •
    by Tuesday, March 06, 2012 at 04:21 PM

    thanks for the update

  •
    by Tuesday, March 06, 2012 at 05:34 PM
    I want an Ipod so bad
  •
    by Tuesday, March 06, 2012 at 09:13 PM
    iPad HD that just sounds so cool
  •
    by Tuesday, March 06, 2012 at 09:56 PM

    Will we finally see gameinformer ratings in the app store??!!!??

  •
    by Wednesday, March 07, 2012 at 09:35 AM
    I just got an iPod touch, so I won't be buying anything new. But I am curious.
  •
    by Wednesday, March 07, 2012 at 09:35 AM
    I just got an iPod touch, so I won't be buying anything new. But I am curious.
  •
    by Wednesday, March 07, 2012 at 10:02 AM

    why don't they make somthing useful. like an i pad that doubles as a printer, or a mobile waffle maker that downlouds music.

  •
    by Wednesday, March 07, 2012 at 10:15 AM

    I hope this is awesome to inspire me to buy one!

  •
    by Wednesday, March 07, 2012 at 10:35 AM

    interested to see what comes of the new ipad but also interested to see how Apple approaches the continued selling of the ipad 2. They basically just dropped sales of the original once the 2 came out and if that repeats people who plan on buyign a discounted ipad 2 will probably be sorely mistaken.

  • by Wednesday, March 07, 2012 at 12:24 PM
    Apple is a massive FAD, it will soon be forgotten.
  •
    by Wednesday, March 07, 2012 at 12:37 PM

    I'm so happy Jeff Cork is blogging this. Makes it so much more interesting.

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