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.
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!
