SAN FRANCISCO - Apple announced Wednesday the long-awaited and much-anticipated iPad 3, which appears to be officially named simply “new iPad.” The device features a Retina Display with a resolution of 2048 x 1536, a dual-core Apple A5X processor, a quad core graphics processor, a new 5 megapixel iSight camera capable of full HD recording, and support for 4G LTE coverage on AT&T and Verizon.
As expected, the device will ship on March 16th, but the company will price it the same as the iPad 2, starting at US499. The new iPad features the same ten hour battery life as the iPad 2, but that battery life will shrink to nine hours on a 4G connection.
Tim Cook & Apple’s New iPad
Photo by Bob LeVitus
“The new iPad redefines the category Apple created less than two years ago, delivering the most amazing experience people have ever had with technology,” Apple senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing Philip Schiller said in a statement. “The new iPad now has the highest resolution display ever seen on a mobile device with 3.1 million pixels, delivering razor sharp text and unbelievable detail in photos and videos.”
According to the company, the Retina Display has 44 percent better color saturation than the iPad 2, and it boasts 3.1 million pixels at 264 pixels per inch. Apple CEO Tim Cook bragged that it had a higher resolution than the projector behind him at the live media event where it was introduced. He also said that it was the highest resolution of any mobile device on the market.
New iPad (3rd Generation)
Say What?
The new iPad does not include support for Siri, but it does include “dictation,” which allows users to enter text via spoken work. Where you would enter text, you can instead tap a microphone button, speak, and the iPad will convert it to text for you.
According to Apple, you can use dictation to write messages, take notes, search the web and more. It’s also open to third party developers to use in their own apps.
A Rose By What Name Constitutes a Flower?
Apple has taken an interesting approach to naming the new device, choosing the same name as the original iPad, with various instances of “new” in front of it or “(3rd Generation)” after it.
For instance, the press release consistently refers to the device as “the new iPad.” Apple’s Apple.com/ipad page calls it “the new iPad,” while the Specs page is headed with just “iPad.” The Apple Store listed the device as “iPad with Wi-Fi 64GB - Black (3rd generation).”
The Mac Observer asked for clarification on the nomenclature, but these things tend to get crowdsourced sooner, rather than later, and “new iPad” seems to be the current hit fav. We would point out that Barnes & Noble got lambasted by some (meaning us) for naming the All New Nook the All New Nook. Media Event
The device was announced in San Francisco at an Apple Media Event, the first such event held since Apple cofounder Steve Jobs passed away on October 5th, the day after the iPhone 4S was announced. The Mac Observer was on hand for live coverage of the event.
[Update: This article was updated with additional details and photos. - Editor]