And so it's arrived. The new iPad was announced by Apple in San Francisco an hour ago and it's available for pre-order right now.
The device more or less came as was anticipated, but, since no Apple announcement is complete without industry prognosticators being left thrown for a loop on something, the company decided to simply call the new iPad "The New iPad," dashing all your "HD" dreams.
It's just as well— at a resolution of 2048x1036 and 264 ppi, the new iPad's display is actually better than "HD," anyway. Apple calls it "the best display ever on a mobile device."
The Goods:
- 2048x1036 Retina Display.
- 4G LTE support on both Verizon and AT&T.
- All new 5 MP camera with improved optics ala the iPhone 4S, 1080P video recording.
- Same 10-hour battery life as the iPad 2, 9-hours when running 4G.
- New A5X processor with quad-core graphics and dual-core CPU.
Software:
- iOS 5.1 available today.
- iPhoto comes to iOS with a a new UI and host of new features.
- "Photo Journals" post to iCloud, share with your social networks.
- iWork, iMovie and Garage Band upgraded to take advantage of new hardware.
Pricing:
Wi-Fi: 16 GB, $499; 32 GB, $599; 64 GB, $699
4G: 16 GB, $629; 32 GB, $729; 64 GB, $829
iPad 2 now starts at $399
[Apple]