Well, it appears that the long wait for what the next, “magical” Apple device will entail is now over. We know all the details, and rather to waste your productive time trying to figure it all out from different places, here is what Apple’s new iPad will bring you.
The info
The new iPad features a Retina Display that is 2048×1536. That contains 3.1 million pixels on a 9.7″ display. The new iPad will come in either Black or White. Support for Bluetooth 4.0. New A5X processor that delivers dual-core processing and quad-core graphics. The A5X is said to be 2 times faster than Tegra 3. The new display will bring 44% better color saturation than that of the iPad 2. The new iPad is a tad thicker (.37 compared to .34 inch) is a tad heavier (1.44 compared to 1.44 pounds). The 4G models are slightly heavier. Up to 10 hours of battery, 9 hours with 4G. AirPlay mirroring to the new Apple TV at 1080p. New iSight camera with a 5 element lense at 5MP. It includes auto-exposure and auto-focus. It’s basically the same setup as the iPhone 4’s camera. The new camera has face-detection and 1080p video recording with image stabilization. The iPad will have voice dictation built in, but no word of full Siri integration. No word yet on whether you have to be connected to the Internet to do this (although you most likely do). 4G LTE support is a go. LTE can get up to speeds such as 73Mbps. The new iPad will come to AT&T and Verizon in the States. The new iPad will be “world ready” with 3G, will have 4G LTE support Rogers, Bell, Telus and AT&T The prices will be the same as the iPad 2 model. $499 for the 16GB, $599 for 32GB, $699 for 64GB WiFi models. $629, $729, and $829 for the 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB WiFi + 4G models respectively. The iPad 2 will still be sold in a 16GB flavor for $399 or $529 for WiFi or 3G + WiFi respectively. The new iPad will be available on March 16th and now for pre-order (good luck accessing the Apple Store). The iWork suite has been updated and will be the $9.99 per app (or free for the upgrade). New iPhoto for iPad (Gruber called it) gives you advanced photo editing capabilities and library storage. It can also allow you to create “scrapbook” types of libraries that almost remind one of a nice photo journal with maps and notes.
Should you upgrade?
It’s obviously a personal decision, but if you are holding on to your iPad 1, now may be the time to jump ship to the new iPad. Mostly because some of the new software that will be created for the new iPad probably will start to not be supported on the first generation device. This is due to the speed difference in the processor as well as graphics handling. If you are a new iPad 2 owner, it is probably harder to justify purchasing the new model, that is, if you aren’t a sad, hopeless, Apple fan. I say that if you bought the first gen iPad now is the time to upgrade. But, since Apple is still selling the iPad 2, it will obviously be supported for some time, so you probably should hold off on upgrading your iPad 2.
