Apple has introduced the new iPad, the third generation of its tablet which now features a new Retina display (similar to the one found on the iPhone), Apple’s new A5X chip with quad-core graphics and a 5 megapixel iSight camera with advanced and 1080p HD video. The iPad with Wi-Fi and 4G connects to fast networks worldwide and, according to the company, still delivers 10-hour battery life. The shape is almost identical to the iPad 2.
Apple said the new iPad Wi-Fi models will be available in black or white tomorrow with a capacity of 16, 32 or 64 MB of storage. It also mentioned the countries where it will be available by the end of March, however Malta does not feature in the list.
At the time of going to print, the Malta page of the Apple website was still showing the pictures and specifications of the iPad 2. i-Tech spoke to Vodafone Malta, the official communications partner of Apple in Malta, and iCentre, Apple’s authorised service provider in Malta, and both said they could not give any date for when the new iPad will be officially available in Malta.
When this happens, or indeed Maltese users start buying the new iPad from overseas it will not take advantage of the new 4G connection, as no local mobile communications provider is providing 4G access as yet.
The new iPad’s Retina display delivers four times the number of pixels of the iPad 2, so dense that the human eye is unable to distinguish individual pixels when held at a normal distance, making web pages, text, images and video look incredibly sharp and realistic. The 3.1 million pixels in the Retina display are more than one million more pixels than an HD TV, and with 44 per cent increased colour saturation the new iPad displays colours that are richer, deeper and more vivid. Movies are now capable of playing at full 1080p HD-resolution, delivering an incomparable viewing experience on a mobile device.
The new A5X chip with quad-core graphics was specifically designed by Apple to deliver a fast, responsive user experience while supporting the incredible Retina display. The A5X provides double the graphics performance of the A5 chip.
With iOS 5.1, the new iPad has a number of new features and enhancements including: a redesigned camera app with video stabilisation technology; the ability to delete photos from Photo Stream; support for dictation in English, French, German and Japanese; and Personal Hotspot. iOS 5.1 also works seamlessly with iCloud, a breakthrough set of free cloud services including iTunes in the Cloud, Photo Stream and Documents in the Cloud, that works seamlessly with the iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac or PC to automatically and wirelessly store content and push it to these devices. When content changes on one device, the other devices are updated automatically.
Apple also introduced the iPhoto app, along with major updates to iMovie and GarageBand, completing its suite of iLife apps for iOS. iPad runs almost all of the 585,000-plus apps available on the App Store, including more than 200,000 native iPad apps, from a wide range of categories, including books, games, business, news, sports, health, reference and travel. iOS 5.1 and iTunes 10.6 are available as free software updates.
Apple has also launched the new Apple TV featuring 1080p programming including iTunes movies and TV shows, Netflix, Vimeo, photos and more in HD. With iTunes in the Cloud, customers can purchase and play their favourite movies and TV shows from the iTunes Store.
The new Apple TV features a simpler, refined user interface making it easier than ever to access your purchased movies, TV shows and music with iTunes Match right from iCloud. With AirPlay, users can stream or mirror their favorite content from their iPad or iPhone 4S to Apple TV.