Appearance

In terms of appearance, the iPad 3 looks very much like the iPad 2. However, it’s actually one millimeter thinner than the latter, making it easier to store and lug around. The fact that it’s 2.5 ounces lighter shows that Apple has been making improvements on the iPad’s mobility.

The original plan was for the iPad 3 to come in six colors: white, black, steel blue, gray, cobalt, and tie-dye. Currently, however, it is only available in its classic steel gray shade.

Retina display

While the iPad 2 had great graphics, the iPad 3 kills it by going one step further. Taking up the front line, the Retina Display is one of the most notable changes in the iPad 3, and the crisp image quality turns the already remarkable iPad visual experience into something more. Apple has definitely outdone itself, paking a chock full of pixels into the 9.7-inch screen, which now boasts a 1536 x 2048 pixel resolution, 44% more color saturation, and an astounding 3.1 million pixels packed into its screen.

This has noticeable implications on the iPad 3’s screen, and viewing photos and videos are practically eye candy on it.

Camera

There’s also Apple’s inclusion of a 5 megapixel rear camera on the back (an improvement on the iPad 2’s resolution), and the standard VGA camera on the front for Facetime. Called the iSight camera, the image quality is a considerable improvement from the previous model’s, as well as the ability to shoot 1080p videos.

The iSight camera features advanced optics, such as a f/2.4 aperture and a five-element lens, meaning the latest iPad is capable of capturing more light, resulting in fresher looking photos. The hybrid infrared filter is worth mentioning, too, as this feature is generally only seen in SLR cameras.

Software

Application speeds are also substantially faster, what with the A5 processor, quadcore graphics and the upgrade from the previous iPad’s 512 MB to 1 GB of RAM. A lot of people were looking forward to Apple’s installation of the A6 processor in the new iPad, but the A5 processor does relatively fine, compared to processors of old iPad models.

The iPad 3 also comes preinstalled with iOS 5.1. It’s a great combination really, as the iPad 3 gives you both the updated operating system, and the necessary speed capacity to perform multiple commands with minimal lagging.

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Critics have dismissed the iPad 3 as a buffed up remake of the iPad 2, but a quick run through the specifications show that it is clearly not. With infinitely better graphics, higher speeds and a more than passable rear camera, the iPad 3 has definitely upgraded its capabilities as a tablet.

About the Author:

Amy C. is a gadget junkie who likes writing about the latest in mobile technology. When she’s not researching recent software releases, she spends time working for Greyside Group, a maritime security and executive protection company, with its office administration and blogging activities. To learn more about Amy’s take on everything techie, stay tuned for her next post.

These retina displays are being manufactured by Sharp, Samsung and LG. According to NPD DisplaySearch , Sharp is facing troubles in producing these on a large scale. The reason is the distinct technology used by Sharp. Sharp is using IGZO (Indium Gallium Zinc Oxide) thin-film transistors whereas Samsung and LG are using Silicon based. IGZO allows for higher brightness with a reduced number of LED’s in the backlight.

IGZO is important as it reduces the number of LED’s and thus power consumption. iPad 2 has 36 LED’s and according to DisplaySearch’s analysts, the new iPad (iPad 3) should have at least 72. This increases power consumption and thus battery life gets affected. Rumors are flying that Sharp already switched to Silicon based thin-film transistors to ramp up the production. Do you think that the retina display may prove to be a dampener on the new iPad’s battery life?

Dongles in 2012 = NO NO

The new iPad is released and selling like hot cakes. Our previous post listed some of the much anticipated features that went missing in this third generation tablet from Apple. Here are some more of the coveted features not available currently. We might see them in next release in 2013 or may be in this year only if that rumor about two or more tablet releases in same year is true.

Siri: The new iPad features just the voice dictation and not the full-blown Siri. Too much load on the backend servers might be the reason for not featuring this on iPad. Apple might have thought of saving this trump card for the next release.

SD Card Slot: The entire Mac lineup with the exception of Mac Pro now features a card slot. It would have been a good addition to the iPad and something that many people have been crying out for.  I still cant believe this has’nt been included in an Apple tablet!

Smart Cover: A cover smart big enough to cover the backside of the iPad would have been a nice addition. It would have saved the scratches on the back side that we all have from lumping the thing around in our bags.

Single 4G LTE version: AT&T and Verizon use different spectrums for their LTE operations and this leaves with no option to hop between networks. The only saving grace is both models of the new iPad are capable of using GSM/UMTS networks worldwide, thus we can use a local SIM card and browse at 3G speeds.

USB Port: As tablets are becoming a replacement for PC, it is surprising how Apple missed this point. Tim Cook’s talk of a post-PC era doesn’t make much sense without the ability to plug-in external devices directly.  There is the option of using a dongle from the camera kit but who on earth still uses dongles!  I’m always losing mine and that’s good enough reason to have a port built in to the ipad.

Can you think of any other that Apple (and we too) missed that should have been featured in this version of iPad?

According to research firm IHS iSuppli Apple will gain global tablet market share increasing it from 57 percent in Q4 2011 to 61 percent. According to Rhoda Alexander, Senior Manager of IHS, “Apple is resetting the bar for the competition”. None of the iPad competitors are able to compete with Apple on the technical features. Apple’s CEO Tim Cook clearly alluded to this in the beginning of the iPad event by saying that only Apple can beat itself and no one else.

Apple’s $100 price drop on iPad 2 will also do the trick in attracting other Android tablet customers. With still no sight of the release date of Windows 8, Apple will enjoy its lion share of the tablet market. According to IHS Apple will be selling around 75.3 million iPads in 2012 against 48.3 million of all other tablets. And with a pile of cash and a string of new product cycles like LTE enabled iPhone 5 and iTV down the line, there’s no stopping Apple. Till the time Microsoft pulls a rabbit out of the hat, trade analysts will be busy giving ‘strong buy’ calls on Apple. Should we be buying Apple shares also along with the new iPad 3?

Look

First things first! The new iPad doesn’t differ much from the iPad 2 looks wise. Though the casing is slightly tapered, it is not a radical change. But the lack of a design and look change is more than compensated with many under the hood configuration changes.

Smaller option?

Amazon Kindle Fire’s success raked up lot of debate on the 8-inch iPad Mini and about giving choice to the customers in choosing the form factor. We couldn’t even find a trace about this in the iPad event, but still rumors are strong that a tablet with different size will be released by Apple later in this year only. If they do release, at least we have a name for it – ‘the small iPad’.

Quad Core Processor

Many analysts expected debut of A6 quad-core processor .This made more sense as the quad-core market is heating up with Nvidia’s Tegra 3 and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon processors. The new iPad comes with A5X and Apple claims it is four times faster than Tegra 3. But it is still not an A6 and there’s a lot in the name! Siri’s integration with iPad was taken for granted by everyone, but there’s no mention of whether Siri and the new iPad will allow only dictation.

Only 64gb

Other features that were expected but missing includes a 128 GB version and reduction of weight. The new retina display and 4G antenna did not help much on the weight. But it would have been good to have 128GB option. Apple has increased the 4G file download limit to 50 MB and with all those HD pictures and videos 64GB limit can fill up quite quickly.

iO6 please???

No iO6, well it was a bit of a long shot but there were some rumors of it popping up in logs.  I guess we will have to wait till June 2012 for the Apple’s World Wide Developers conference.

Till a few days back the web was buzzing if the new iPad features an A5X processor or an A6 processor? Now we know that it’s an A5X processor. It is a dual-core processor with quad-core graphics. According to Apple, A5X GPU is twice powerful than iPad2 and four times more powerful that Nvidia’s Tegra 3. Thus the A5X quad-core graphics deliver all those 3.1 million pixels with the same smoothness and makes swiping, scrolling etc incredibly responsive.

‘The new iPad’ doesn’t feature an 8 mega-pixel camera. But it comes with an ‘iSight’ camera which has a 5-mega pixel sensor, auto focus, five-element lens, exposure functions and face recognition. Add to these the amazing software that helps in editing your pictures. The ‘iSight’ camera can capture HD videos in 1080p. It is no coincidence that Apple also introduced an updated Apple TV which can now display full HD content.

‘The new iPad’ supports 4G LTE for faster web experience. All those extra pixels, quad-core graphics and LTE battery are not going to affect the batter life and the new iPad can last up to 10 hours in standard and 9 hours with 4G enabled. Now coming to the big question – price. Apple keeps the pricing of the ‘new iPad’ unchanged. Wi-Fi enabled 16GB base model starts at $499 and the high-end 64GB 4G enabled model costs $829. And as expected Apple is giving 16GB Wi-Fi iPad2 at $399, a discount of $100. The new iPad features a smart cover. Not only does it protect from dust and scratches it is smart enough to wake and sleep with a simple open and close. It just sums up Apple’s attention to detail. So are you ready to pre-order ‘the new iPad’?  Was it as good as you were expecting, if not what do you think is missing?

Check out new pics of the iPad 3 here.

The invite shows a display that is of much higher quality than an iPad 2. The Web is buzzing with pictures comparing the invite picture with an iPad 2 featuring the same apps. A higher resolution display can be easily distinguished and this might very well confirm the retina display.

The invite says “We have something you really need to see. And touch”. If the “see” is a clue for retina display, what is it with ‘touch’? Interestingly the display on the invite doesn’t feature a physical home button. Analysts view the absence of this Home button got to do something with the ‘touch’. Absence of home button is from the observation that the invitation shows the device in portrait mode, which is deduced based on the spacing between the apps featured on the invite display. It is surprising how and why Apple missed the ‘hearing’ part of iPad 3 in the invite! Is it deliberate to surprise us or does it mean no Siri integration on iPad 3? Come March 7^th we can ‘feel’ the iPad 3 with all our senses.

Images via Gizmodo

Analysts have got the documents cross-checked by a native speaker. Though the documents make no mention of iPad 3 or Foxconn, they detail many shipments from 26^th February until 9^th March and have specific instructions to keep the stock under highest security during transit. According to them, the owner has extreme requirements and does not want cargo to be on the airport ramp for too long. Sounds definitely Apple-like requirements!

Another simultaneous development adds more credibility to this rumor. On Sunday, Best Buy announced a discount of $50 on all models of iPad 2. No surprises in connecting the dots that this move is to clear the iPad 2 inventories before the grand release of iPad 3. If these shipment dates are indeed related to Apple and iPad 3 is unveiled on March 7^th, then iPad 3 might be available in stores almost immediately.

A photo on the Chinese site WeiPhone claims to show iPad 3’s logic board featuring an A5X SOC (system on a chip). A4 processor initially appeared on the original iPad and iPhone 4. It was followed by the dual-core A5 processor chip in iPad 2. A6 seemed to be the logical continuation. But A5X would also fit in with Apple’s strategy of incrementally upgrading a product. iPhone 3G to 3GS and iPhone 4 to iPhone 4S are the previous precedents.

As some analysts believe that A5X is a revamped dual-core processor, there is a also a rumor doing the rounds that Apple might be working on both dual and quad-core chips for the coming iPad 3. Apple might be testing both the chips before zeroing on the best one. It is possible that Apple might use the A5X chip for the 8-inch iPad mini and A6 quad-core chip for the full-fledged iPad 3. Do you think Apple wants to give two tiers of processors and thus more choice to users in finalizing their iPad 3? We have to wait till March 7^th to get the final word on this.

AT&T and Verizon are the same operators that currently sell the iPad 2 and these iPad2’s are built on different hardware setups due to differences in their networks. No information is yet available if the iPad3 will be like this or if Apple comes up with a single configuration that will work on both networks. Though these carriers have sold many LTE enabled smart phones, battery issues bogged them from wide spread usage. According to our previous post, this is the very reason that Apple wants to test LTE first on an iPad rather than on an iPhone. The two carriers are hoping that existing subscribers will upgrade to more profitable contracts. LTE will also help the carriers handle data traffic in an efficient way without consuming much of their spectrum.

While iPad 3 4G will test the robustness of these carriers, it is a win-win scenario for Apple too. Apple needs the speed of LTE networks to roll out their 1080 pixel video calling. Also when iPad3 is going to double the resolution it needs a larger bandwidth pipe. Faster networks can further drive the development of hosted apps. A LTE enabled iPad 3 might come at a price as Apple always charged $130 more for these iPads compared with a Wi-Fi only model. But if LTE enabled iPad 3 generates rich, varied hosted apps it might make way for a LTE enabled iPhone 5.