iPad 3 Release Date

The ‘New iPad’ is ready and will be available in the stores from March 16th 2012. As the rumor mill takes a breather, it is time to take stock of the new features that will be available. The big surprise is the name of this third-generation iPad. It is neither called iPad 3 nor iPad HD. Apple stumped everyone by calling it ‘the new iPad’. It features the touted retina display with a resolution of 2048 X 1536. This translates into 3.1 million pixels, a million more than an HDTV. Now imagine the visual treat on offer! Apple aptly calls it ‘the best mobile display ever’.

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.

Apple unveiled iBooks2 last week in New York City as part of its education event. iBooks2 was released to set the stage ready for the coming iPad 3 to boost up its educational credentials. According to Phil Schiller, Apple’s Senior VP of Worldwide Product Marketing, “now with iBooks 2 for iPad, students can have a more dynamic, engaging and truly interactive way to read and learn, using the device they already love”.

According to Apple pundits, this latest update of iBooks gives enough clues about the ‘Retina Display-like’ high resolution screen that has been rumoured to come with the iPad 3. High quality iPad images were found in the iBooks app in January, 2011 and it triggered speculations about 2048X1536 resolutions for iPad2. That didn’t materialize, but as per experts, the recent update of iBooks2 contains a third image with 2X equivalent resolution of the iPad. Similar high-resolution images were found in an iOS 5 beta last summer too.

iPad and iPad2 were launched with a resolution of 1024X768. A 2X resolution for iPad3 means a resolution of 2048X1536 – which comes to 264 PPI (Pixels per Inch). iPhone 4 has a pixel density of 326 ppi. But this much pixel density is not required for an iPad, considering the distance at which screen is held from the eye. A recent beta update of iOS 5.1 showed references to debut of A6 quad-core processor with the iPad3. Now iBooks update affirms 2X resolution. Are the iPad 3 specs finally starting to become clearer? Do you think Apple is intentionally leaving these bits and pieces of the puzzle just before the launch of iPad 3?

Looks like Apple is on track to maintain its release cycle and iPad 3 might be scheduled for an early spring release in 2012. Original iPad and iPad2 were launched in April 2010 and March 2011. According to Citi Analyst Richard Gardner, iPad 3 is all set for a big launch with double the resolution of previous model. According to a note he prepared for investors, “There do not appear to be any significant technical hurdles remaining” to iPad3’s release.

Timing of this launch is all the more important for Apple considering many other factors. It needs to fend off the competition that is going to come from the slew of Android tablet releases. Android’s latest Ice Cream Sandwich version will be giving some tough competition for iOS. There is also a buzz around quad core processors. Asus’s Eee Pad Transformer Prime, built on Nvidia’s Tegra 3 processor is setting the trend for many more quad core tablets from other manufacturers.

Amazon’s Kindle Fire at a price below $200 is making a dent in Apple’s market. Windows 8 OS release which is touch-optimized for tablets is already generating enough momentum and it will be a direct threat to Apple iPad. Also many of the new Android tablets are coming with 4G LTE connectivity. Our previous post mentioned the rumors doing the rounds regarding 4G LTE enabled iPhone 5 and iPad 3. Considering all these factors, iPad is due for a major overhaul. Do you think a 4G LTE enabled iPad 3 with double the resolution of iPad2 will set the ball rolling again for Apple’s total dominance in tablet market?

We have some more rumours backing up the recent developments of a probable 2012 iPad3 release date.

Turns out Apple could be punching above their weight in regards to their current rumoured spec’d screen that will come with the iPad 3.  The iPad 3 is likely to have a 2048×1536 HD display, which is 4 times greater resolution that the current iPad.  The problem is that these specs are really pushing the current LCD display manufacturing capabilities.

A rumoured 5-6 million unit order was placed by Apple earlier in the year to be delivered by the end of 2011.  Reports say that this order has disappeared as manufacturers just simply cant meet the demand.

Samsung & LG apparently cant produce a profitable enough yield from their test batches.  What this means is during the manufacturing process a certain number of units do not pass the final stage of testing, essentially making them unusable and therefore eating into profit margins.  The only company that can make these with any sort of reliability is Sharp however it is unlikely they will be able to meet such a large order by the end of 2011.

The screens, once produced, would be some of the highest performing displays in the world, good news for us end users, however quite a brain ache for the tech’s in the labs.  The problem is that Apple do not make their own screens so they are at the mercy of the manufactureres.  If they cant be manufactured yet then there is nothing Apple can do except twiddle its thumbs patiently.

A recent article in the Korea Times has stated that 2 of the biggest LCD manufacturers, Samsung & LG have been working closely with Apple to produce new 2048×1536 HD displays, with an aspect ratio of 4:3 for the iPad 3. The current iPad has a mere 1024×768 resolution display in comparison. This will mean the display on the iPad 3 will indeed be full HD. It is still unsure which of the 2 will win the big contract with Apple, or maybe Apple will use both to fill the, what is likely to be, HUGE demand for the next iPad.

This does however mean that the iPad 3 is most likely not going to get the OLED displays some sources have been claiming. I personally think this is a good thing, the quality and lifespan of an OLED screens still isnt up to standards of our current LCD screens.