On March 7th 2012, the new iPad was announced. (NOTE: The new iPad is NOT called the iPad 3. It is simply "The new iPad" or iPad (3rd Generation)).The highly anticipated gadget for the year, which now features some amazing new things (more on that coming up!) also caused quite a commotion in many parts of the world. As stated on BBC Russia: Фото: новый iPad 3 вызвал ажиотаж во всем мире
[Google Translate: Photo: new iPad 3 has caused a stir around the world. Here is that photo:
Photo Credit: BBC Russia
RELEASE
The New iPad was launched yesterday, March 16th. There were thousands of people in line waiting to get the new iPad. If you were there, you would have seen the huge crowds. In London the line was several hundred meters. The new iPad launched 8 AM local time in the US, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, along with the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico on March 16th.
The next set of countries to get the new iPad on March 23rd are Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Macau,Mexico, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.
Here are some more photos from BBC Russia regarding the lines to get the new iPad:
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| Japan: World Wide iPad Effect |
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| New iPad |
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| Welcome! |
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| First! |
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| 100+ meter lines in London |
UNBOXING
Well I guess for some people that must have been exciting. If you are curious about the unboxing of the new iPad here's a video from YouTube that could help you (New Features coming up next):
FEATURES
The new iPad comes with features that we predicted originally in our post "iPad 3: Everything you need to know" (found here) We were right for some things that are in the new iPad, and almost right for others. Here are the features you need to know if you're buying the new iPad.
1) The new iPad is resolutionary. Yep, that's right. The new iPad now has the highest resolution display, even more HD than what's called an HD TV. And iPad is only 9.7" compared to an HD TV. The Retina Display:
+ Has 264 ppi (pixels per inch) [iPad 2: 132 ppi, 2X pixels on the new iPad]
+ 44% greater saturation than on the iPad 2
+ A5X Quad-Core Graphics
-Unfortunately makes the new iPad 0.4mm thicker, in order to elevate the pixels, so that color patterns don't get mixed up.
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| The new iPad vs iPad 2 at reading E-Books [iBooks] |
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| Retina Display mentioned in the new iPad keynote |
iSight is the rear camera inside the new iPad. iSight is now at 5 MP with a larger aperture, so photos look better, and crisper. iSight is the camera that was in older Macs before 2010's FaceTime debut for the iPhone 4, the 4th generation iPod touch, the Mac and the iPad. Ever since, the Mac's webcams were called FaceTime cameras after the debut of FaceTime to the iPhone 4 and other Apple products mentioned. Now Apple is using the high-resolution webcams in the new iPad which are thought to be altered from their debut on the Mac.
An interesting thing pointed out by MacRumors, is that Apple recycled the cameras found in older products and used them for the new iPad. The site states that from iFixit's teardown of the new iPad shows the smae sensors found in the iPhone 4, developed by Omnivision. The front facing (what Apple likes to call it; "FaceTime") camera, the lens are also manufactured by Omnivision, which were used in the iPod Nano with the video camera. Here is an excerpt form the site:
That unit was the Omnivision OV5650. The OV5650 is the second generation back illumination (BI) technology from OmniVision. This 5 Mp camera features 1.75 µm pixels, and is designed to deliver DSC quality in a mobile phone application. The sensor supports HD (1080p) video at 60 fps. Apple specifications for the new iPad also tout the same specification. So the analysis we have just completed… drum roll please... says that the 5 Mp back illuminated CMOS Image Sensor in the new iPad is the same, it is the Omnivision OV5650 (die mark OV290BF).
The front camera in the new iPad is the 0.3 megapixel Omnivision OV297AA unit seen previously in the iPad 2 and the old camera-equipped iPod Nano. Chipworks notes that this isn't the first time Apple has recycled parts into new products, and that the strategy keeps costs and technological risks low.
If you're an iPod Nano owner, and your iPod Nano has a video camera you should have a feel of what the front-facing "FaceTime" camera on the new iPad is like.
It is reported that the new iPad's FaceTime Camera is still VGA at 0.3 MP. It is the same one found in the iPad 2.
3) 1080p HD video recording
The new iPad now comes with 1080p HD video. We tested it out and it looked pretty amazing. Here are some test videos on YouTube:
4) Video Stabilization
The new iPad also comes with video stabilization previously seen on the iPhone 4S, now comes to the new iPad. It's something in iOS that's exclusive to only those two devices. However, video stabilization can be easily seen:
Also previously seen in the iPhone 4S:
5) It's all in the lens
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| from Apple's website |
6) 4G LTE
The iPad can now connect to 4G LTE. Not much to talk about here-- basically it's the next generation network, and is almost as fast as Wi-Fi. However, In Australia, Apple's advertising was mislead, because 4G LTE doesn't support Australian networks. If you're in Australia you can get a full refund from Apple if you feel mislead by their advertising.
Image from Apple's Website:
7) iLife. Completed.
Apple completed their iLife suite when they launched iPhoto for iPad. iPhoto? Yes, you read that right. You may have heard it from the Mac, but now it's on the iPad. Basically, it's a photo editing tool from Apple at $4.99. However, what's special about iPhoto on iPad? It's an "intuitive" way to edit your photos with simple finger dragging, paint brushes and tools like sharpen, soften etc.
Apple also updated Garage Band with Jam session, stabilization improvements and more. iMovie was given a new icon, along with a new inference and more.
8) A5X
The new iPad comes with the A5X chip which is capable of:
- Quad Core Graphics [iPad 2: Dual Core]
- 1024 MB of RAM [iPad 2: 512 MB]
PHOTOS TAKEN WITH THE NEW iPAD
from Apple's website
The Verdict?
If you:
- Bring your iPad everywhere you go, and take pictures and videos, and care about the quality of your pictures/photos.
- Need fast, 4G internet wherever you go
- Are an avid gamer
- Multitask a lot (I mean A LOT!)
- Want your emails, web pages, documents, text, apps, etc. to be EVEN CLEARER (by 2X)
You should buy the new iPad.
Did you know?: The iPad 2 is also sold next to the new iPad, available in 16 GB [Wi-Fi only, Wi-Fi + 3G] and for $100 cheaper!
Thank You for reading this post! Comment to tell us what you think, your reviews, etc.
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