The 'New Apple iPad' Official

The new iPad will have an A5X system on a chip for quad-core graphics, though it will retain a dual-core CPU, just like the iPad 2, which has an A5 SoC. It will have an iSight rear-camera for 5-megapixel pics and it will be similar to the camera found on the iPhone 4S. It will record 1080p video, and the new iPad will have VGA front-facing FaceTime camera.

Not the iPad 3
Curiously, the new Apple iPad will not officially be called the “iPad 3” or “iPad HD.” It will simply be known as the Apple iPad.

The new Apple iPad will be slightly thicker and heavier than the Apple iPad 2, and will measure 9.5 x 7.31 x .37 inches (H x W x D) and weigh 1.44 pounds. The added bulk will accommodate the new iPad’s 10-hour battery life on Wi-Fi (9 hours on 4G LTE).

The new iPad will not have Siri, but it will have voice dictation. iPhoto will join iMovie and GarageBand, which launched alongside the iPad 2, as an Apple App, and it will cost $4.99.

Just like the previous-generation iPads, it will come with 16GB, 32GB or 64GB of capacity. While Apple did not comment on RAM, it is assumed the new iPad will have 1GB of RAM to better handle the high-resolution display, up from 512MB on the iPad 2.

The new iPad will retain the traditional iPad 30-pin connector, as well as the 3.5mm audio jack.

iOS 5.1
Along with the new iPad, Apple also announced the availability of iOS 5.1, its latest operating system update. iOS 5.1 only features minor changes and some new features, including:

• Japanese Siri support (iPhone 4S only)
• New camera shortcut on lock screen (iPhone and iPod touch only)
• The ability to delete photos directly from Photo Stream
• Improved camera face detection
• Redesigned camera app for iPad
• New Genius features for iTunes Match
• TV show and movie audio enhancements
• New podcast controls
• AT&T network indicator
• Battery life bug fix
• Dropped call audio bug fix

iOS 5.1 is available as an over-the-air update for iOS 5.0 devices. For more information, see Brighthand's iOS 5.1 report.

Price and Availability
The new iPad will retain the traditional iPad pricing structure. The Wi-Fi units will cost $499 (16GB), $599 (32GB), and $699 (64GB). The 4G LTE iPads will cost $629 (16GB), $729 (32GB), and $829 (64GB). The new iPad is now available for pre-order and will be available on March 16 in the US, Canada, Australia and parts of both Europe and Asia, and March 23 just about everywhere else.

Apple will continue to offer the iPad 2 for $399 (16GB Wi-Fi) and $529 (32GB Wi-Fi, 3G).

Apple also announced a new Apple TV device, which now supports 1080p content and has new features. DesktopReview has all the details on the new Apple TV!

Analysis