Apple unveils new iPad
The new iPad is faster, 4G-equipped and its display will be sharper than the high-definition TV in your living room.
Source: Yahoo!7 News
March 8, 2012, 8:20 am CNET Australia
Apple pulls back the curtain on the eagerly awaited refresh of its blockbuster iPad 2 tablet. New features include better display, faster chip and 4G LTE.
Apple unveiled a new iPad today, resetting the goal line again even as competitors scramble to catch up in the burgeoning market for tablets.
The new iPad offers a higher resolution "Retina Display" similar to the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S. It offers a resolution of 2048x1536 — or 3.1 million pixels. It also boasts an updated processor, which the company boasted was four times as fast as the nearest competition, as well as a 4G connection.
The new iPad debuts at a time when rivals have flooded the market with competing tablets — to varying levels of success. A year ago, Apple had essentially lapped most of the competition when it launched the second iteration of its iPad, allowing it to dominate the market.
A year later, and it's a different scene. While there are still plenty of flops, including Hewlett-Packard's TouchPad and the Motorola Xoom, legitimate competitors such as the Amazon Kindle Fire have emerged, as well as the Asus Transformer Prime. Some offer innovations that Apple's iPad lacks. Still, with Google still figuring out its tablet strategy with Android, Apple still has a decent amount of breathing room.
The latest version features an A5X processor, upgraded from the A5 chip used in the iPad 2 and iPhone 4S. Apple says that the A5 chip is twice as fast as Nvidia's Tegra 3 quad-core processor, while the A5X is four times as fast.
The latest iPad also marks the first Apple device to tap into the super-fast 4G LTE network. Marketing executive Philip Schiller talked up the benefits of a next-generation network.
Like many other 4G devices, the 4G-connected iPad will be able to double as a personal hotspot. Schiller said there would be two versions of the iPad compatible with LTE in the US, one for Verizon Wireless and one for AT&T. Both will be able to move back down to 3G in areas where 4G isn't available.
While no official announcements have been made for local iPad 4G launches, official pricing has been announced for the Australian release of the 4G model. We expect to hear from telcos soon on their launch plans.
Like the iPhone 4S, the iPad features a backside 5-megapixel camera that allows for 1080p video recording and image stabilisation.
Apple said the battery life will remain the same, at roughly 10 hours, although it would drop down to nine hours when on 4G. The device will weigh 635 grams.
The tablet has emerged as a crucial component to Apple's revenue stream, standing equal among the iPhone and MacBook businesses. In the fourth quarter alone, the company sold 15.4 million iPad units, placing it head and shoulders above the competition.
CEO Tim Cook, speaking at the event, said its three post-PC devices รข€” the iPhone, the iPod and iPad, sold 172 million units last year, which made up more than three-fourths of its revenue.
"In many ways the iPad is re-inventing portable computing, and it's outstripping the wildest of predictions," he said, noting the iPad sold more units than any other PC maker sold PCs in the fourth quarter.
Perpetuating the lead is the wealth of apps that are custom designed for the iPad, something other tablet manufacturers lack. Cook said there were 200,000 apps designed specifically for its tablet.
Pricing
Prices have appeared on the Australian Apple website, and there's good news. The direct conversion from US pricing shows better than US dollars plus GST, putting Australian buyers ahead of US parity. Few technology companies have put Australians ahead of a US parity price conversion, with most still charging local buyers a hefty percentage premium over the equivalent US prices.
Here's the Australian price breakdown for the new iPad.
AU$539 16GB
AU$649 32GB
AU$759 64GB
AU$679 16GB
AU$789 32GB
AU$899 64GB
The iPad 2 will remain available as a 16GB model, with a new price of AU$429 for Wi-Fi and AU$569 for Wi-Fi + 3G.
Announcements are yet to appear from local telcos on whether they will be launching the new 4G model on their LTE network. With two models available in the US and local 4G pricing announced, there is no question we will see the 4G model arrive here very soon.
Update: the LTE 4G chip only supports 700MHz and 2100MHz. No current Australian LTE networks deliver on this frequency, so the 4G model will effectively be limited to its HSPA+ performance.
The new iPad will be available on 16 March.
The new iPad is faster, 4G-equipped and its display will be sharper than the high-definition TV in your living room.
Source: Yahoo!7 News
March 8, 2012, 8:20 am CNET Australia
Apple unveiled a new iPad today, resetting the goal line again even as competitors scramble to catch up in the burgeoning market for tablets.
The new iPad offers a higher resolution "Retina Display" similar to the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S. It offers a resolution of 2048x1536 — or 3.1 million pixels. It also boasts an updated processor, which the company boasted was four times as fast as the nearest competition, as well as a 4G connection.
The new iPad debuts at a time when rivals have flooded the market with competing tablets — to varying levels of success. A year ago, Apple had essentially lapped most of the competition when it launched the second iteration of its iPad, allowing it to dominate the market.
A year later, and it's a different scene. While there are still plenty of flops, including Hewlett-Packard's TouchPad and the Motorola Xoom, legitimate competitors such as the Amazon Kindle Fire have emerged, as well as the Asus Transformer Prime. Some offer innovations that Apple's iPad lacks. Still, with Google still figuring out its tablet strategy with Android, Apple still has a decent amount of breathing room.
The latest version features an A5X processor, upgraded from the A5 chip used in the iPad 2 and iPhone 4S. Apple says that the A5 chip is twice as fast as Nvidia's Tegra 3 quad-core processor, while the A5X is four times as fast.
The latest iPad also marks the first Apple device to tap into the super-fast 4G LTE network. Marketing executive Philip Schiller talked up the benefits of a next-generation network.
Like many other 4G devices, the 4G-connected iPad will be able to double as a personal hotspot. Schiller said there would be two versions of the iPad compatible with LTE in the US, one for Verizon Wireless and one for AT&T. Both will be able to move back down to 3G in areas where 4G isn't available.
While no official announcements have been made for local iPad 4G launches, official pricing has been announced for the Australian release of the 4G model. We expect to hear from telcos soon on their launch plans.
Like the iPhone 4S, the iPad features a backside 5-megapixel camera that allows for 1080p video recording and image stabilisation.
Apple said the battery life will remain the same, at roughly 10 hours, although it would drop down to nine hours when on 4G. The device will weigh 635 grams.
The tablet has emerged as a crucial component to Apple's revenue stream, standing equal among the iPhone and MacBook businesses. In the fourth quarter alone, the company sold 15.4 million iPad units, placing it head and shoulders above the competition.
CEO Tim Cook, speaking at the event, said its three post-PC devices รข€” the iPhone, the iPod and iPad, sold 172 million units last year, which made up more than three-fourths of its revenue.
"In many ways the iPad is re-inventing portable computing, and it's outstripping the wildest of predictions," he said, noting the iPad sold more units than any other PC maker sold PCs in the fourth quarter.
Perpetuating the lead is the wealth of apps that are custom designed for the iPad, something other tablet manufacturers lack. Cook said there were 200,000 apps designed specifically for its tablet.
Pricing
Credit: Apple
Here's the Australian price breakdown for the new iPad.
Wi-Fi
AU$539 16GB
AU$649 32GB
AU$759 64GB
Wi-Fi + 4G
AU$679 16GB
AU$789 32GB
AU$899 64GB
Announcements are yet to appear from local telcos on whether they will be launching the new 4G model on their LTE network. With two models available in the US and local 4G pricing announced, there is no question we will see the 4G model arrive here very soon.
Update: the LTE 4G chip only supports 700MHz and 2100MHz. No current Australian LTE networks deliver on this frequency, so the 4G model will effectively be limited to its HSPA+ performance.
The new iPad will be available on 16 March.
The new Apple TV, also announced at the iPad launch event, will have an Australian price of AU$109. It will also be available on 16 March.
