Apple announced a new version of the iPad at an event today in San Francisco. The new hardware will have a retina display, a 5-megapixel rear camera, access to 4G LTE networks, and an A5 X chip with quad-core graphics.
“To this day, no one has yet matched that display technology on any mobile device,” Phil Schiller said of the 2048×1536 display (that works out to 264 pixels per inch). The new A5X chip is meant to excel at graphics, and has four times the performance of NVIDIA’s quad-core Tegra 3 chip, said Schiller.
While the iPad’s new camera doesn’t match the iPhone 4S’ resolution, it will adopt some of the features of the phone’s camera, including backside illumination, an IR filter, and built-in stabilization. The camera will also be able to record 1080p video.
The iPad 3’s processor is an updated A5 with a quad-core GPU dubbed the “A5X.” Credit: Jacqui Cheng
The iPad 3 features an updated camera with 5MP backside illuminated sensor, 5-element lens, and 1080p video capability. Credit: Jacqui Cheng
The iPad isn’t getting Siri yet, unfortunately, though Apple has added a microphone key to the keyboard that allows users to dictate text to the tablet. Supported languages will include English (British, Australian, and American), French, German, and Japanese.
As for the iPad’s new ability to access 4G LTE, Schiller said the connection will top out at download speeds of 73Mbps. AT&T and Verizon will both carry the 4G LTE iPads in the US, along with Rogers, Bell, and Telus in Canada. Both varieties of iPads will also be “3G world-ready” for use on other networks, and will be able to be turned into personal WiFi hotspots if supported by the carrier.