Apple iPad 3

The New iPad 3:

Apple's new iPad includes a stunning new screen, matched by a quad-core graphic processor and the world's largest app and media store to feed it content. There's a proper 5-megapixel rear camera now, with 1080p recording quality. Optional 4G data from AT&T and Verizon afford an uncompromising mobile experience. The new iPad 3 looks much the same as the Apple iPad 2. Apple’s latest tablet is thicker (by 0.6mm), heavier (by 50g) and has no identifying numbers or letters to its name. However, the third-generation iPad is also faster, more powerful.

Key features or main advantages:

·               9.7" LED-backlit IPS LCD touchscreen, 2048 x 1536 pixels; scratch-resistant, oleophobic coating

·               Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n connectivity, carrier-dependent hotspot support

·               Optional LTE connectivity (data only)

·               Optional GPS with A-GPS support (for the 3G model only)

·               Apple A5X SoC with 1 GHz dual-core ARM Cortex A9 processor

·               PowerVR SGX543MP4 quad-core GPU

·               1GB RAM

·               iOS 5.1 with iCloud support and activation

·               16/32/64GB of inbuilt storage

·               Weight of 652 grams (662 grams for the LTE version)

·               Bluetooth 4.0

·               11,560 mAh battery

·               Accelerometer, compass and three-axis gyro-sensor

·               Compatible with every iPad and iPhone app without any modifications

·               The cheapest version costs less than a SIM-free iPhone

·               5MP auto-focus camera

·               1080p video recording at 30fps

·               VGA secondary camera capable of FaceTime calls

·               Four and five-finger gestures

·               1080p TV-output with the Apple Digital AV Adapter (purchased separately for $39), 720p video streaming

·               Supports magnetic cases

Main disadvantages:

·               iTunes still required for uploading most of the content

·               Reflective screen struggles outdoors

·               Same CPU as the iPad 2

·               Heavier and thicker than the iPad 2

·               No Flash support in the web browser

·               No standard USB port

·               Non replaceable battery

·               No stereo loudspeakers

·               No GPS receiver in the Wi-Fi version

·               No memory card slot

·               No Siri

·               Can get uncomfortably hot at times

·               No charging while in use

·               Lack of basic iOS apps - weather, stocks, clock, calculator, voice memos

Here's how the new iPad shapes up:

Retina Display
As predicted, the (new) iPad features a high-definition screen with 2048 x 1536 resolution. Do the math and you get more than 3.1 million pixels. That's most ever in a mobile device, said Apple SVP of marketing Phil Schiller.

A5X processor
This chip runs four times faster than NVIDIA's Tegra 3, according to Schiller. That's great news for gaming and processor-intensive apps like iMovie. Still, some Apple-watchers had hoped for a quad-core A6 processor. This is a dual-core processor with a quad-core graphics processing unit.

iSight Camera
The third-generation iPad includes a 5 megapixel rear-facing camera that utilizes the same optics system that debuted in the iPhone 4S. The front-facing camera remains an unimpressive 0.3 megapixel camera capable of VGA quality images.

1080p video recording Full HD video recording has come to the iPad, with video stabilization and noise reduction. No more 720p for you.

4G LTE
4G LTE will be available in the US from both AT&T and Verizon. Your coverage may vary. Apple's software now supports hotspots that can accommodate up to five other devices, provided the user's cellular plan does too.

Voice Dictation It's not quite Siri, but it will recognize English, French, German, and Japanese.

Siri
Now that iPhone 4S owners have exhausted the novelty of Apple's Siri voice assistant, it seems only natural for that feature to trickle down to the iPad 3.