Apple gave the new iPad a bunch of new features but no new name. As expected, it has a sharper screen, driven by a faster processing chip.
Whether you want the new iPad’s features, such as higher resolution and voice dictation, or a less-expensive iPad 2; Apple delivers. The iPad 2 costs $100 less, and the new iPad features are what was expected. At this point Apple still has a winner, compared to the competition.
What’s new for the third-generation iPad?
2048×1536 Retina Display, double the resolution of the iPad 2, rated at 264 pixels per inch. (Remember when the first laser printers were 300 dots per inch?)
The display also has better color saturation.
Faster processor. Dual-core Apple A5X custom-designed, high-performance, low-power system-on-a-chip with quad-core graphics.
5-megapixel “iSight” rear camera/video camera shoots up to 1080p; iPad 2 video camera is 720p. Also includes a VGA quality, 0.3-megapixel “FaceTime” camera for video chats and lower resolution photos. Apple iPad 2’s front and rear cameras are both VGA-quality cameras.
New video image stabilization feature.
The new iPad cellular version is Wi-Fi + 4G on 4G LTE, and still functions on HSPA, HSPA+, and DC-HSDPA. Carriers remain AT&T and Verizon with no contract data per month.
The new iPad can function as a personal hotspot.
Voice dictation for email, SMS, searching the web and for typing functions on third-party apps (But it’s not Siri).
Built-in 42.5-watt-hour rechargeable lithium-polymer battery with about the same duration as the iPad 2 with less power hungry processing and its smaller 25-watt-hour rechargeable lithium-polymer battery.
Available March 16, 2012.