Apple announces the third version of the iPad, upgrading the two-year-old tablet computer with a sharper screen and faster chip. Singapore will be among the first ten contries to get the new iPad on Friday, 16 March. Prices below.
The new iPad will be hitting the shelves in select countries on 16 March 2012.
Instead of being named “iPad 3” or iPad HD”, the new iPad will simply be called the “iPad”.
This is in line with the nomenclature of Apple’s other devices, such as the iPod and iMac, which do not have any version number to the hardware.
| Capacity | Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi + 4G |
|---|---|---|
| 16 GB | SGD$658 | SGD$828 |
| 32 GB | SGD$788 | SGD$958 |
| 64 GB | SGD$918 | SGD$1,088 |
The new Retina display will have four times as many pixels as its predecessor – the iPad 2.
| Key Specs | new iPad | iPad 2 | original iPad |
|---|---|---|---|
| Display | 9.7″ | ||
| Resolution | 2,048 x 1,536 | 1,024 x 768 | |
| CPU | Apple A5X dual-core | 1 GHz Apple A5 dual-core | 1 Ghz Apple A4 |
| Camera | Front: VGA Rear: 1080p |
Front: VGA Rear: 720p |
None |
| Configurations | 16GB, 32GB and 64GB | ||
| Battery life | Wi-Fi: up to 10 hrs Wi-Fi + 4G/3G: up to 9 hrs |
||
| Date unveiled | 2012 Mar 7 | 2011 Mar 2 | 2010 Jan 27 |
The new dual-core A5X chip comes with quad-core graphics while the rear camera has been upgraded to a 5 megapixel iSight camera wtih advanced optics for capturing better photos and 1080p HD video.
Those getting the new iPad on 16 March:
- Singapore
- US
- Australia
- Canada
- France
- Germany
- Hong Kong
- Japan
- Switzerland
- UK
- Puerto Rico
- US Virgin Islands
The new iPad will come with 4G LTE although, in the near term, it will not be compatible with the 4G network in Singapore. So fans will either go for the cheaper Wi-Fi version or use the Wi-Fi + 4G version with the existing 3G networks in Singapore.
Available in black or white, starting prices of the new iPad are the same as the starting prices of previous iterations of the iPad when they were launched.
As before, iPad 2 prices has been slashed, putting pressure on other tablet competitors in the market, such as Amazon’s Kindle Fire, competing on price.
The new iPad, together with the reduced-price iPad 2, will help Apple maintain its lead over the Kindle Fire, and ward off tablets based on Google’s Android OS, and Microsoft Corp’s upcoming Windows 8 OS.