Meet The New iPad And Apple TV
Apple has finally released the highly anticipated new
iPad in an event in San Francisco. The new device comes
with a brilliant 2048 x 1536 Retina display, it has 4G
LTE connectivity, it is powered by a new A5X quad-core
processor, a 5-megapixel camera and integrates a voice
dictation function.
iPad's new 9.7 -inch 'Retina' display features a 2048 x 1536 - 264ppi (!) - resolution, 3.1 million pixels and a 40% better color saturation than before, Apple said.
The device is 9.4mm thin and it is weighing 1.4lbs. It is
powered by a new Apple A5X processor quad-core processor
and compared to a Nvidia's Tegra 3, Apple says the A5 is
"twice as fast" and that the new processor offers "four
times the performance."
New features include the the iSight camera, armed with a 5-megapixel backside illuminated sensor, backside
illumiantion, 5-elements lens hybrid IP filter,
auto-exposure, face detection and auto-focus.
With iOS 5.1, the latest update to Apple's mobile operating system, the new iPad has a number of new features and enhancements including: a redesigned Camera app with video stabilization technology; the ability to delete photos from Photo Stream; support for dictation in English, French, German and Japanese; and Personal Hotspot. iOS 5.1 also works with iCloud, a breakthrough set of free cloud services including iTunes in the Cloud, Photo Stream and Documents in the Cloud, that works with the iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac or PC to automatically and wirelessly store content and push it to your devices.
The new iPad is also supporting 1080p video recording with video stabilization and noise reduction functions.
Another new feature for the iPad is voice recognition: a a new "microphone" key on the bottom of the iPad's keyboard is provided to record and understand your voice. The voice dictation feature supports British, Australian, French, German and Japanese languages. You can use dictation to write messages, take notes, search the web and more. Dictation also works with third-party apps, so you can update your Facebook status, tweet, or write Instagram captions.
Last but certainly not least, the bew iPad supports 4G LTE networks. The device has 21Mbps HSPA+ and DC-HSDPA at 42Mbps, with LTE radio capable of downloading at 73Mbps on both Verizon and AT&T networks.
Verizon, Rogers, Bell, Telus and AT&T will be Apple's LTE parnters in the U.S. However, the various bands of LTE, mean that there will be separate devices for AT&T and Verizon. In addition, all iPads will be 3G world-ready and users will be able to use them as personal hotspots too -- if the carrier supports it.
The device's battery will be able to power the iPad for 10 hours and 9 hours on 4G.
The new iPad Wi-Fi models will be available in black or white on Friday, March 16 for a suggested retail price of $499 (US) for the 16GB model, $599 (US) for the 32GB model and $699 (US) for the 64GB model. iPad Wi-Fi + 4G for either AT&T or Verizon will be available for a suggested retail price of $629 (US) for the 16GB model, $729 (US) for the 32GB model and $829 (US) for the 64GB model. iPad will also be available in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Puerto Rico, Singapore, Switzerland, UK and the US Virgin Islands on Friday, March 16. Apple's customers can begin pre-ordering their new iPad today, and the incredible iPad 2 is now offered at a more affordable price of $399 (US) for the 16GB Wi-Fi model and just $529 (US) for the 16GB Wi-Fi + 3G model.
Apple also introduced the iPhoto app, along with updates to iMovie and GarageBand, completing its suite of iLife apps for iOS. iLife and the iWork apps, Pages, Keynote and Numbers, have all been updated to take advantage of the new iPad Retina display. iPhoto includes Multi-Touch features so you can use simple gestures to sort through hundreds of photos and find your best shots, enhance and retouch your images using fingertip brushes and share stunning photo journals with iCloud. iMovie now gives you the ability to create Hollywood-style trailers as you record HD video, and GarageBand introduces Jam Session, an innovative and fun new feature that allows a group of friends to wirelessly connect to play instruments and record music together live on their iOS devices.
Apple CEO Tim Cook said that Apple sold 172 million "post-PC" devices last year. Those are iPods, iPhones and iPads. Cook says those products now account for 76 percent of Apple sales.
Cook said "Apple is at the forefront of this revolution. Apple has its feet fully planted in the post-PC future."
He added that, "The momentum behind (the) iPad has been incredible and has surprised just about everyone."
He said the number of iPads sold in the last three months of 2011 was greater than any single vendor sold of traditional PCs. Apple sold 15.43 million iPads in that quarter to bring the total to 55 million.
Apple CEO added that nearly a third of the apps available for its mobile devices have been built specifically for the iPad.
He said there are now 585,000 applications available in its online apps store. More than 200,000 of them are for the iPad rather than what CEO Tim Cook calls "blown-up apps for smartphones."
New Apple TV
Apple also talked about the new Apple TV, which is featuring 1080p programming including iTunes movies and TV shows, Netflix, Vimeo, photos and more in HD. With iTunes in the Cloud, users can purchase and play their favourite movies and TV shows from the iTunes Store and watch them instantly on their HD TV. The new Apple TV also features a simpler, refined user interface making it easier to access your purchased movies, TV shows and music with iTunes Match right from iCloud. With AirPlay, users can stream or mirror their favourite content from their iPad or iPhone 4S to Apple TV.
Apple TV users can choose from a selection of programming including over 15,000 movies and over 90,000 TV episodes on the iTunes Store. Apple TV also offers content from Netflix's streaming catalogue, live sports from MLB, NBA and NHL as well as Internet content from Vimeo, YouTube and Flickr.
With iCloud, you can buy movies and TV shows on Apple TV and watch them on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac or PC. iCloud also stores photos and pushes them wirelessly to all your devices including your HD TV via Apple TV.
iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users can use AirPlay to stream music, photos and videos from their devices directly to their HD TV with Apple TV. iPhone 4S or iPad users can use AirPlay Mirroring to show the screen of their device right on their HD TV, allowing them to stream web pages, spreadsheets or even games.
iTunes Match users can now play their entire music library from iCloud-even songs they've imported from CDs. Users can also control Apple TV with their iPhone, iPad or iPod touch using the Remote app, available as a free download on the App Store (www.itunes.com/appstore).
Apple TV will be available on Friday, March 16 for a suggested retail price of $99, through the Apple online store, Apple's retail stores and Apple Authorised Resellers. Apple TV requires iTunes 10.5 or later. Apple TV requires an 802.11g/n Wi-Fi network or Ethernet network, a broadband Internet connection and a HD TV capable of 1080p or 720p and an HDMI cable that is sold separately.
iPad specs
| Models | Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi + 4G | Size and Weight |
|
|
Storage | 16GB 32GB 64GB |
16GB 32GB 64GB |
Display |
|
Chip |
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Wireless and Cellular |
|
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Carriers | AT&T and Verizon | Cameras, Photos, and Video Recording |
|
Battery and Power |
|
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Input and Output |
|
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Sensors |
|
Location |
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Audio Playback |
|
TV and Video |
|
Mail Attachment Support | Viewable document types: .jpg, .tiff, .gif (images); .doc and .docx (Microsoft Word); .htm and .html (web pages); .key (Keynote); .numbers (Numbers); .pages (Pages); .pdf (Preview and Adobe Acrobat); .ppt and .pptx (Microsoft PowerPoint); .txt (text); .rtf (rich text format); .vcf (contact information); .xls and .xlsx (Microsoft Excel) | Languages |
|
Accessibility |
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Environmental Requirements |
|
System Requirements |
|
In the Box |
|
|---|---|---|
| Built-in Apps | Safari,Photos, App Store, Maps, Photo, BoothReminders, Camera, MailFace, Time, iTunes, Music, YouTube, Calendar, Messages, Newsstand, Videos, Game Center, Contacts, Notes |
|
AppleTV specs
| Size and Weight |
|
|---|---|
| In the Box | 
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| Processor |
|
| System Requirements |
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| Ports and Interfaces |
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| Wireless |
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| Environmental Requirements |
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| Power |
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| Video Formats |
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| Audio Formats |
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| Photo Formats |
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| TV Compatibility |
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iTunes Movies and TV Shows
Resolution |
Audio |
Price |
|
|---|---|---|---|
HD Movie |
1920 x 1080 (maximum) | Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound (not all titles) | Rentals from $3.99. Purchase prices vary. |
SD Movie |
720 x 480 anamorphic (maximum) | Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound (not all titles) | Rentals from $2.99. Purchase prices vary. |
HD TV Show |
1920 x 1080 (maximum) | Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound (not all titles) | $2.99 per episode. |
SD TV Show |
720 x 480 anamorphic (maximum) | Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound (not all titles) | $1.99 per episode. |
