back to article 'The new iPad' revealed: Full specs, rumor scorecard

As expected, Apple announced its latest iPad at an invitation-only event* in San Francisco to a crowd of happy journos and live-bloggers. There's a good bit new about the latest iPad – but not its name. The updated Cupertinian fondleslab was merely referred to as the "the new iPad" or the "third-generation iPad". For weeks …

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  1. Marvin O'Gravel Balloon Face
    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Mortgages available

      For any prospective purchasers.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Mortgages available

        How is any Android Tablet maker gonna compete with an iPad2 at that price?

        They couldn't compete when it was the top of the range model. You're in denial

        1. This post has been deleted by its author

        2. Adam-the-Kiwi
          WTF?

          Re: How is any Android Tablet maker gonna compete...

          Why assume that Marvin O'Gravel Balloon Face's 'Meh' was driven by a love of Android? Are fanbois getting so paranoid that they see Android tablets lurking in every comment that's not a sycophantic love-in of Apple?

          Perhaps 'Meh' refers to the amount of press coverage devoted to what is only an evolution of a device that is the preserve of rich people (relatively-speaking, of course) who mostly want to browse the interwebs on their sofa or in a coffee shop. It is not, really, in the grand scheme of things, going to change the trajectory of human civilisation...

    2. Neil Greatorex
      FAIL

      Meh2

      or meh^2

      So much hype, so much tosh.

    3. g e

      Dare I venture...

      The iPad Meh-s

      If they'd called it the iPad2s the meme would be complete...

    4. dave 93

      Classic Apple

      Another 'Goldilocks' upgrade - not too little, not too much. Gets your attention without pissing off existing customers.

  2. ThomH

    The pixel count is the best feature

    Screen resolution seems disappointingly to have plateaued in the industry as a whole. Any hope of someone bringing out a laptop with pixels I'm no longer aware of any time soon?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      new ipads will be relased in the

      UK on November 1st, but there will be limited numbers available.

      Queues are already beginning to form outside apples flagship store in London. Tent city forming.

      Police raid camp thinking it was the Occupy London lot.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        "Police raid camp thinking it was the Occupy London lot". - Oh come-on, the Apple fanbois weren't *that* middle class.

    2. aThingOrTwo

      Any hope of someone bringing out a laptop any time soon

      Yes. Apple MacBooks will have retina displays this year.

    3. RegisterThis

      Re: The pixel count is the best feature

      Agree: Pixel count is nice, but there is a point where you actually need size to view it on and personally I think 1280x800 for something up to 10 inches gives a great picture and actually allows text to be large enough to read. This pixel race just allows more birds-eye view and arguably more zooming required to do anything that requires reading text. Spot the generation who will all be wearing glasses/contaxts by age 30 if this nonsense continues!

      1. a_been

        Re: The pixel count is the best feature

        Text stays the same size, resolution improves so if anything there should be less zooming.

      2. King Jack

        Re: The pixel count is the best feature

        You cannot damage your eyes by viewing small text. At most you will tire the eye muscles, but like any human muscle it will get stronger with use. Getting old diminishes eye sight, use doesn't.

  3. W.O.Frobozz
    Stop

    Quite yawntastic

    Given the orgy of free advertising the local papers around me have been giving Apple all morning (including a "last minute..game changer in ipad3! new screen that feels like textures!"), this new fondleslab is pretty..well, evolutionary, rather than the big earth shattering revolution the mundane media was expecting.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Quite yawntastic

      Textures coming to Android any time soon

      1. Uncle Siggy

        Re: Quite yawntastic

        Look for 16 bit polygons soon.

    2. Giles Jones Gold badge

      Re: Quite yawntastic

      So tell me what ground-breaking features you would add to it?

      Top Gear (for instance) are always raving about new cars when they get released, yet last time I looked they still (mostly) have 4 wheels, seats and drive along the ground.

      Don't you think a resolution doubling is impressive enough? better than most HD TVs now yet a fraction of the size.

      If this was a new Samsung tablet the fandroids would be saying how rubbish it makes the iPad look.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Quite yawntastic

        I agree that the screen is nice. Not as nice as 1200dpi like the printed books I read, but okay. Slightly lower resolution than my ancient laser printer. Not sure who Apple shows these things to that can't see the pixels, though. Stevie Wonder, perhaps.

        But for the money they're asking there's no way I'd buy one. When you compare that to a laptop for half the price the discussion's over as far as I'm concerned.

  4. Mondo the Magnificent
    Go

    In essence...

    ..just another iPad that's been over hyped by the media and speculative fanbois..

    A few improvements, but in the Apple tradition not a "rip it up and start again" approach which seems to work exceptionally well for them..

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Holmes

      Re: In essence...

      Rip it up and start again? You must be young

      OS7 - OS8

      OS9 (Roseta/Classic) - OS X

      680X0 - Power PC - Intel

      floppy - USB

      Firewire - Thunderbolt

      Optical Drive - Network

      Apple start again all the time

      1. g e

        Re: In essence...

        Woo.

        Abacus - Calculator

    2. Neil Greatorex
      FAIL

      Re: In essence...

      "..just another iPad that's been over hyped by the media and speculative fanbois.."

      and El Reg..

      Shame.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: In essence...

        It's big tech news; whether we like it or not. It'd be an omission for El Reg *not* to cover it.

  5. a33a

    2011/2012

    2011/2012 (ie the iPhone 4S , iPad 3 etc.) a quiet generation for Apple (and the industry). Perhaps all that can be done technologically and viably at this moment has been done? The best we are getting now are pointless quadcore devices.Nothing in this past generation has been particularly Game changing.

    Oh well perhaps that locally based haptic feedback tech will make a splash soon.

    1. Adam T

      Re: 2011/2012

      Yep well, a quiet period will be a nice opportunity for devs to catch up. iPad 2 & iPhone 4S are still way ahead of the curve compared to what people are creating for them... I think it's fair to say having to create double size assets is enough for this cycle (and now we have to upgrade everybody's damned monitors so they can work with them!).

      No haptics was a definitely a shame, unlike Apple to miss out on something good, so maybe it's just bad timing or not quite ready yet. Or maybe we'll be reading "Apple buys Senseg" stories on Friday. :-p

    2. Voland's right hand Silver badge
      Devil

      Re: 2011/2012

      Quoting "Babylon 5, In the Beginning" - beware of the quiet ones. The iPad is a fine example - it just officially relegated LTE to a dumb pipe.

      Here we have the first "must have, will have" LTE device and it does not do IMS. It is the first Apple iOS based mobile device to be usable for _PROPER_ video conferencing and video calls and it does it bypassing the cellular standards on the subject. It does not encode as the 3GPP says it is supposed to, it does not interop as 3GPP says it is supposed to and it does not request resources as the 3GPP says it is supposed to. As a result of this it does not pay operator bridge troll fees as they thought it is supposed to.

      As I have said many times - Apple has to be bonkers to buy into the delusional business model behind IMS+LTE and will use 4G only when it is confident that it can use it as a dumb pipe. And voila - it just did it.

      By the way all ANALitical muppets (honorable el reg not withstanding) missed this one amidst the frenzy on why this device is supposedly "revolutionary".

  6. This post has been deleted by its author

    1. Scott Mckenzie

      gLol

      Can you catch me cuckoo in that cloud based land of yours please!

      1. ThomH

        Re: gLol

        You probably don't want to live there; the residents are always jumping out and hassling you whenever you attempt to cross a bridge.

    2. R 11

      Apps

      Does your tablet beat the iPad for Apps?

      Let's face it, you can't win on technology alone. If Apple can make a lower specced device that still offers a better experience, Android will still fail to capture market share.

      1. morphoyle

        Re: Apps

        Unlike the ipad, small screen android apps scale up in a fashion that still allows them to be useful.

        1. Giles Jones Gold badge

          Re: Apps

          They damn well need to, since there's so few decent tablet apps for Android.

          Scaled up apps are pointless, you might as well just get a bigger phone.

      2. amanfromMars 1 Silver badge

        Super Joint Apps in SurReal World Orders ..... Courtesy of the Learned Establishment

        R 11, Hi,

        The Magic Trick Apple and Android must learn and energise is Automatic Systems Support for Parallel Private and EMPiratical Communicating Platforms ..... Networking AI Plan Phormations

        Or Be Prepared to Accept IT is HyperRadioProActively Provided, and in Real Beta Great Game ARG Plays Deliver ... well, Current Catastrophic Present RePlacement of Old Master Plans with Virtual Pilot Flight Control .... a Heavenly Deep Underground Upgrade for Astutely Aware Zeroday Traders/Grand Masters of Future Zens' Paths.

      3. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Apps @ R 11

        >> Does your tablet beat the iPad for Apps?

        Please can you name some apps that you USE? Also /most/ users don't really care about apps for actual productivity etc, all they care about is browsing and to some extent games.

        1. a_been
          WTF?

          Re: Apps @ R 11

          25 billion apps have been downloaded but "most/ users don't really care about apps for actual productivity etc". Yeah OK.

          1. Gio Ciampa

            Re: Apps @ R 11

            5 first billion of those are fart apps..

            The next 5 billion, they were fart apps too...

            The 5 billion after that... Angry Birds...

            After that they go into a bit of a decline...

            (with apologies to DNA and Marvin)

    3. TangD
      Boffin

      I guess we're pretty gullible

      Or it might be that we are locked in to an extent, we bought when Apple came up with a tablet people could actually use rather than waiting for everyone else to scramble to make me too products. I probably have over $300 worth of software (at original purchase price, I'm sure a lot has been discounted now) on my device, plus maybe another $200 of TV shows, music etc. I could probably fight to transfer the media to another tablet but seriously, why would I bother? Right now this shares between my iPad and my wife's iPhone seamlessly, after I buy a new device it'll continue to share between those 2 as long as the new device plays nicely. Yes I know that means I'm caught in Apples net but it's not so bad as it all works. Anyway, let's look at your points as they are.

      The cost difference of the device depreciated over the amount of time I've had the 1st generation one it is negligible, I mean what are we talking here, less than $10 a month, less than $5 (I don't know what an equivalent transformer costs)? If that's an issue for you then you probably should save money for food not tablets. What about resale value, are people lining up for second hand transformers (again I don't know the answer, just asking)?

      Performance? Really? You've done a side by side comparison of real world application performance, with the new iPad? That's awesome. Or is this about on paper specifications that no one in the general population (you know the big group where products make most money) cares about. I very much doubt there is a significant performance difference in actual use cases that I'm likely to come across. If I'm wrong then I'm sure that will come out in the next month which will be before I 'upgrade'.

      Weight and thickness, again I'm in awe that you think you'll detect this in use, but then I'm still using an iPad 1 so I suspect this isn't going to be an issue for me. I'll give you that the noise Apple made about thin and light last time sets them up for this but that's something for you to direct to Apple (I'm sure they'll take your feedback into account) not the owners of the devices. Honestly, we don't care, that's not why we buy them.

      Capacity... erm? I've not filled the 64Gb I've got but then I tend not to keep every bit of media I've ever owned on my tablet. How much extra do you have or is this a usual complaint about not being able to plug in extra storage? Do you not have access to the could where you are? What part of history are you living in? I can already plug in the SD card from my camera or the camera directly by USB (yes I had to buy a cable but I already own it so money already sunk again) which is about the only use case I can think of where I'd need external storage that doesn't come via the network.

      OS... Well that's a bit subjective. I'll give you that recent iOS releases seem to have been buggy and rushed out the door but the interface is what I'm used to using. I've used Android, it's fine but I find it harder to use due to lack of familiarity. Applications seem to run slower on it as well but that might be confirmation bias on my part, bad application coding or just the device I was using (no standardization y'see). Again I'm not going to swap to something that is as good or just a little bit better, it would need to do something really interesting to make the leap worthwhile.

      I'm afraid you're going to have to significantly expand your etc, etc to show me the use case that would make me think that I should move away from Apple. I would move with a compelling reason that was enough to overcome the inertia of existing software and familiarity but nothing you've presented here gives me that. I suspect that you're not in Apples target market (normal non techie consumers with money to spend regularly driving their 30% store cut) hence this won't appeal to you. If I'm wrong appologies for the mischaracterization.

      Oh and tethering, so I'd need to get another device to carry around with me? Right now I only need my employer supplied blackberry and my personal iPad. Why on earth would I want to unintegrate something as seamless as a tablet or start paying monthly phone charges to carry another phone?

      I'd love to see Android manufactures step up their game, competition drives innovation. I'd be very excited about the device that overcame the ownership inertia as that would be the kind of step change that made me not upgrade my existing laptop and get a tablet 2 years ago, but honestly right now the only differentiating factors I see are a mines bigger than yours in areas where I don't need more :-(

      Anyway, let me know if I've missed something important it's not too late to stop me making what you clearly consider to be a serious purchasing mistake, it's advice I'd actualy greatfuly take

      1. DaveyDaveDave

        Re: I guess we're pretty gullible

        tl;dr, but for me your first sentence sums up exactly why I wouldn't buy an iDevice. You make the point that it all works, so you're happy to be locked in, but do you really believe that things won't change? That Apple won't go the way of Microsoft / RIM eventually? That something that *just works* better won't come along sooner or later? How will you feel about the hundreds of pounds (it really never occurred to me that you could spend that much on apps) then?

        1. JDX Gold badge

          Re: I guess we're pretty gullible

          >>That Apple won't go the way of Microsoft / RIM eventually?

          By the time that happens, you probably won't want to watch House Series 5 anymore... you may lose content but generally that's not such a big deal... if you had textbooks and so on it would be different, but most just buy films or novels and consume a handful of times.

          1. DaveyDaveDave
            WTF?

            Re: I guess we're pretty gullible

            "By the time that happens, you probably won't want to watch House Series 5 anymore"

            Good point, I forgot that content has a sell-by date. That's why there are no films more than 5 years old, and photos are entirely useless after the memories have faded.

      2. sloblock

        Re: I guess we're pretty gullible

        well said

      3. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: I guess we're pretty gullible

        So... you're celebrating being you spent a fortune on software and media and locked yourself into a platform?

        Yay.

        Good for you.

        I've got a great get-fit regime for you, if you're interested: Just wear these manacles and break those rocks over there. I'll only charge you $10 a day...

        1. TangD
          Happy

          Re: I guess we're pretty gullible

          ;-)

          Not celebrating, just saying. I would move but I'd need a good reason. If you buy a lot of software that'll be an issue on what ever platform you start on. If you don't buy stuff then you're not really the target audience for apple. If you think that's a fortune on media and software over 2 years you've clearly never owned a games console (another lock in!). I have a lot of Windows software too, it locks me into that platform. I have a mac but very little software on it so no lock in (I mostly buy games, so shoot me).

          What I said was that for my situation iPad 3 makes sense and none of the reasons thrown by the OP would be a reason for an existing Apple customer to move. For an Andriod user or non aligned customer or someone who doesn't spend much at Apple's stores the same points MAY give a completely different decision. I don't know, I'm not in that situation. I pay my Apple tax as I no longer have the time to roll my own (I did that for years) and now earn enough that the time Apple's model gives me back is worth the money to me.

          All that said my original comment stands. I'm still a techie at heart and if there are features I'm not aware of that would make it worth the switch I'd love to hear because it would influence my decision on the platform I select for the next coulpe of years

    4. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      OS?

      Seriously!? Seriously? The UX? Really? Really? Seriously?

  7. Bush_rat
    Meh

    Meh

    My 1st gen isnt a speed demon, and I have noticed that pretty much every app just crashes. So if a restore doesn't work, I'll consider a new iPad.

    1. R 11

      Re: Meh

      Turn off bookmark sync under iCloud in settings. That was sufficient to stop most app crashes for me.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Meh

        BBBBBUT, IT JUST WORKS!

  8. Andrew_b65
    Meh

    Why bother...

    ... ripping it up and starting again. Apple now have enough followers who's wealth exceeds their common sense. All they need do is squeeze out a 'new' model each year and it'll be sucked up with last year's shiny tossed into the toy box for the little'uns.

    Retina PPI? I don't see any current need to supply more than 1920 horizontal pixels in a device like this. Even a 4:3 device would be capable of displaying full HD video.

    1. ThomH

      Re: Why bother...

      And 640kb ought to be enough for anybody?

    2. Mark 65

      Re: Why bother...

      "I don't see any current need to supply more than 1920 horizontal pixels in a device like this."

      1. Those extra 128 pixels are a real dumb idea eh? Absolute killer.

      2. I think having a screen size multiplier from old to new of 2 beats having one of 1.875 when scaling icons, apps etc.

      Do you see the logic now?

    3. JDX Gold badge

      Re: Why bother...

      >>Why bother...ripping it up and starting again

      Quite - they already have an excellent, market-leading product; there's no good reason to cause a stir and risk messing it up.

    4. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Why bother...

      Yes, let's not bother with progress anymore, particularly if it only improves something that might happen in the future.

      I honestly have no idea why we even bothered making personal computers in the first place, there was no software to run on them at the time.

      I have even less idea why TB-L invented the web either, it's not as if there were any web sites around.

      Remind me why you're on a tech site?

  9. Joe 19
    Meh

    Was the Rumour Mill correct?

    Or is Apple getting a little predictable?

    Still, it works for the Call of Duty franchise I suppose.

  10. kevin king
    Facepalm

    Microsoft Office for the iPad

    "Microsoft Office for the iPad: Microsoft told The Reg late last month that reports of Office coming to the iPad were based on "inaccurate rumors and speculation." They were telling the truth – so far, at least."

    I use CloudOn for my Ipad and can edit Office documents just fine http://site.cloudon.com/

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Microsoft Office for the iPad

      This is what I don't understand, most people complain about Windows and it's applications not being touch friendly, they're not, but then everybody seems happy with the RDP* Office solution and seem to tout it as a great feature of their tablet.

      While RDP* is useful for the odd server maintenance job when out and about, it's not an Office solution. That's not even considering the required Internet connection to use it.

      *I realise CloudOn may not be MS-TSC, but it is remote desktop regardless.

  11. destructo

    The viPad

    Shouldn't it be spelled viPad (nu-eye-pad)?

    1. Iad Uroboros's Nemesis
      Trollface

      Re: The viPad

      Do you think a Cupertinian would know Greek? They barely know English.

      1. KroSha
        Joke

        Re: The viPad

        They lost that a long time ago; OSX 10.2 "jag-wire".

        1. /dev/null
          Stop

          Re: The viPad

          Since when was "jaguar" an English word subject to English pronunciation rules?

    2. Japhy Ryder

      Re: The viPad

      Actually, the "u" in "nu" was originally an ypsilon (υ), which should be pronounced as the "ee" in "knee" so perhaps this should be a "KneePad" or maybe even a "NiPad" (as in Knights who say).

  12. jubtastic1
    Trollface

    So, it has come to this.

    Also iPad2, still on sale, it's the 16GB version you mentioned for $399, This is of course in accordance with prophesy.

    No surprises the commentards don't like it, but they're going to sell bazillions of them all the same, at least ten to a fanboy, it's all smoke and marketing.

  13. Tony Paulazzo

    I'm gonna get the Transformer Prime (Once I've heard they fixed the reboot issue), okay, the screen res and WS format isn't as good, but a better camera (still not really sold on them for tablets), 2 sd slots (I'm tired of having to delete stuff off my gen 1 ipad), USB and inclusive keyboard with extra battery life kind'a wings it for me.

    I'll just keep my first gen ipad as well. :-)

    Jeez Tim Cook, all you had to do was include an sd slot... I don't hate iOS, prefer the non widescreen aspect of the ipad and have invested a fair amount in iTunes, but the 'new iPad' just isn't enough 'more' for me.

    1. Scott Mckenzie

      SD Slot?

      Why - I have a 32Gb model and am nowhere near filling it. What do you use it for??

      Mine has 7 Newsstand subscriptions and i archive the older issues... no music as that is on my iPhone etc.

      I transfer the pics from my Nikon camera with the SD -> Dock adaptor and am good to go.

      Really don't see the extra storage need!!

      But each to their own requirements...

      1. Brangdon

        Re: SD Slot?

        I'd insist on an SD slot for IO. Specifically, for transferring photos from my DSLR. I don't want extra cabling or adapters for this.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      SD Card?

      Picasa, IiCloud, Dropbox

      SD Card? Ha ha

      1. SethInLondon
        WTF?

        Re: SD Card?

        Oh great, so with those services I can transfer photos from my camera to my iPad?

    3. W.O.Frobozz
      Meh

      Transformer owner rep'r'sent....love my transformer. The USB ports are very useful..if you've got a ps3/xbox controller you can just plug-er-in and go.

      I know people were talking about the "textured" touch screen possibility and maybe this is one way to help with the fact that typing and touch screens do not go well together...but...I like the Asus approach better. A docking keyboard that doubles battery life for when I need to type, and one click and I've got a fondleslab for general reading and browsing. This would be a winning combo for a full blown laptop (ubuntu on android, maybe? Ubuntu in laptop mode, android tablet when screen detached).

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        +1 for transformer prime love

        PS3 controller also works wirelessly, after you have initially connected with the cable.

        Reboots and WiFi other negative reports have all been over hyped.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Transformer Prime WiFi issues

          You're right the WiFi issues on the Transformer Prime have been over hyped. There is no issue with the Prime

          Users are just holding it wrong....

  14. Dave Oldham
    Stop

    Time to get rid of my iPad3?

    Er... No.

    1. TangD
      Thumb Up

      Re: Time to get rid of my iPad3?

      But if you do change your mind and want to sell at a significant discount...

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Time to get rid of my iPad3?

      Why not connect your camera to the iPad?

  15. Chris 171
    Meh

    Eminently Predictable...

    So a Meh from me.

    Buy apple if you want, I like Sony.

    1. DJV Silver badge
      FAIL

      Re: Eminently Predictable...

      Sony? Rootkits? Hacked web sites? Whistle whistle...

      1. Chris 171

        Re: Eminently Predictable...

        Well, that would be true if I was taking about the PS3 but seeing as this is a thread about tablets. The Tablet S is a good bit of kit. A different bit of kit, and why I use one.

        Agreed tho, the Rootkit was fuc^ing stupid.

      2. DrXym

        Re: Eminently Predictable...

        If you hate Sony's rootkit you should actively despise the iPad which has DRM baked all the way through it and removes your choice to purchase music, books or videos from any other store than Apple's.

        1. I ain't Spartacus Gold badge
          WTF?

          Re: Eminently Predictable...

          Hey what?

          >>>>>you should actively despise the iPad which has DRM baked all the way through it and removes your choice to purchase music, books or videos from any other store than Apple's.>>>>>

          It does? Are you sure?

          Mine copes with my mp3's, some video codecs and DRM free books (I have ePub). I don't own any DRM'ed media (other than DVDs, I guess), and don't intend to. I've never bought any media from iTunes.

          Amazon's Kindle app lets you read those, I don't know about that nasty Adobe-buggered-DRM ebook format though.

          iOS lacks the choice of codecs that I'm sure you can get on Android. But other than Flash (which I regret not having a couple of times a month), I've never had a problem getting access to stuff I want.

  16. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    apple.com down so can't get my order in

    Anyone who says that this latest iPad isn't revolutionary is just trying too hard to be dismissive. The screen alone is revolutionary and not just for a tablet; no laptop has a resolution as high as that. It should make reading typeface a real pleasure. I'm looking forward to reading my Sunday Times and some books on it for a start. I also think the screen will make me consider buying magazines on it too.

    Unfortunately, Android tablets will have a hell of a long journey to catch up to the iPad. There's simply no point in any of them at the moment.

    1. Scott Mckenzie

      Re: apple.com down so can't get my order in

      I am tempted as i do read a lot of magazines on mine. iPad 2 resale values will be great if i feel the need to move mine on.

      The screen does sound stunning - the other features aren't essential for me at the moment though.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: "screen alone is revolutionary"

      It's still just a screen, only with a larger pixel resolution, so your definition of "revolutionary" appears to be "more of the same".

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: "screen alone is revolutionary"

        Going to such a high resolution is a huge departure. If you don't think so then you're just being an extremely poor contrarian. It's a huge rise in the bar for screen technology in tablets and can quite justifiably be called revolutionary in my opinion. You're free to be wrong.

      2. Mark 65

        Re: "screen alone is revolutionary"

        Whether you like Apple or not is irrelevant. That they are pushing the technology in this form factor is a good thing. They have massive scale and others follow or have to out innovate or undercut on price in order to sell. The result is better technology for cheaper sooner. I fail to see how that is a bad thing.

      3. hazydave

        Re: "screen alone is revolutionary"

        Yeah, that screen is r^Hevolutionary. Not that it's a bad thing... given that my new cellphone has higher resolution than an iPad 2... as do most of the new Android tablets, even the 5" ones ... Apple pretty much had to do something here. And since they don't support true device independent graphics like Android does, it was pretty much a no-brainer to bet that Apple's next resolution upgrade would simply double the resolution of the iPad/iPad 2. Nice, indeed, but not revolution.

        And think about it... 4x the resolution, 4x the graphics performance... in short, it's a higher resolution version of what you already have, if you have an iPad 2. Or is it even? They say "quad core graphics".. but the iPad 2 and iPhone 4S already have dual-core graphics. So is this really 4x faster, as they're claiming? And what about CPU, which they've been very quiet about so far. You'll need 4x as much CPU power as well to push that pretty display just as fast as the lower rez screens. For graphics on this slab, 4x increase in CPU and GPU is JUST the break-even point.

        But the A5X is a dual-core CPU, not quad core as, well, Android tablets you can already buy. Samsung has been rumored to be releasing much higher resolution displays Real Soon Now (they showed off a 10.1" 300dpi display last May, though no product announced yet), and unlike Apple, they actually MAKE the display, so this is pretty likely. Particularly given the fall's orgy over 1280x720 screens as small as 4" diagonal on all those new smartphones. Again, not just evolution, but obvious evolution.

        Revolution is something that catches you off-guard. The original iPhone was revolutionary... but not even the device itself, which didn't meet the hype and guesses that had been circulating for a year before the "all screen' device came out. But it's impact on the industry -- despite the claims of every smartphone maker at the time, consumers really did want smartphones.

    3. PaulR79

      Re: apple.com down so can't get my order in

      Not as much as you think. ASUS has been working on an HD Transformer tablet that's due out soon. I can't remember for certain but I think it'll be 1920 x 1200. Is it as high as this new iPad? No but it's a big step up from the current set of 1280 x 800 tablets. You can't claim it was done to copy off either as it was (stupidly) announced just after the release of the Transformer Prime.

    4. JDX Gold badge

      Re: apple.com down so can't get my order in

      I don't want or care about revolutionary. Polishing an already solid product at the same price point is quite enough

    5. MrXavia
      Thumb Down

      Re: apple.com down so can't get my order in

      There is nothing revolutionary about the screen, its evolutionary, i.e. basic evolution... they upped resolution to something that really is not needed but is nice to have.

      There is nothing revolutionary about the ipad, tablets have been around for over a decade, we before ipad hit the scene, the difference now is that the tech has reached a point where they can be powerful as well as handy.

      So far i have not seen ONE thing that the ipad can do that has not been done before in one way or another by someone else..

    6. fellcolor

      Re: apple.com down so can't get my order in

      I hope it pushes the revolution into laptops and desktops. On it's own I don't see the screen on the new iPad as being revolutionary -- 1024x768 looks fine on an iPad. Not that I'm rubbishing it -- I've put my order in already because I'm a pixel count whore. But what really kills me is that we've been stuck at 1900x1200 as the maximum resolution for relatively inexpensive, relatively ubiquitous displays forever.

  17. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Wow

    There's some Retina level trolling on these threads.

    1. JDX Gold badge

      Re: Wow

      Like many others I think such hi-res is a gimmick. BUT I do want to try one out to see for sure...

  18. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Backside illumination!

    Fnar fnar!

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Childish

    2. Mostly_Harmless Silver badge

      Re: Backside illumination!

      Well...the fanbois think the sun shines out of their arse...

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Backside illumination!

        Damn.. you beat me to that one.

  19. Dick Emery
    Trollface

    Next years model

    Will have a stereoscopic display without the need for glasses, feedback and give you a blow job whenever you say three heil Jobsies.

    Oh, and I was lying about the first two.

  20. Adam T

    Funny really

    You don't get all this fuss over new graphics cards every year, yet they cost more and - for intents and purposes - give you less back. As for the "meh" opinions...people blaming the media for pre-launch rumour mongering hyper, instead of themselves for clinging on to it?

    Spoiler: Santa Claus doesn't exist either.

    Back to reading my book (printed on real paper).

    1. JDX Gold badge

      Re: Funny really

      >>You don't get all this fuss over new graphics cards every yea

      You do if you're in the hardcore gaming scene

  21. bricksterr
    Meh

    Speaking of free publicity from the media...

    If I see another article in the local paper or story on the evening news about what somebody was capable of doing with their iPad -- something that any tablet, or for that matter any laptop\netbook made within the last ten years, is equally capable of doing -- I'm going to... punch a hole in some drywall.

    Imagine if the new ipaD came with a dock-able keyboard that doubled it's battery life and pretty much made it an ultra-light notebook. It would have pushed WWIII or an alien landing to page

    My wife has an original Ipad and it's a great little device (other than itunes) but I certainly couldn't get her to upgrade if I tried. "Nothing wrong with the one I have".

    1. Wibble
      Windows

      iTunes is utter rubbish

      Of all the features of the iPad, the one that scrapes the bottom of the barrel is iTunes. If you've got a lot of music and like albums, it's an awful interface and very unreliable. A real disappointment that it's not been updated.

      Even more annoying that you can't get an equivalent application.

      1. Lallabalalla
        Boffin

        Re: iTunes is utter rubbish. What bolox

        You're using it wrong ;-)

        Seriously - I have upwards of 8,000 songs, 100+ podcasts, 20+ tv shows, some m4v movies (ahem) and a bunch of playlists & smart playlists. It's all fine. I can copy, convert format (mp3/aac), organise, sync, easy and error-free, between iTunes, phone, iPod, wife's phone, wife's iPod, wife's iPad - and it all backs itself up automatically through TM... just how easy does it have to be?

        Have you ever used Samsung or Sony's godawful phone sync/mp3 player software? Really?

        It's funny how only the people who "Don't have Apple/Won't have Apple" post negative comments and thumbs-down to comments like this one. Talk about being in denial, it really is laughable.

        1. Lallabalalla
          Big Brother

          Re: iTunes is utter rubbish. What bolox

          Thumbs down = 1 (so far)

          See?

        2. Darren Barratt
          FAIL

          Re: iTunes is utter rubbish. What bolox

          Come back and talk when you're talking 80,000 tracks, including books on MP3, split over 2 networked drives. See if you're that keen then.

          You're right on the money about Sony though. I still wake up in cold sweats about having to use Sonic Stage. (HD-NW5, cracking MP3 player, still better sound quality than my iPod, but the software makes you want to chew your own leg off)

          1. chr0m4t1c

            Re: iTunes is utter rubbish. What bolox

            >Come back and talk when you're talking 80,000 tracks, including books on MP3, split over 2 networked drives. See if you're that keen then.

            Really? Wow, I thought I was bad with 19,000 tracks over 1,600 albums.

            I'd expect those numbers to tax any music organizer/player, what do you use?

    2. Michael Thibault
      Mushroom

      Re: Speaking of free publicity from the media...

      I suggest that you're likely to see such a story before long, but I'll also suggest--for a number of reasons*--that you forego punching the wall in that event.

      * 1) Your sensible wife will begin to look at you 'funny' if you punch a hole in the drywall for such a trival event;

      2) Unless you measure carefully, there's a risk that you'll not succeed in punching through the drywall, but hit a stud instead, and end up breaking one or more bones in your hand, in which case:

      2a) You're sensible wife will begin to look at you really 'funny', and she might even upgrade you to something sensible shortly thereafter--nothing wrong with that.

  22. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    "Apple claims, if you hold an iPad at a "normal viewing distance" of 15 inches, you won't be able to discern individual pixels."

    My laptop has a larger 15" screen and a lower resolution... can I see individual pixels? Nope.

    And another thing... evolutionary and revolutionary. They are different. Increasing pixel density is NOT revoluntionary.

    1. Wibble
      Happy

      When i first saw the difference between the iPhone 3 and 4 screens, I thought they were revolutionary, particularly for reading text.

      This feature alone is good enough to consider upgrading. I'm sure you could buy my old iPad 1 if you like.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      The screen in the new iPad is revolutionary as it uses a new panel design to increase the pixel density, to whit, the electronics needed to drive the pixels is behind them and not on the same plane. This is quite apart from the fact that for its size its pixel density is unique, it is unique for its resolution in tablets and indeed portable computing devices. If that's not enough for you then you are beyond help.

      If you can't discern individual pixels on your 15" low res laptop screen then may I suggest that Sir avails himself of the services of the nearest Specsavers post haste?

  23. Janko Hrasko
    Angel

    Hallelujah!

    Sacrificing the goat was well worth it.

  24. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Ordered! So there you miserable sods with your inferior, low resolution notfondleslabs, stick that in your SD card slots and smoke it!

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Thumb Up

      My 64GB WiFI Black will be arriving on the 16th too.

  25. dssf

    Button... and 7 Inches

    Considering that Apple assailed Samsung and others on look and feel of the bezel, there is no way Apple now would remove the home button. It would make Apple look as if it were either copying them, or conceding to them, and would severely garrotte or eviscerate much of that piece of their "claim".

    No surprises that the button stayed.

    No surprise, either, if Apple intros a 7.x inch model. It has to, only because others are. And, if consumers by even 400,000 of them from non-Apple sources, that's 400,000 Apple will groan is THEIR market.

    Just my 2.33 cents...

  26. This post has been deleted by its author

  27. AlexS
    FAIL

    No Flying Car included - No sale.

  28. Lance 3

    Why two 4G models?

    If you compare the AT&T and Verizon Wireless models, the connectivity is the same but the Verizon added CDMA. Surely Apple is just crippling the AT&T version. If you had to buy one, the Verizon model would offer better resale as it supports their 3G network as well; it would also support Sprint. They should have just sold a single 4G model.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Why two 4G models?

      It's the frequency, Kenneth.

      1. Lance 3

        Re: Why two 4G models?

        Wrong, both models support the same frequencies and the same 2G, 3G and 4G standards with the ONLY exceptions being the Verizon supports EV-DO Rev A and the AT&T adding 2100 for LTE.

        AT&T Model:

        Wi-Fi + 4G for AT&T model: LTE (700, 2100 MHz)3; UMTS/HSPA/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz); GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)

        Verizon Wireless Model:

        Wi-Fi + 4G for Verizon model: LTE (700 MHz)3; CDMA EV-DO Rev. A (800, 1900 MHz); UMTS/HSPA/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz); GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)

        Why the AC, knew you were wrong?

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Why two 4G models?

          Que? Self-evidently, from your own information, I am correct. What a turnip!

          The AT&T model supports a frequency the Verizon doesn't and when they ship 4G LTE in the UK, it will, similarly, support the 800MHz and 2.6GHz bands we are going to use. This isn't going to be a big deal for Apple or anyone else.

  29. 0_Flybert_0
    Boffin

    >>The Reg, as has been true for quite some time, remains on Apple's blacklist.<<

    Is not the correct technical term "shitlist"?

  30. This post has been deleted by its author

  31. nanchatte

    Optional

    I wonder why there is i no Siri included?

    Is this following line of thought too cynical or just BAU for Apple?

    ● Surely the only reason is so that one is forced to consider an iPhone, too if they want the feature.

    ● Make sure that no single device has the best of everything otherwise need for another is obviated. Just like the compromised 5MP camera.

    1. Lance 3

      Re: Optional

      They need to add something to the next release, don't they? The newer iPad, with Siri.

  32. Richard 116
    Thumb Up

    Yay!

    I've been after a cheap iPad and now I can get a refurbished iPad 2 16GB WiFi from the Apple Store for £289. Full guarantee, all the accessories etc, ne battery, new shell.

  33. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Camera IR FIlter?

    Don't all digital cameras contain some sort of IR filter?

    I know when I was doing some astrophotography with a ToUcam, I also had to use an IR filter with the adaptor to replace the one I removed with the standard lens.

  34. DrXym

    The best thing about this iPad

    Hopefully by including LTE it might kick the telcos arses a bit to actually supply a service for the device to consume. Otherwise the device is still as ridiculously overpriced and bad value as ever. The price drop on the old model also demonstrates that anyone who buys a tablet within 3 months of an announcement is getting screwed over. May as well assume a price drop and hold off and buy the new model for the same price as the old one.

    1. Lance 3

      Re: The best thing about this iPad

      Only the uninformed bought one, so many did wait until the new model was released. Like I said, the uninformed didn't and well, that is their fault for not researching.

  35. robin penny
    FAIL

    A big damp squib

    * So no SD slot then - could have been an easy win. No SD slot means I still won't buy an iPad.

    * Better camera - seriously who needs a rear facing camera on a tablet. Drop it like on the Viewsonic 10e & cut the price.

    * Faster processer - yeah yeah, I'd rather have longer battery life. The current processor is fast enough isn't it?

    * Heavier - eek with all the reports of iPad elbow this is another step in the worng direction and another reason not to buy.

    1. Audrey S. Thackeray

      Re: A big damp squib

      There's a lot more pixels to process and push around so the faster processor may well be necessary.

  36. Ed 11

    Sold

    Ultimately all this iPad upgrade does is upgrade the screen. However this is the upgrade I've been waiting for having held off on purchasing a tablet to date. I ordered a 32GB Wifi version last night. I do not think the current generation of Android tablets can really compete with Apple's offering and the fact apps such as Sky's new F1 app are iPad only really emphasises the point.

    Also on the plus side, given I will have a second iOS device this represents a nice way for me to look at changing my iPhone for an alternative. Having spent more on iOS apps than I care to admit to myself it becomes a far easier sell to look beyond iPhones when I have a device that can run all those apps anyway. Galaxy SIII perhaps?

  37. Syd

    Dictation Requires Internet?

    Has anyone worked out whether the dictation features requires an internet connection?

    (No reason in theory why it should - voice-rec software is available stand-alone for PC.)

  38. John Armstrong-Millar

    Where do we go from here?

    I'm a photographer and of course I have a website. I dumped flash(almost) because I wanted my clients, many of whom use iPads to be able to view my site. This was all working well until now. How do I make a webpage that scales without having to use Adobe Flash?

    It's interesting Apple seem to have hit this problem too. On the Apple Site today there is a nice little feature showing video and movement..You can't watch it on an IPad!

    1. aThingOrTwo

      Re: Where do we go from here?

      HINT: Investigate responsive web design and media queries.

  39. Ralph B
    WTF?

    Memory Price Pain

    I can buy a 16GB microSDHC card on Amazon for $6 and yet Apple are stll charging $100 for each 16GB step on the iPad.

    Now I can accept some level of price gouging, but this is getting beyond a joke.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Memory Price Pain

      This is magical Apple memory. It's _better_.

  40. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    The guest list would make fun reading

    We could far better judge their bullshit factor if we knew who was soulless..

  41. KroSha
    Happy

    Ordered a Black 16GB 4G. No need for more storage as I can access my NAS remotely. I wonder how long it'll take the UK telcos to implement 4G? Oh well. 3G will have to do for now.

  42. /dev/null
    WTF?

    "The new iPad"?

    Just when we thought Apple had started being sensible and differentiating different generations of its products in its nomenclature (at least for iDevices), they *don't* call this one the iPad 3. How long will "the new iPad" be "new"? When does it become just the "iPad", just like, err, the one before the one before it?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: "The new iPad"?

      It will be the new iPad until the next new iPad comes out. Just the same as the new MacBook Air is the new MacBook Air until the next new MacBook Air comes out. I hope that's clear enough for your.

  43. NVG76
    FAIL

    LTE... only in America

    its running LTE 700 and 2100 Mhz???

    Design fail or smartmove...

    Only die hard Fanboiz will buy it outside the US. Then they can "correct" this in a iPad 3S and normal people might be pursuaded.

  44. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    "Backside Illumination"

    Fnar

  45. Lallabalalla
    Thumb Up

    Not a gamechanger: Good!

    I don't want a gamechanger, I want to plug in, sync, get-on-with-it-and-as-you-were. At ease.

    A nice hires display? Great, why not. Faster networking (where available)? Great, why not. Etc. What's the big deal? It's a great step up from our old #1 and makes perfect sense. Feel a bit sorry for those who ditched a #1 for a #2 but they only have themselves to blame I guess. The #2 made sense if you *didn't* have a #1, like the 4S makes perfect sense if you still had a 3G/s but not if liek me you have a 4, because it's OK enough not to have to bother upping till the 5 arrives.

    I'm more nervous about talk of changing the docking pin arrangement. Now THAT would be a bummer. Goodbye hifi dock etc :(

  46. Mostly_Harmless Silver badge
    Happy

    backlisted

    El Reg is still on Apple's blacklist? Glad to hear it - yet another reason why I continue to subscribe to this august news organ

  47. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Discerning individual pixels

    With all the problems of people complaining about dead pixels in the past, perhaps making these retina displays was a cost effective way of dealing with these complaints.

    How can anyone complain about dead pixels if they can't see them.

  48. SYNTAX__ERROR
    Stop

    LTE is not 4G

    http://www.strandreports.com/sw4334.asp

    But more importantly, will it work in the UK? Not AFAIK.

    1. KroSha

      Re: LTE is not 4G

      No it won't. The frequencies used by both carriers in the USA are taken in the UK. Taken by Freeview TV, so I think you can guess on how easy that'll be for Apple to lobby for! The EU 4G default of 800MHZ is not supported and probably wouldn't be without a hardware change. So that won't happen in the near future either.

  49. BoxedSet

    Don't care what the resolution, ppi or feaures are, I for one will not be buying one.

    1. Darren Barratt
      FAIL

      Well done. Perhaps you can tell us some of the other things you won't buy this week?

  50. Chris-W

    NewIpad Display

    Just looked at the Ipad2/NewIpad screen comparison on my Ipad1 and can not belive how good the NewIpad screen is.

  51. vic 4
    Meh

    See one thing hasn't changed

    See the £/$ conversion ratio remains at 1 :-(

    One thing I like about new apple products, they keep the price of older versions close to the new ones. Makes it a cheaper upgrade path when you want to to ditch most of the "old" test equipment.

    1. vic 4
      Facepalm

      Re: See one thing hasn't changed

      Oops, turns out I can't read, thought it was $399 for the new ipad in the us, actually $499, doh

  52. Logician

    Titter titter

    "Backside Illumination" (see image of Apple presentation). lol. Tempted to say: Perfect for helping iPad owners find their own a*** holes!

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