iPad 3?…iPad HD…Whatever It Is Called, The iPad Is Here!!!

The *new* iPad is here!

After much speculation over the name (the iPad 3 or iPad HD), Apple announced on Wednesday that their new iPad will be available for purchase on Friday, March 16^th.

So here is an outline of the latest improvements Apple made to the new iPad:

• New A5X QUAD-Core processor – this basically means, your iPad will run faster!
• High-Resolution Retina Display – translation a high definition screen that supports twice the amount of pixels as the iPad 2 and more than a standard HD TV…this is a pretty cool feature if you ask me and very innovative!
• 5-Megapixal Camera w/ 1080p HD video recording– which is a nice upgrade from the VGA camera packed into the iPad 2 that supported 720p HD recording.
  •  The new iPad from a camera perspective is now up to par with “competing” tablets but due to Apple’s annual release cycles, the camera quality will be outdated in a matter of months.
  • 4G Data Support – the iPad will now support LTE and HSPA+ offered by Verizon and AT&T respectively.  Although the device will still support 3G, it is looking very unlikely that Sprint will get the iPad anytime soon and one would wonder how this impacts the next iPhone to be released on the Sprint network.

It is also worth mentioning that the new iPad will continue to support 9 hours of battery life while operating on a 4G network.  That is very impressive considering the move from 3G.  At the same time, the iPad continues to lack a SD reader slot in comparison to other tablets.  Users will have to continue using the Apple Docking connector to transfer files.  So perhaps the iPad next year will support SD cards, but knowing Apple I wouldn’t hold my breath on that notion.

As you can see, there is nothing revolutionary about the new iPad, yet it still packs enough power to compete and continue to lead in the race for best tablet on the market.  Some would consider that other tablets are still at the starting line of this young tablet market.  Yet, who could imagine 3 years ago when Apple introduced the first iPad that would have the impact of changing how we use computers!

When asked if you should get the new iPad – if you desire to get one, get it! Next year when the new iPad comes out, the appeal to get the latest model will in fact haunt you but down the road, I don’t expect people to change tablets as fast as we change cell phones.  Although this market is far too new to know this for sure!