Apple on Wednesday unveiled the third version of its genre-defining iPad tablet computer which will be available to consumers in the United States, Germany, France, Britain and Canada starting at 499 dollars from March 16.
“We’ve taken it to a whole new level and we are redefining the category that Apple created with the original iPad,” said Apple chief Tim Cook at a press conference in San Francisco.
“It makes amazing improvements over the most fundamental features of the design of the device while retaining everything that millions of people have grown to love about it,” he continued.
The new device, called simply the iPad, features a dual core A5X with quad-core graphics processor, a high-definition 2084x1536 Retina display which is “about 1 million more pixels than HDTV,” according to Apple, as well as a sharper 5 megapixel camera that includes special face detection technology.
Capable of accessing 4G mobile networks and creating its own mobile hotspot, the new iPad boasts download speeds that are five times faster than the current version, Mr. Cook said.
It also boasts a full complement of games, productivity and media software to take advantage of the new specs.
The unveiling of the new device had been widely expected, two years after Apple first launched the iPad, and a year after it introduced its successor the iPad 2.
Apple launches the new device from a dominant position in the tablet computer market. But Microsoft is readying its first tablet entry for later this year with the launch of the all-new Windows 8 operating system.
Apple has now sold some 55 million iPads, including 15.4 million in the last quarter, and is predicted to sell some 60 million iPads this year.
Market research firm Gartner predicts a total of 103.5 million tablet devices will be sold this year, rising to over 300 million by 2015.
The base level iPad features 16 GB of memory and wi-fi-only internet access. The cheapest version offering cellular internet access starts at 629 dollars. Apple also announced that the price of the existing iPad 32 models would be dropped by 100 dollars with the cheapest version now set at a price of 399 dollars.
Faster Chip
The A5X chip, made by Apple, is designed to speed the performance of the device so users can more quickly jump between tasks. It would also give applications such as games more elaborate graphics. The iPad’s display will have four times the number of pixels as the previous version, making on-screen text, images and video appear crisper and more realistic.
Apple will sell a $499 base model that has 16 gigabytes of memory and works only on Wi-Fi networks. At the high end, an $829 model has 64 gigabytes of memory and works on both Wi-Fi and the faster LTE networks.
The overhaul will help draw both new customers and existing owners who want new features, said Carl Howe, an analyst at Yankee Group.
Apple gets about 20 percent of its sales from the iPad, attracting consumers as well as business users.
Apple TV
With the device’s mix of touch-screen capabilities and computing power that puts it on par with some laptops, Apple has created a new category of consumer-electronics devices.
Cook also unveiled an update of the Apple TV set-top box with a new interface and a so-called mirroring function that lets video from a user’s mobile devices be played on TV. Photos taken from an iPhone will wirelessly synch using Apple TV. The device will cost $99 and also go on sale March 16.
Apple cut the price on the low end version of its existing iPad to $399 from $499. That may put a squeeze on the Kindle Fire, said Chris Jones, an analyst at Canalys, a research firm.
“It will put pressure on those who are trying to undercut the iPad on price,” said Jones. “The market has changed in the past few months with the arrival of Amazon.”
Apple has sliced the price of older models to attract bargain-hunting shoppers when unveiling a new product aimed at the high end, a pincer movement used with success on the most recent iPhone. When Apple introduced the iPhone 4S in October, it reduced the iPhone 4 price to $99 and the made the iPhone 3GS free, with a two-year wireless contract.
iPad also features built-in iTunes store, watch YouTube with high-definition playback, TV shows and movies.Apple iPad is loaded with Wi-Fi, GPS with Google maps, Full Capacitive Touchscreen with Multi-touch.
Apple iPad Technical Specification:
- 1GHz Apple A4 Processor
- 9.7″ inch IPS Display
- 16GB to 64GB Flash Storage
- WLAN 802.11n Wi-Fi
- Bluetooth v2.1
- GPS with Digital Compass
- Accelerometer
- Speaker
- Microphone
- 0.5″ inch thin
- 10 Hours of Battery Life
- One Month Stand-by Time
- Weight: 680gm
Apple iPad price in India: Approx 30k to 50k Indian Rupee (INR) depend upon model and Version like 3G+wi-fi model cost you extra…
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