Apple : Early View: New iPad vs iPad 2: which should you choose?

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• Early View: New iPad vs iPad 2: which should you choose?
• Updated: New iPad: everything you need to know
• Apple iPad 3 / iPad HD to showcase new touchscreen tech?

Early View: New iPad vs iPad 2: which should you choose? Posted: So the confusingly-named new iPad has been announced. But how does it differ from the iPad 2 - which, coincidentally, will still be available to buy and - better still - has fallen in price. The two devices are pretty similar in many ways, so we thought we'd do a straight-down-the-line comparison of the raw specs to see what's been enhanced for the new iPad. New iPad: everything you need to know It's time for a new iPad vs iPad 2 face-off. Or screen-off, as it turns out... New iPad vs iPad 2: Processor The original iPad introduced the spoils of Apple's 2008 acquisition of semiconductor company P.A. Semi. The Apple A4 was an ARM Cortex-A8-based core clocked at 1GHz. The iPad 2 introduced the A5, a dual-core chip based on the new ARM Cortex-A9 design. The A5 is clocked at 1 GHz. We don't yet know what the new iPad's A5X is clocked at, but it remains a dual-core chip. New iPad vs iPad 2: Graphics What the A5X does have is better graphics capability - with Apple saying the new processor has quad-core graphics. Like the iPhone 4, the iPad and iPad 2 both had an Imagination Technologies PowerVR SGX-based graphics chip and we expect the new iPad is the same. Apple reckons the new graphics are "twice as fast" as Nvidia's Tegra 3, and offers four time the graphics performance of Nvidia's chip. We're not sure Nvidia will let Apple get away with that one - and we're not even sure it can be true - Tegra 3's performance is stunning and the Tegra 3 GPU has 12 GeForce graphics cores... New iPad vs iPad 2: Memory Like the original iPad and iPad 2, the new iPad comes loaded with 16GB, 32GB or 64GB of what is presumably still Toshiba-manufactured flash storage. iPad 2 packed 512MB of memory, but we don't yet have details on the new iPad, though we reckon it has to be 1GB. New iPad vs iPad 2: Display The screen is where the big change has happened. The iPad 2 inherited the 1024 x 768 LED-backlit display from the original iPad. The new iPad ups this significantly, with a 2048 x 1536 resolution display that has 264 pixels per inch - the pixels themselves are indistinguishable, just as on the iPhone 4 and 4S. Both are 9.7-inch displays and have a fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating. New iPad vs iPad 2: Communications The new iPad ups the ante on the iPad 2 by introducing 4G LTE connectivity alongside the Wi-Fi capability. As you'd expect, both have Assisted GPS and digital compass alongside the accelerometer found in all iOS devices and the three-axis gyroscope. The new iPad also has separate US models for both the AT&T and Verizon networks, while there's also 21Mbps HSPA+, DC-HSDPA offering 42Mbps. LTE clocks in at 73Mbps. You can also use the new iPad as a Personal Hotspot via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or USB. You also get Bluetooth 4.0 on the new iPad instead of Bluetooth 2.1. New iPad vs iPad 2: camera Both models have the same VGA front-facing camera, but round the back the new iSight camera (Tim Cook obviously likes that name) beefs things up to 5 megapixels. There's 1080p video recording instead of 720p and video stabilisation to boot. New iPad vs iPad 2: Size and weight Unlike the change between the original iPad and iPad 2 when the thickness dropped down to 8.8mm from 13.4mm, there's no such change this time - in fact thickness is slightly more at 9.4mm. iPad 2 Height: 241.2 mm Width: 185.7 mm Depth: 8.8 mm Weight: 601g for Wi-Fi model, 613g for the Wi-Fi and 3G model New iPad Height: 241.2 mm Width: 185.7 mm Depth: 9.4 mm Weight: 601g for Wi-Fi model, 622g for the Wi-Fi and 4G model New iPad vs iPad 2: Battery life Both offer up to 10 hours of surfing the web on Wi-Fi, watching video or listening to music while there's also a month of promised standby time. If you're using the new iPad on 4G, this drops to 9 hours. There's now a 42.5-watt-hour rechargeable lithium-polymer battery in the new model. New iPad vs iPad 2: Pricing The iPad 2 is now available in a 16GB version for $399 (Wi-Fi) and $529 (Wi-Fi+3G). iPad 2 will be £329 or £429 in the UK. As for the new iPad, for Wi-Fi + 4G, it's $629, $729 and $829 respectively, or £499, £579 and £659 - though the faster data will be of limited use in the UK of course. For the Wi-Fi only it's 16GB for $499, 32GB for $599 and 64GB for $699. That's £399, £479 and £559 in the UK.

Updated: New iPad: everything you need to know Posted: UPDATE: Check out our Hands on: new iPad review Apple's head honcho Tim Cook revealed the new iPad at an event in San Francisco today. Once again, it's evoluton rather than revolution - but it still includes some stunning improvements. So here we present the full details on Apple's new tablet which comes complete with iOS 5.1. And before you ask: yes, it really is called 'new iPad'. No iPad 3. No iPad HD, just plain old new iPad. Crazy, huh? New iPad release date The new iPad UK release date and new iPad US release date are both set for 16 March. Pre-orders are starting today. That day will see it launch in the US, Canada, UK, France, Germany, Switzerland and Japan. You can see which networks will be getting the new tablet in our snappily-titled article New iPad: where can I get it? New iPad price The new iPad comes in the usual three standard memory variants - 16, 32 and 64GB. US pricing first: 16GB for $499, 32GB for $599 and 64GB for $699. That's £399, £479 and £559 in the UK. For Wi-Fi + 4G, then it's $629, $729 and $829 respectively, or £499, £579 and £659 - though the faster data will be of limited use in the UK of course. The iPad 2 will remain on sale in a 16GB version for $399 (Wi-Fi) and $529 (Wi-Fi+3G). That will really annoy all of Apple's tablet competitiors - iPad 2 will be £329 or £429 in the UK. New iPad processor and graphics The processor is an Apple A5X ARM-based unit - it has quad-core graphics but is still a dual-core based unit. Apple reckons it's "twice as fast" as Tegra 3, and offers four time the graphics performance of Nvidia's chip. We're not sure Nvidia will let Apple get away with that one - and we're not even sure it can be true - Tegra 3's performance is stunning and the Tegra 3 GPU has 12 GeForce graphics cores... New iPad screen The iPad 3 has a stunning retina display - as on the iPhone 4 and 4S you can't distinguish individual pixels and the resolution is a stunning 2048 x 1536 pixels. As expected, it's the same 9.7-inch size. It's only 264ppi in sharpness - but that's still enough to pack in 2048 x 1536 pixels into the screen. It has a milion more There's the fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating from before as well as support for display of multiple languages and characters simultaneously New iPad camera You can now record 1080p video on the iPad 3 with an iSight camera (yes, we thought the iSight name was dead too). The rear camera is set at 5 megapixels and has a 5-element lens plus auto face-detection, auto focus lock and image stabilisation for video. Once again there's tap-to-focus as well as photo and video geotagging. New iPad Dictation Dictation is now included within iOS 5.1 on the new iPad. Instead of typing, tap the microphone icon on the keyboard, then say what you want to say. Tap done, and iPad converts your words into text. You can use dictation to write messages, take notes, search the web and more. Dictation also works with third-party apps too. New iPad apps Apple has announced iPhoto for the iPad. It looks terrific and seems like a semi-pro tool - there are some really professional photo editing tools in there. iMovie can now deal with 1080p video. Infinity Blade Dungeons and Sky Gamblers Air Supremacy were also shown off as was a new version of Garage Band. iOS 5.1 and iTunes 10.6 are available today as free software updates. iPhoto, iMovie 1.3 and GarageBand 1.2 are £2.99 each. Keynote 1.6, Pages 1.6 and Numbers 1.6 are £6.99 each. New iPad connectivity 4G LTE is included in the new tablet for North America only (iPad Wi-Fi+4G is the in-store name) - once again Brits lament slow networks. There will be separate US models for both the AT&T and Verizon networks. Both CDMA and GSM iPads can now easily roam internationally. There's also 21Mbps HSPA+, DC-HSDPA offering 42Mbps. LTE clocks in at 73Mbps. You can also use the new iPad as a Personal Hotspot via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or USB. All models feature Bluetooth 4.0. New iPad battery life The new iPad delivers the same battery life as the iPad - that's 10 hours - with a 9 hours if you're using LTE. LTE is a big power drain, so that's an impressive stat. New iPad dimensions and dock connector The new iPad is 9.4mm thick and 652g in weight (662g for the Wi-Fi+4G version) - the footprint is 241 x 186mm. As before, there's still the 30 pin dock connector. Forget the rumours about microSD, mini Display Port and Thunderbolt - they aren't here. New iPad AirPlay mirroring As you'd expect, the new iPad is all over AirPlay Mirroring to Apple TV. That's 720p to 2nd and 3rd generation units, with 1080p mirroring to new 4th generation models. New iPad colours Once again the iPad is available in both black and white.

Apple iPad 3 / iPad HD to showcase new touchscreen tech? Posted: The next generation Apple iPad 3 / iPad HD will come toting an improved 'E-Sense textured touchscreen' when unveiled on Wednesday, according to The Guardian. The newspaper reckons that Apple will showcase a new display which will appear to have 'texture' and make the touchscreen feel rough, rigid or rounded in certain areas. The report points out that this would explain Apple's emphasis on the word 'touch' in an invite sent out to the media last week. Media outlets were alerted to Apple's San Francisco event on March 7th which read: "We have something you really have to see. And touch." Not just a Retina Display? Many observers have assumed that the invite only refers to a high-resolution Retina Display, rather than any improvement to the tablet's touchscreen. However, The Guardian asserts that a Finnish company called Senseg are behind a potential announcement that none of the iPad 3 rumours have picked up on. "The Guardian believes that the "touch" refers to a technology from Senseg, a Finnish startup which has developed a system called E-Sense which appears to give texture to a touchscreen," the report states. "By using "tixels" generated by electric fields from elements embedded around the screen, it can make areas of the screen feel rough, ridged or rounded – and change those just as the screen pixels can change." The iPad X-factor? While this would still be a massive surprise, it could well be the X-factor that many Apple fans are hoping for amid reports that the iPad 3/ iPad HD will only see a modest upgrade. We'll find out at 6pm UK time tomorrow when the event kicks off in San Francisco.

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