iPad 3 Revealed; Retina, 5MP Camera, 4G LTE

"Resolutionary". "Stunning". "Gorgeous". Whatever Apple may call their new iPad 3, it's here. Finally. And along with it; great new features.

Retina Display

As a microscopic examination proved in mid-February,  the iPad 3 has a 2048x1536 retina display with exactly four times the quality of the iPad 2's display. Checking out a cool graphic on Apple's features website shows you that you actually can tell the difference. The retina display really should change the iPad experience.

5MP iSight Camera

Rumors from NextMedia claimed that the iPad 3 would have an 8MP camera. Though the increase wasn't as dramatic, the video quality is now full HD (1080p, slightly higher quality that the iPad 3's display). And besides, the iPad 2 really needed a camera upgrade, so any upgrade at all is fine.

4G LTE

Here's some great news for frequent travelers; your internet on-the-go has received a substantial boost, as the iPad 3 now supports 4G LTE from AT&T and Verizon. It also supports high-end 3G technologies for the times when 4G isn't available, or you can use the new SIM card slot if neither are available. In addition, the device supports tethering.
 

Apple Issues Invitations to March 7 iPad 3 Media Event

Just like the rumors said, this morning Apple released invitations to their iPad 3 media event, which will be held Wednesday, March 7. Tim Cook (this time it won't be Steve Jobs...) will introduce the iPad 3 as well as an upgraded Apple TV at 10:00 AM Pacific (1 PM Eastern). The cleverly written tagline on the photo below says "We have something you really need to see. And touch." And just like last year, the invitation shows an iPad with the calendar app on the date of the event.

The picture serves as another confirmation of the retina display with its amazingly sharp screen. The iPad 3 should also have an A5X or A6 processor, 4G LTE capability, and maybe even an 8 MP camera. For the impatient people that can't possibly wait an entire week for the event, check out the iPad 3 rumor roundup Tech n' Cars made.

Picture of iPad 3 Part With "A5X" Processor Shows Itself

Lately, there have been a lot of photoshopped pictures of iPad 3 parts circulating around the web. So when we hear about a picture of an iPad 3 with an "A5X" processor, "Photoshop" is pretty much the first word that pops into our minds. Yet, look at the picture. It's so clear, and the reflection of the light on the bubble wrap looks perfect. The date code's number, 1146, means it was produced in the 46th week of 2011, corresponding to November 16-20. This is approximately when construction on the iPad 3 began. And yes, the processor's name is A5X.

This picture showed up yesterday on the Chinese site Weiphone. It appears to be the processor and part of the memory unit of the upcoming iPad 3. Currently, the iPhone 4S, iPad 2, and 5th generation iPod Touch all sport A5 processors. So, it was expected that the iPad 3 would see an A6 processor. But this picture suggests that the change in processor speed would be more minor, just as an iPhone 4S would be a more minor change than an iPhone 5.

But what could this tell us about the iPad 3? Well, if the changes in the processor are minor, it could be that it becomes quad-core, but the GHz stay the same. Or maybe the GHz goes up from 1 to 1.5, but it stays dual-core. Either way, if this picture is in fact correct, this certainly changes our predictions about the iPad 3. Sure, you could just wait 16 days for the media event, but waiting is hard when it's for something like an iPad...

iPad 3 Event On March 7; Quad-Core, LTE, Retina

iMore reported that the iPad 3 will be announced on March 7, and Jim Dalrymple, one of the most reliable sources about Apple Rumors, has confirmed the date. It also claims that the three most important new features of the iPad 3 will be a Quad-Core A6, 4G LTE from AT&T and Verizon, and a Retina Display. Tech n' Cars goes into detail on each one:

Quad-Core A5X: Of the three rumors listed by iMore, this one is the only one we aren't quite sure of. When the report came out, it called the iPad's new processor an A5X, but an image circulating around the web (to the right) shows an "A5X" processor inside the iPad, with a date code "1146", meaning it was produced in the 46th week of 2011, which corresponds, to November 14-20. This is about when production on the iPad 3 began. The picture made us at least 80% sure of this feature. Remember when everyone was going crazy about the iPad 2's new ultra-fast dual core processor? Well, I have no idea what people will be thinking when four cores go in the processor of this thing...

4G LTE: LTE, which stands for Long Term Evolution, is a new type of network that is significantly faster than 3G. This has been rumored for a long time, and Wall Street Journal recently confirmed the rumors. The iPad 3 will also be equipped with 3G or Edge so that when 4G isn't available, you can still "fallback to a slower network technology." We don't know if you'll be able to get one iPad that can run on either AT&T's network or Verizon's network or if you'll only be able to access one on an iPad.

Retina Display: Many people were disappointed when we were so sure that the iPad 2 would have a retina display last year, yet it didn't. We were so sure because even Apple was planning for a retina display, but they didn't have enough equipment. Well, Apple won't fail you again, because this time we're certain about a 2048x1536 retina display, because MacRumors confirmed the rumor by examining an iPad 3 display under a microscope.

iPad 3 Will Have a Retina Display: Confirmed!

With the March 7 release of the iPad 3 approaching rapidly, many pictures of the iPad 3's display have showed up on the web. They were claimed to be a 2048x1536 retina display, but none of the pictures could confirm their resolution, until now.

MacRumors recently examined an iPad 3 display under a microscope and compared it to an iPad 2. The displays looked the same to the naked eye, but the results they got confirmed that the iPad 3 will have a retina display.

Since we only had a raw iPad 3 display with no method to power it, taking high quality photos of the pixels was difficult. Still, even with the relatively poor lighting, you can easily make out the pixels on each display (made up of red, green and blue elements). We highlighted a cluster of 4 pixels (2x2) from the iPad 2 to compare it to the same area on the iPad 3. On the iPad 3, the same cluster was occupied by 16 pixels (4x4) -- exactly twice the resolution in each direction. 

Could the iPad 3 Sport an 8 MP Camera?

NextMedia recently received a photo from "channeled sources" of the iPad 3's back shell. Taking a close look at the picture can help reveal what might be included in the next iPad 3.

The first thing most people notice is that the iPad's shell is tapered much more gradually, which likely will result in a more smooth and sleek feel. Interestingly, Apple made the exact opposite change a few years back when they changed the iPhone 4's body to look more boxy, as opposed to the curve on the edges of the iPhone 3GS.

But, the more exciting aspect of the picture is about the camera. The position of the camera has only shifted a tiny bit to the right, but look at its size difference as compared to the iPad 2. It's significantly larger. This goes along with a rumor that the iPad 3 might sport a 8 MP camera.

The story of the iPad's camera goes back a long way. After the hype of the first iPad's release two years back, many people were disappointed not to see a camera in the front or the back. The iPad 2 came out a year later with a camera, but the resolution was so awful Apple wouldn't disclose it's exact quality. The back camera turned out to have only 1 MP quality, and the front camera 0.3 MP. Some people wanted better quality, but others were satisfied because tablets aren't usually the primary device used to take pictures and videos. But, Apple has been adamantly increasing quality on the iPhone camera despite similar ideas. The iPhone 3GS saw an increase to 3 MP, the iPhone 4 up to 5 MP, and finally up to 8 MP with the 4S.

Yet, camera technology is increasing, and my feelings are that because it is now possible to pack very high-quality cameras into very tight spaces, Apple should feel free to increase the quality of the iPad's camera.

iPad 3 to Arrive In March with LTE, Quad-Core Processor, and Retina Display?

A series of reports from rather reliable sources such as Bloomberg and Macotakara claims Apple's manufacturing partners are working 24 hours a day so that Apple will be able to launch the iPad 3 in March. Not only do the reports claim that the device will sport a retina display that will make some graphics look as clear as printed copies (we're almost sure of this because of how many reports it's been in), they claim that a quad-core processor will be used to speed up the iPad 3 dramatically. Also, a new graphics processor will be so quick that videos will begin to play almost instantly.

The only thing the reports can't seem to agree on is the form factor. Some say that Apple is adopting Sharp's IGZO technology to allow for a thinner iPad, while others say Apple has turned down Sharp's offer, and will be sacrificing a little thickness in order to use high resolution IPS displays from Samsung and LG.

Arguably the most exciting piece of information is that Apple will be bringing LTE to the iPad 3. Apple will bring this technology to the iPad before the iPhone because the iPad has a bigger battery, so it can maintain a longer battery life while LTE is in use.