iPad 3 – The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

he iPad3 comes with a 9.7 “Retina type display which offers a resolution of 2048 × 1536 pixels and a pixel density of 263.92 pixels per inch.

Since the resolution offered is significantly higher than the previous generation, current applications are automatically scaled and the text will be adapted for a higher resolution.

The hardware platform is provided by a A5X dual-core processor with 1 GHz frequency, and a graphics card, which Apple claims is four times faster than Nvidia Tegra 3.

Regarding the connectivity, it should be noted the appearance of a new 4G LTE technology, which is currently available only in the United States and has theoretical speeds up to 73 Mbps. In Europe, the new iPad 3 will be sold only in the 3G version. The 3G connection speeds can work up to 21 Mbps plus Wi-Fi a / b / g / n, Bluetooth 4.0 and USB 2.0. As is expected, the Apple iPad 3 offers no microSD card slot.

The 5 MP camera on the back has been named iSight and has a backlit sensor, IR filter, autofocus and autoexposure, offering the same facilities available on the iPhone 4S. Finally, the camera is able to record video in Full HD at 1080p.

Even if the display has a higher resolution, and the hardware has dramatically improved, Apple claims that the Li-Polymer battery life on the iPad 3 will be 10 hours, and will go down to 9 hours only using the 4G version.

In terms of design, the tablet does not bring a revolution and it still has included the Home button, which was heavily rumored that it will be removed completely. The only less pleasant news is the slightly increased weight from 607 to 635 grams.

The tablet is using the iOS 5.1 operating system, an update to the iOS 6 operating system is expected. The new iPad version includes the Siri voice assistant. In addition to Siri, iOS 5.1 for iPad includes iPhoto (5 USD), and major improvements to iMovie (5 USD), in addition to the promise of a superior gaming experience.

Prices will remain similar to the iPad 2, so that the basic version equipped with Wi-Fi and 16 GB of internal memory will cost 499 USD. Regarding the 4G LTE version, prices start from 629 USD for the 16 GB version.

The iPad 3 is on sale in U.S., Canada, UK, France, Germany, Switzerland and Japan, and and other 100 countries.