The New iPad

We've all been waiting for the next generation iPad. Rumors about it have been floating around basically since the launch of the iPad 2, and now those rumors are all either confirmed or denied. Mostly confirmed.

With the new iPad, Apple is really focusing on graphics and images. The new iPad sports a Retina display, Apple's proprietary term for a display that, when viewed at a normal distance, the pixels are not discernible. The Retina display is also found in the iPhone 4 and 4S, as well as the iPod touch 4th generation. Although the iPad has less pixels per inch (PPI) than the iPhone and iPod touch, it has a 2048x1536 resolution, making it a higher resolution than even an HDTV.

The A5X Chip

The graphics are also greatly improved, as the new iPad boasts the Apple A5X chip, a dual-core system-on-a-chip with quad-core graphics. This makes high-quality games look much better, and really works well with the new Retina display.

The third feature focusing on images and graphics is the new camera built into the iPad. The new iPad sports the same front-facing Facetime camera as the previous iPad 2, however, the rear-facing camera is greatly improved. The new rear-facing camera, or, as Apple calls it, the iSight camera, features a 5MP sensor, as well as the same 5-lens optics system as the iPhone 4S, to give much-higher quality images than the iPad 2. The  iSight also allows for 1080p HD video-recording, with built-in video stabilization. The interesting thing about the new camera is that Apple is calling it an iSight camera. The iSight name was originally used for the front-facing web-cams on the Macs, and was later replaced with the name "Facetime". Until now it had seemed that the iSight brand was killed.

The three features above all really work together to give users a great visual experience on the new iPad.

The iPad now also supports 4G LTE, on both Verizon and AT&T, giving much faster wireless speeds than before. One will have to buy an iPad specifically for the 4G carrier they want to use, and the 4G iPads also support 3G, if one does not live in a 4G LTE supported area.

The features above are all known to be battery-drainers, but Apple claims the same 10 hour battery life as the previous iPads, while only making the iPad a bit heavier and thicker, at 9.4mm thick, and 1.44 pounds heavy.

Voice Dictation Built into the Keyboard

Another new feature in the iPad is Voice Dictation, powered by Siri technology. Although you won't get the same Siri personal assistant you find in the iPhone 4S, the new iPad does have a voice dictation feature built into the software keyboard, so you'll be able to dictate text instead of typing in any app.

Along with the iPad announcement, Apple announced updates to Garage Band and iMovie for the iPad, as well as a completely new app to complete the iLife suite. iMovie now allows for you to create, as the Apple press release says, "Hollywood-style trailers as you shoot HD video". Garage Band also has a new feature, called Jam Sessions, which allows a group to wirelessly connect and record music together. iPhoto, a new Apple app, allows grouping of photos and a great editing feature. All three of these apps cost $4.99 each.

The new iPad is available for pre-order now, and will be available to buy March 16th. The cost remains the same, starting at $499, so if you want one, pre-order now at Apple.com. The iPad 2 is also still available, at a reduced price of $399.

Interestingly, Apple is veering off from it's naming scheme, as they are calling the latest version of the iPad "The New iPad", instead of iPad 3 or iPad HD, as some thought it would be called. It will be interesting to see whether or not Apple continues this new way of naming devices with the next iPhone.

What do you think? Will you be buying a new iPad? Let us know in the comments.