After describing the iPad as “the poster child of the post-PC world,” Apple today announced the iPad HD with a Retina Display and powered by a new A5X SoC. Highlights of the new iPad HD include:
- The Retina Display offers a resolution of 2048 by 1536 pixels (264PPI).
- The new A5X offers 4 times the graphics performance of the previous A5 and the the X designates the new quad-core graphics. It still has a dual-core processor.
- A new 5MP camera has been added. It supports face recognition and 1080p video capture with image stabilization
- LTE and 3G connectivity. Coming to Bell, Rogers and Telus in Canada and AT&T and Verizon in the U.S.
- Battery life is the same as current iPad (LTE models are slightly lower at about 9 hours)
To go along with the new iPad, Apple announced updated versions of Garage Band, iMovie, iWork ($9.99 per app) and unveiled iPhoto for the iPad.
Apple also confirmed that it will continue to sell the iPad 2 at a price reduced by $100.
The iPad HD will be available starting on March 16th with pre-orders starting today in both Canada and the U.S. (along with the UK, France, Germany, Switzerland, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Australia). Wi-Fi-only model pricing starts at US$499 for the 16GB model. The 32GB model will sell for US$599 and the 64GB for US$699. 4G models will respectively cost US$629, US$729 and US$829.