iPad third generation

It’s not called the iPad 3 … it’s just the iPad.

It’s the small things, like this change in name format, that Apple make a big effort to communicate well to keep everything clear to its army of followers and customers. The third generation iPad, just launched, is also all about clarity. A good way to illustrate this, is to regurgitate the words of Apple CEO Tim Cook who explains that, the new iPad has 1 million more pixels than most new HD TV sets. He goes on the let us know: “that’s incredible”

You can guess that the most important upgrade to the third generation of Cupertino’s market-dominating tablet lies in the ridiculous 2048 x 1536 retina display packed with 3.1 million pixels — the most ever in a mobile device – and a 40% boost in color saturation.

Otherwise, the noticeable external changes from the last iPad are slim. The device is slightly heavier at 0.63kg and is roughly 1 mm thicker with more tapered curves on the back, which is good news for those of you invested heavily in iPad 2 accessories since they’ll still fit. Additional internal hardware changes are more incremental. The new A5X chip set with quad-core graphics is a beefed-up version of the original found in the iPhone 4s / iPad 2. A gig of ram (doubling the previous gen) also amps up the snappiness, while a new camera setup — if you’re one of the 3 people into tablet photography — is basically identical to that of the iPhone 4S. Specifically, there’s a rear 5 megapixel camera with a backside illuminated sensor, complete with 1080p video capture and built-in image stabilization, as well as an improved front-facing camera.

Free spirits living the untethered lifestyle will also appreciate the addition of 4G LTE capabilities (73Mbps). More impressively, the new iPad will still offer roughly the same 9 hour battery life current iPad users have taken for granted. There’s also a world-ready 3G (HSPA+ and DC-HSDPA) version for globe trotters, and all cellar data models will feature new hotspot capabilities. Storage tiers remain the same, with 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB options available.

On the software side, you won’t find Apple’s Chatty Cathy, Siri, in iOS 5.1, but the iPad has now at least been equipped with voice dictation, activated by a new key on the on-screen keyboard. A variety of new retina-enabled apps were also announced at launch, including the iWork trio of app and a totally reinvented iPhoto for iPad that supports up to 19 megapixel photos. No small feat. via gearpatrol.com

Locally the iPad – yes you can use it casually without numbers in conversation and remain correct – is not available just yet, we will make sure you know when it is. If you are still reading, you are probably an Apple Aficionado and you’ll probably be in the know anyway. Let’s see if you can get your hands on one before us. Go!