HD screen, 4G most notable features of newest iPad
Posted On Mar 25, 2012 at , 4:10 PM by SyahrizalSAN FRANCISCO: Apple Inc's latest iPad sports a crisper display and an array of technology advances that, while less than revolutionary, may prove enough for now to keep rivals like Amazon.com Inc and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd at bay.
While stopping short of vaulting ahead of Motorola and Samsung, the device - which comes 4G-ready and boasts a quad-core graphics processor - is capable enough to help safeguard its two-thirds market share.
"The screen is a notable feature for non-techie customers, as is the faster connectivity. That's something that mainstream consumers can identify with," said Morningstar analyst Michael Holt.
"There's pent-up demand because a new device was widely anticipated. I they've made enough incremental improvements to do well."
Other analysts say the faster processing may begin to draw heavy gamers, encroaching on turf now dominated by gaming-hardware makers such as Microsoft or Sony.
Apple will continue to sell the iPad 2 but dropped its price by US$100 (RM300). The older Tablet now starts at US$399 (RM1,200) while the new third-generation WiFi-only iPad starts at US$499 (RM1,500).
The high-end model of Apple's latest iPad starts at US$629 (RM1,900) and will be capable of operating on a high-speed 4G "LTE," or Long-Term Evolution, network.
At speeds roughly 10x faster than current 3G technology, that may help banish the sometimes shaky video quality of older devices.
An updated version of the WiFi-only model remains at US$499 (RM1,500). The most expensive 4G model, with 64GB of storage, will go for US$829 (RM2,500).
The previous iPad 2 with 3G also sold for US$629 to US$829 (RM1,900 to RM2,500). The cheapest model of the previous-generation iPad 2 now retails at US$399 (RM1,200). - Reuters
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