The Verge - The new iPad: everything you need to know

Is the Retina display holding back iPad graphics?

2012-05-26T15:45:06Z

The new iPad's Retina display is certainly a sight to behold, but does it come at a cost? That's the impression you'd get from viewing screenshots of Gameloft's new shooter N.O.V.A. 3 over at NeoGAF — the results suggest that the developers have seriously dialed back the effects on Apple's latest tablet in order to push four times as many pixels. The A5X system-on-chip inside the new iPad is more than capable on paper, but what happens when its quad-core GPU is tasked with running a modern first-person shooter at 2048 x 1536? We took a look at N.O.V.A. 3 and some more of the iPad's most taxing games to see how this year's model stacks up to its predecessor.

New $399 iPad 2 has improved battery life thanks to 32nm processor

2012-05-04T07:32:26Z

We've already heard that the price-slashed $399 iPad 2 features a new 32nm A5 processor, and that it could theoretically lead to better battery life. Well, the test results are in from Anandtech, and it turns out that iPad 2 buyers will indeed be getting extended endurance from their new tablets... if they're lucky. Apple has begun shipping out models designated "iPad 2,4" with the new processors, but apparently they're rather thin on the ground right now, and there's no way to tell if you have one without turning the device on.

Still, if you do manage to snag a new unit you can reportedly expect battery life improvements of up to 15.8 percent when browsing the web, 29 percent while playing games like Infinity Blade 2, and 18 percent in...

UK and Sweden may investigate 'misleading' iPad 4G advertisements

2012-03-28T14:54:53Z

Apple may be facing legal challenges in a growing number of countries for touting the "4G" capability of its new iPad. Both Sweden and the UK indicated that they have received numerous consumer complaints about the iPad, which is advertised as a 4G tablet in both countries despite not working on LTE in either. "One may rightfully ask if the marketing of the new iPad is misleading," said Marek Andersson of the Swedish Consumer Agency, which is considering launching an investigation over whether the ads run afoul of consumer protection laws. The UK's Advertising Standards Authority, meanwhile, has told Pocket-lint that it is currently assessing complaints from consumers to "establish whether or not there is a problem under the...

Apple reportedly set to offer iPad refunds in Australia after 4G marketing confusion

2012-03-28T03:46:03Z

Earlier today the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission made an application to the Federal Court in Melbourne for an injunction against Apple, stating that the company's use of the term "4G" in connection with the latest iPad was misleading for Australian consumers when the device only runs on LTE networks in North America. Apple has already responded, according to ABC News, and will be offering full refunds to Australian customers confused by the issue. Apple reportedly argued in the Melbourne Federal Court that it had never specifically said the new iPad could connect to Australia's Telstra LTE network, and that given that the new iPad is indeed compatible with other 4G networks that it wasn't guilty of directly misleading...

Apple's iPad '4G' advertising labeled misleading by Australian watchdog, may be banned

2012-03-27T07:57:46Z

Unlike the iPhone 4S, the new iPad can be bought with legitimate 4G connectivity on board. The limitation of that feature, however, is that it only works in North America. You can buy an "iPad Wi-Fi + 4G" model anywhere in the world, but it's only on AT&T in the US or Bell, Rogers or Telus in Canada that you'll be able to enjoy actual LTE connectivity. Needless to say, that can mislead (and ultimately frustrate) users who might reasonably have expected a product with "4G" in its name to connect to their local 4G network — an issue that has been taken up by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.

The ACCC is unhappy with Apple's marketing and sale of the 4G iPad, alleging it infringes four sections of the Australian Consumer...

The new iPad launches in 25 more countries today

2012-03-23T09:59:42Z

A week on from the first wave of new iPad releases, Apple is pushing out its latest tablet to a number of additional territories. Among the new markets are Mexico, New Zealand, all of Scandinavia, and Vlad Savov's motherland of Bulgaria. Pricing varies from country to country — in Spain the new iPad starts at €479 (around $635) for the 16GB model, in Luxembourg it's only €455.25 ($605), and in heavily-taxed Norway the same tablet costs 3,790 kroner ($655).

The complete list of new markets is:

Austria
Belgium
Bulgaria
Czech Republic
Denmark
Finland
Greece
Hungary
Iceland
Ireland
Italy
Liechtenstein
Luxembourg
Macau
Mexico
The Netherlands
New Zealand
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden

Can Apple spark a...

iTunes Movie Trailers app updated for new iPad with higher resolution video

2012-03-23T06:56:04Z

Following Retina display-ready updates to its own suite of software, Apple has updated its iTunes Movie Trailers app for the new iPad. The update isn't a simple asset switch, though, as the trailers themselves do appear to be in a higher resolution — we tested the Prometheus teaser on both an iPad 2 and a new iPad streaming over Wi-Fi, and as you'll see above the latter was significantly more detailed.

While we can't confirm the actual resolution that's being displayed, and the streaming quality is always dependent on your connection, it appears that Apple has made the 1080p trailers available to view on the new iPad. The Retina display can fully resolve 1080p resolution, whereas the previous iPad's 1024 x 768 screen isn't even capable...

New iPad Smart Cover incompatibility issue caused by magnet polarity

2012-03-22T13:56:06Z

A manufacturing change in the new iPad (Check out our iPad review) appears to have broken compatibility with certain Smart Covers, as well as some third-party cases that use the iPad's built-in magnets. From video and photo evidence posted at Mark's Hangout, it appears that the new iPad now uses a polarity-sensitive sensor to wake the device from sleep upon opening the cover, meaning that the magnet must be correctly aligned — apparently early Smart Covers were initially made with the magnet in question facing either way. Opening the cover and reversing the panel fixes the issue, though obviously somewhat hinders the cover's visual appeal.

Newer Smart Covers don't exhibit the problem, suggesting that Apple has changed the design...