The new iPad: everything you need to know

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.

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 video playback. Unless the A5's architecture itself has been altered, which seems unlikely, the smaller 32nm process can be credited with the greater efficiency. Anandtech speculates that, cost and battery life benefits aside, this migration will give Apple experience with the 32nm process ahead of implementing it in the next iPhone.

The new iPad works on 4G LTE, but only in North America. Even in places like Sweden that have robust 4G networks, the iPad only supports the 700MHz and 2100MHz spectrum bands, which aren't going to be adapted to LTE in those countries any time soon. Australia's Competition and Consumer Commission has already filed an injunction against Apple over its advertising. Apple reportedly argued that while it marketed the iPad as "4G" in Australia, it never made claims about whether it would work on Australia's 4G network. Nonetheless, it has since clarified the fact on its site and offered to refund customers who were confused by the distinction.

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 users. Consumers will be able to have their purchase price refunded at the point of sale, and language on international online Apple Stores currently notes that the WiFi + 4G model can "roam worldwide on fast GSM/UMTS networks, including HSPA, HSPA+, and DC-HSDP," but that it can only connect to the LTE networks "of AT&T in the U.S. and Bell, Rogers, and Telus in Canada." Whether this will be enough to halt any further action against the company in Australia, however, remains to be seen.

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 Law, and will tomorrow make an application to the Federal Court in Melbourne for an injunction against the US company. The full list of ACCC demands sounds suitably inflated, including monetary penalties, corrective advertising, and refunds made to disappointed customers. We don't know whether any or all will be granted by the court, but we're inclined to agree with the ACCC's complaint: the world isn't yet globalized to the point where a company can advertise features that are only available in another country — which in Australia's case happens to be almost literally on the other side of the planet.

Can Apple spark a flurry of retail spending and single-handedly pull Greece out of recession? Will there be riots on the streets of Bucharest when buyers discover they can't use LTE? Is the Ukraine preparing to invade Hungary to seize its new iPad stock? Probably not. Are any of you buying one today? Probably so.

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 of full 720p due to the aspect ratio. If you're looking for content to show off your new toy's unique selling point, the iTunes Movie Trailers app could be a good place to start.

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 specification at some point — possibly last October, when the line got a color refresh. Reports on the Apple support forums say that the company will exchange defective covers for new ones at the Apple store, and third-party manufacturers including Targus and Maroo are also offering replacements.

Of course, this isn't a huge jump in temperature, and in any case it's difficult to take a single report as gospel — after all, it's only based on an individual device that could well have gone through the manufacturing process differently to others. So, we'd like to hear your experiences with the new iPad — does it feel hotter to you than previous tablets? How does it compare to your laptop or phone? When do you notice it heating up the most? Have you found any fixes? Let us know in the comments!

Update: The headline of this post originally said that the new iPad ran 18 percent hotter than the iPad 2, which can be interpreted multiple ways — we'd been using it relative to the freezing and boiling points of water, 0 and 100. We've removed the percentage to eliminate any confusion.

Tying into Tim Cook's claim of a "record weekend" for the new iPad, AT&T spokesman Seth Bloom just tweeted that the carrier set its own iPad sales and activation records on Friday. That's significant considering how long AT&T has been stocking various versions of the iPad — and it lends credence to the thought that the latest model has been doing extraordinarily well. There have been various reports that it hasn't sold out, but it seems possible (if not likely) that Apple has simply grown production capacity enough to ride the demand wave.

Tim Cook has just delivered the first news regarding performance of Apple's new iPad for 2012: he says the product had a "record weekend" and the entire team is "thrilled" with it. Although Apple was keen to make today's conference call strictly about the company's share repurchase and dividend plans, there was an inevitable question about how well the new iPad has sold and Cook's answer was unequivocal, if not overly informative. Of course, the third-gen tablet launched in multiple markets simultaneously this past Friday, whereas Apple's previous iPads had their releases staggered and started off with only the United States. So beating the previous record was probably a predictable feat, it's by how much that we really want to know. But Tim ain't telling.

Update: Apple has come clean with the numbers: the new iPad's opening weekend tallied up an impressive 3 million units sold.

Before Apple's latest iPad was announced, we saw some early comparisons of an unpowered version of the device's display panel. Now that the iPad is out, the logical next step was to do the same with the real deal, and UI designer Lukas Mathis has taken on the challenge, comparing the display's pixels to several other devices on his blog. Using a USB microscope, Mathis examined the quadrupled pixel count on the new iPad, while also putting it up against the iPad 2, iPhone 4S, Blackberry PlayBook, and the Kindle Fire, amongst many others. While obviously demonstrating the iPad's superiority on the pixel front, it's also a primer on different screen technologies themselves, from the unique pixel arrangement of the Nintendo 3DS's 3D panel, to the striking limitations of modern PenTile displays.

There are a number of differences between the AT&T and Verizon models of the new iPad, but for those who do plenty of travelling around America, Verizon seems to be the way to go. Not only is Verizon's LTE network larger — it covers more than 200 million Americans compared to AT&T's 74 million — but the Verizon iPad can also run on AT&T's 3G network by popping in the appropriate micro-SIM card. A member of the MacRumors forums has confirmed this by using the card from an AT&T iPhone 4S in a Verizon iPad, which, with a few tweaks to the carrier settings, managed to run on the new network — though, because of some compatibility issues, the swap won't let you connect to AT&T's LTE network. Meanwhile, PCMag even managed to get the Verizon iPad working on T-Mobile using the same trick. Though, in that case the device was restricted to the 2G EDGE, resulting in less than optimal speeds. While the news isn't all that surprising, it's definitely useful, especially if you're stuck in an area with poor Verizon coverage. Now the question is where you're going to buy your new tablet to begin with.

We're sure the first thing you'll want to do when you get that new iPad home is give the 2048 x 1536 Retina Display a workout. With that in mind, Apple has curated a section of the App Store especially for apps that have been updated with full high resolution support, like Infinity Blade II. Here are a few of the more notable inclusions; we'll be adding to this list as more updates come in.

Note: it appears that not all the apps in Apple's "Great apps for the new iPad" section actually have Retina Display support — for example, the US App Store lists Gameloft's Modern Combat 3, which is yet to be updated as far as we know. Similarly, you should expect a lot of apps with Retina Display support not to make it into the curated section.

We knew it was coming, but iFixit has finally received a shiny new iPad (with LTE) to dissect. That teardown is going on right now — we're looking forward to finding out for sure that the new iPad includes 1GB of RAM (though benchmarks have already tipped us off to that), and iFixit already believes that the LCD is made by Samsung, based on the model numbers. A careful look at the battery label reveals that it's a 43Whr battery with an 11,560mAh capacity — despite Apple's site listing it as a 42.5Whr battery. The battery consists of three 12.5cm x 6.5cm cells, each 4mm thick, and spans almost the entire width and breadth of the iPad. Curiously, each of the cells are labelled as 14.6Whr, which gives another rating of 43.8Whr — confusing stuff. Battery density looks to be almost identical to that of the unit found in the iPad 2 — it's the huge size of the new cells that's made the difference here.

As iFixit got deeper, they uncovered a few more interesting details in the guts of the new iPad. The logic board, it looks like, has a Broadcom BCM4330 802.11a/b/g/n MAC/Baseband/Radio that includes an Integrated Bluetooth 4.0+HS and FM Transceiver; they also uncovered the new A5X SoC itself, which looks to be manufactured by Samsung like the A4 and A5. In terms of RAM, you have a pair of 4Gb Elpida LPDDR2 cards for a total of 1GB of DRAM arranged in a 64-bit configuration. There's also a Qualcomm MDM9600 3G and 4G wireless modem (not the newer MDM9615) and the Qualcomm RTR8600 multi-band/mode RF transceiver for 3G and LTE. The final piece of the puzzle is provided by Toshiba: 16GB of NAND flash memory. It looks as though the teardown is finished for now, but we'll update this article with more information if and when it appears.

Apple has its own recycling program that's offering rewards in the way of gift cards for trading in your iPad 2. The base 16GB Wi-Fi-only model will net you a $205 card to spend on your upgrade to the new iPad (assuming that your current unit is in good condition) while the top-of-the-line 64GB Wi-Fi + 3G* model earns you $320.

Amazon's being a little more generous, offering up to $300 in gift cards for the lower-end 16GB Wi-Fi-only model and a hefty $460 for the 64GB Wi-Fi + 3G model. To get these prices your iPad has to be "like new," with no scratches or perzonalization, though even with a few minor issues you can expect a decent value.

When Steve Jobs introduced FaceTime for the iPhone 4 in 2010, he said that "FaceTime's going to be Wi-Fi only in 2010. We need to work a little bit with the cellular providers to get ready for the future, so we're Wi-Fi only in 2010." Despite many rumors since then, we've yet to see Facetime work natively over cellular networks. Apple had no comment on FaceTime over LTE when we asked, but we're still waiting to hear from AT&T and Verizon, who are the more likely forces behind the restriction — we'll let you know what they say.

The moment Tim Cook took the stage and announced the new iPad on March 7th in San Francisco, I immediately started brainstorming on my review for the device. There are clear challenges in comparing generational, iterative products like the iPad — especially when the devices themselves look nearly identical. Looks, of course, are really only half the story with the new iPad (side note: the name is just "iPad," though Apple seems to be using "new" quite liberally). In fact, looks may not be the story at all.

While the device does appear to be physically nearly identical to its predecessor, there are significant changes in the product. For starters, it's boasting that outrageous Retina display — its 9.7-inch screen delivering a whopping 2048 x 1536 resolution. The new iPad is also equipped with a greatly improved camera on its back (a 5 megapixel shooter, not unlike the one featured on the iPhone 4), new 4G LTE options (for both Verizon and AT&T), and a considerably more powerful processor.

Apple's iPad versions of its iLife and iWork apps will be up to five times as large as their predecessors due to the ultra-high resolution of the new iPad. Vietnamese site Tinhte has spent some time with the new iPad and made an interesting observation on app sizes:

While some of the apps have received additional features, it seems likely that the increase in size is mainly down to the huge graphics needed to fill the new iPad's 2048 x 1536 Retina Display. It's worth remembering that these are only download sizes, and once installed the apps may be even larger. Regular apps will likely receive a similar bump in size once developers update them with hi-def graphics. Along with iPhoto for iOS's ability to handle nineteen-megapixel images and the iPad's new five-megapixel camera, it seems like space will be at more of a premium than before, and the 16GB iPad in particular is looking short on local storage.

So, you've decided to purchase the new iPad. You've weighed all the important decisions: storage capacity, Wi-Fi only or LTE, which carrier to throw your lot in with, and — most importantly — white or black. Now you just need to plot your strategy for getting your hands on this highly-coveted new device. Fortunately for you, we've put together this helpful guide to where you can get your hands on Apple's latest tablet.

The first, and probably most popular, option for purchasing the new iPad is at Apple's own website. Unfortunately, shipping times quickly slipped past launch day, and you'll wait two to three weeks for all models if you order now. The next obvious option is heading to an Apple store on launch day. Apple's stores have historically carried significantly more stock than any third-party options, but heading to an Apple store on launch day brings its own special challenges — you'll be fighting mobs of fans to get your hands on the new iPad. Apple has just announced that its stores will be open at 8AM this Friday in nine countries for customers looking to purchase the new iPad, but you'll want to be there a lot earlier to have a chance at buying Apple's latest.

If you're planning to line up this Friday morning to get your hands on the new iPad, Apple has just announced its stores will be open at 8AM local time this March 16th. This isn't a huge surprise; the company has traditionally opened early for various major product launches, but it's good to have the official word on when the highly-anticipated tablet will be officially available. If the past is any indication, we'd strongly advise you to get in line significantly earlier than 8AM for you to have any hopes of walking away with Apple's latest.

Apple stores in the following countries will be open at 8AM local time this Friday, March 16th: US, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Switzerland and the UK; along with Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.

Apple announced its brand new iPad earlier this month, bringing its Retina display technology to the 9.7-inch iOS tablet. The new 2048 x 1536 panel now includes over 3.1 million pixels and a 264ppi density, resulting in a much sharper image display on screen. While eager fans await the launch of the high-res iPad on March 16th, one research company has been digging into the technology behind Apple's latest tablet to offer some thoughts on how the Cupertino-based firm has managed to create its "breakthrough display."

DisplaySearch believes that Apple is using Super High Aperture (SHA) pixel design for its new iPad. SHA, developed by Sharp and JSR, allows manufacturers to increase aperture ratio with an acrylic resin layer that planarizes the device and helps separate the pixel electrodes and signal lines. Apple explains in its new iPad video that the company wanted to avoid color distortion and fuzzy images, solving this by elevating the pixels onto a different plane that is separate from the signals themselves. The double pixel density also requires a brighter backlight and DisplaySearch says its research indicates that the latest iPad has twice as many LEDs than the iPad 2, which included 36. We will know for sure on Friday once teardown experts get a closer look, likely revealing the rest of the new iPad's innards and confirming who supplies the new display.

If you're hoping to get your hands on Apple's new iPad on launch day but haven't already ordered, an Apple Store line may be in your future. Cupertino's US online store is now listing a March 19th ship date for all 9 variants of the new Retina Display-equipped slate, a full three days after the device's release. It's an almost expected occurrence at this point, with Apple having run into the same issue with the release of previous iOS devices in recent years. While no specific details have been given on in-store availability or customer limits as of yet, Apple's brick-and-mortar locations have traditionally had stock to sell on a first-come, first-serve basis — but you may want to watch out for any spontaneous Galaxy Note-inspired musical numbers.

After some earlier confusion, Apple has clarified that buyers of the new iPad outside the US will be able to provision the device on AT&T LTE when they're in the States:

There'd initially been some question as to which 3G-capable SKU — the AT&T LTE or Verizon LTE model — would be sold in European countries, but it now appears that Verizon's model is a carrier exclusive, at least for the moment. Meanwhile, Europeans traveling to the US will be able to provision their iPads on AT&T's 4G network if they've got access to an appropriate AT&T SIM.