SAN FRANCISCO — Apple unveiled the third generation of its popular iPad tablet computer Wednesday, with a host of upgraded features that include 4G, or LTE, compatibility, a high-resolution display and a quad-core processor far superior to competitors.
Apple chief executive Tim Cook and other executives announced the anticipated new gadget, along with two other offerings: a universal iPhoto app and a new Apple TV set-top box.
The star of the show, however, was the new iPad, which was not christened with an official name, as executives alternately referred to it as the third-generation iPad and the new iPad. It will be available for purchase in the United States on March 16.
“When we set out to create the iPad, we set out to create a new category, the best device for doing the things you do most often, like browsing the Web and checking e-mail. It was a tall order, but iPad users tell us that’s exactly what we’ve done,” Cook said in the introduction to the new tablet.
“Who will come out with a product that’s more amazing than the iPad 2?” he asked.
“Well, stop wondering,” he continued, to laughter. “We are.”
Phil Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing, ran through the upgraded components of the new iPad, starting with a retina display, first introduced in the Cupertino, Calif., company’s iPhone 4 smartphone.
“Until you see it, you can’t understand how amazing it is,” Schiller said
The display has a resolution of 2,038 by 1,536 pixels, giving it more than 3.1 million pixels, the most in history, Schiller said.
The brains inside the new iPad is an A5X microchip, Schiller announced, saying that “other competitors use 1X.”
“This is a graphics powerhouse,” he said.
The new iPad will start at $499 and cost up to $829 for the highest-end version; the iPad 2’s starting price will drop from $499 to $399.
The new device will be available in the U.S. and select other countries March 16, Schiller said, with 25 more countries added a week later, which Schiller said “will be the fastest rollout we’ve ever had.”
Apple said it will also release new versions of iWork, iMovie and Garage Band.
Apple’s newest iPad The third generation
