So, what have Apple announced today. I’m writing this as the event takes place, so here we go.
New Apple TV
First up, is a new Apple TV. Not the mythical Apple iTV, but an update of the existing Apple TV product. It is HD, 1080p, and runs via a new interface, which looks very iOS.
“Just like we’ve done for music and TV shows, you now have access to movies you’ve already purchased in iCloud.”
Pricing for the new Apple TV is US$99, and it is available on March 16.
And the new iPad… that is called the new iPad
The new, as yet still unnamed iPad, will have the higher definition Retina Display (2048 by 1536 pixels – that’s beyond HD), A5X chip (quad-core GPU, dual-core CPU), iSight camera, 1080p video recording, voice dictation, and has 4G LTE.
Although Apple is calling it Wi-Fi +4G, it will not be 4G in Australia. The Wi-Fi + 4G model is LTE 700, 2100 MHz, whereas the “4G” Telstra uses is on the 1800MHz band. It’ll still be quick though, on HSPA+ and DC-HSDPA.
New iPad price and availability
The new iPad is priced at US$499 for 16GB, US$599 for 32GB, US$699 for 64GB. And US$629, US$729, and US$829 for 4G. The same prices as iPad 2. Pre-order starts today, and it too has a launch date of March 16. Australia is in on the March 16 launch date, placing us at the very front of the queue, what with our place in time on the world clock.
In addition to going on sale in Australia on March 16, the new iPad will go on sale in the US, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Puerto Rico, Singapore, Switzerland, UK and the US Virgin Islands.
Australian pricing is as follows:
- Wi-Fi – 16GB – $539
- Wi-Fi – 32GB – $649
- Wi-Fi – 64GB – $759
- Wi-Fi + 4G 16GB – $679
- Wi-Fi + 4G 32GB – $789
- Wi-Fi + 4G 64GB – $899
By comparison, at launch the iPad 2 pricing was:
- Wi-Fi 16GB – $629
- Wi-Fi32GB – $759
- Wi-Fi64GB – $879
- Wi-Fi + 3G16GB – $799
- Wi-Fi + 3G32GB – $928
- Wi-Fi + 3G 64GB – $1,049
The iPad 2 is to stay on sale, with pricing from $429.
At this point, there’s no new name for the new iPad, indeed on the Apple site, it’s simply called the new iPad. It’s tagline – “resolutionary”. Cute? Forced? Storage sizes are the same as the iPad 2 – 16GB, 32GB, 64GB.
Here’s the metric dimensions:
New iPad Wi-Fi
- Height: 241.2 mm
- Width: 185.7 mm
- Depth: 9.41 mm
- Weight: 652 grams
New iPad Wi-Fi +4G
- Height: 241.2 mm
- Width: 185.7 mm
- Depth: 9.41 mm
- Weight: 662 grams