What to expect from the iPad 3 a.k.a iPad HD?

The D-day has finally arrived and after months of speculation, leaks and rumours going wild, Apple will be finally pulling the wraps off what will once again be taking the pedestal as ‘the’ tablet to beat. I don’t mean to sound like a fan boy or anything here, but we all know deep down that it is inevitable and if you can get past your hatred and loathing for the Cupertino company, then you know that I speak true. Over the course of several months, we’ve already built-up a rough idea in our heads as to what we can expect. The launch of the iPhone 4S has already filled in some of the missing pieces of the puzzle. Let’s wrap up some of the most talked about features of the iPad 3, or iPad HD or whatever Apple decides to call it and see what that means for you, the end user.    

All will be revealed tomorrow

Retina Display anyone? 

The Retina Display was a runaway success on the iPhone 4, not because it sounded cool, but because it offered a pixel per inch (ppi) count of over 320ppi at which, the human eye cannot distinguish between individual pixels, not matter how hard you try. This made everything appear super crisp and clear. The iPad has been rocking a relatively low resolution, since the first one launched and is overdue for an upgrade. According to rumours, the new screen will have the same 4:3 aspect ratio and will most likely be a 9.7-incher, but the resolution is said to be 2048 x 1536. While this is a definite upgrade from the current one, it isn’t exactly ‘Retina grade’ as the ppi level tops out at 264, a long way from 330ppi.

I guess close to Retina is good enough

The iPad can finally catch up with Android tablets, in terms of screen pixel density and if Apple’s invitation is any indication to go by, then the new display seems to be well worth the wait. We don’t have any further information on the display, other than that it should be an IPS screen made most probably by Sharp. This is one feature we are most excited to see and so should you. The iPad’s screen is still among the best in the biz, so bumping up the resolution will only make it better. 

4G (LTE) Support 

Word on the web is that the iPad HD will sport a 4G radio or LTE, along with the GSM and 3G radios. While this feature may be useful for those in the U.S, where Verizon and AT&T have 4G networks up and running and are most likely to carry the iPad HD on contract, for the rest of us, at least in India, it makes no difference at all. We are still coming to terms with the ridiculous rates we have to pay for 3G in India, so 4G is still a distant dream. The iPad 3 will join the elite list (for now) of tablets, like the Samsung Galaxy 7.7 to sport this new high-speed connection. Also, since the iPad will most likely not posses both CDMA and GSM radios in one, there will be different SKUs for different carriers and it’s just the GSM version that will make its way over to our shores. 

Better battery life 

 The iPad 2 is fitted with a Li-Po 6930mAh battery that does a swimmingly good job and if rumours are true, then its success is only going to double. The iPad 3 is said to have a 14,000mAh battery, but we shouldn’t expect double the battery life simply because, it has to power a higher resolution screen and a faster processor. A more realistic number would be somewhere around a 30 to 40 percent improvement in battery life.