New iPad 3

UPDATED: 19:33 EST, 8 March 2012

British iPad fans could be missing out on one of the best features of Apple’s new model – a super-fast 4G phone connection – but will end up paying for the privilege anyway.

Apple made much of the new device’s 4G network connection at the device’s launch last night, showing off web videos which played near-instantly over the LTE connection.

But British users won’t be able to enjoy the function: 4G networks have yet to roll out in the UK, with even optimistic projections putting the launch at the end of the year, by which time, Apple will no doubt be on the verge of launching another iPad.

Others have questioned whether the British 4G connection, using portions of the old analogue TV spectrum, will even work with the American device.

Innovation: Apple CEO Tim Cook, who took over the job from Steve Jobs after his death last year, introduces the new iPad

Demonstrations at the launch showed off the power of 4G, with videos that played from the web near-instantly – but British consumers will miss out

FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF NEW iPAD

Up close, the new HD screen is very impressive indeed – particularly with apps built to take advantage of it – such as the new version of sky watching app Star Walk which can show 300,000 stars on screen at once.

Even on the home screen, though, icons are stunningly crisp – and printed words in iBooks are so sharp it almost hurts to look at them.

With Full HD video, there’s a cinematic feel like watching a big flatscreen TV set – except the screen is in your lap.

Photos really pop out of the screen – and even ones taken on the device’s 5-megapixel camera are crisp enough to zoom right in.

Overall, the device doesn’t feel a huge amount faster, though – the new processor clearly has its work cut out just keeping the screen going.

And despite Apple’s boasts, the games still don’t look a patch on titles on Xbox 360 or PC – but as developers get to grips with the new hardware, that will change.

Tech sites expressed fears that the slightly different specification would not work with Apple’s device.

‘Unfortunately, if the new iPad doesn’t support different bands when it’s shipped in Blighty it won’t work on our LTE networks when we eventually get them,’ said Gizmodo.

The new iPad will also support faster implementations of current technologies, such as Three’s upcoming HSPA+ network – but British users will be denied the searing speeds of 4G.

Many of the functions demonstrated at the San Francisco launch of the device were dependent on, or enhanced by the new network.

The data-heavy apps built for the new system could also land consumers with ‘bill shocks’, others have warned.

One of the unannounced new features of the update to Apple’s operating system, iOS5.1 is that it discreetly raises the limit for iTunes downloads via the phone network from 20MB to 50MB – allowing for apps that cater to iPad’s new Retina screen.

Just 20 such downloads could eat up the full capacity of many data plans. Tech site Tecca warns, ‘Combine the realities of multimedia file size and a blazing fast connection that allows transfer of said files at unprecedented speeds, and you have a recipe for potentially expensive disaster.’

The ‘cap’ for the size of mobile-network downloads has risen, awakening fears consumers might be hit with ‘bill shock’

… AND ONE MORE THING: APPLE UPDATES ITS TV SET-TOP BOX

 

Apple did not announce its widely expected Apple television – instead, Tim Cook unveiled a new model of its Apple TV set-top box which offers full HD films and TV.The device is available on March 16.The new version offers built-in access to Apple’s icloud offering users online access to films they have purchased on other Apple devices such as iPhone.

Also launched during the event was Apple’s new Apple TV set-top box, which offers full HD films, television and web channels such as YouTube.

The new iPad and Apple TV devices will be available on store shelves on March 16.

The device offers built-in access to Apple’s iCloud offering users online access to films they have purchased on other apple devices such as iPhone.

Apple announced that films and TV shows in iTunes store would now be available in 1080p, or full high-definition.

The company also revealed a new, cheaper ‘entry level’ iPad 2 for $399 – cheaper than any previous model.

Mr Cook also left the door open for ‘a lot more’ innovation in the next year – possibly a reference to the new iPhone 5 widely expected to launch later in 2012.

When the device goes on sale next week in the U.S. and several other countries, it will be ‘the iPad’ or perhaps ‘the new iPad’ – not ‘iPad 3’ or ‘iPad HD,’ as some had speculated.

Analyst reaction was favourable to the new device, with some predicting shortages.

‘There is no doubt that peopple like Blackberry maker RIM and Google will struggle to compete. The key is really  the apps – we have seen high resolution screens before, but Apple has 200,000 apps that nobody can compete with,’ says analyst Avi Greengart.

Remembering Steve: Steve Jobs is shown at a previous event. Today’s launch is seen as a key test of new CEO Tim Cook’s leadership

However, Mr Greengart warned Apple’s plan to ship the new iPad to dozens on countries when it launches could cause problems.

‘There is going to be a huge amount of demand, so I think simply getting enough units out there is going to be a challenge,’ he said.

‘I know I want one, and a lot of other people will too.’

Last year, Apple sold 172 million of what it described as post-PC devices  – iPhones, iPads and touchscreen iPods.

The company has now sold 315 million devices running its iOS operating system.

Apple had sold more than 55 million iPads around the world as of January this year.

In the run-up to launch, the new gadget ignited a frenzy among fans.

Data company Experian Hitwise says that one in 2000 of all internet searches have been for terms related to iPad 3 over the past week.

‘Demand for the iPad 3 online reached its peak in the last week as 1 in every 2000 searches online were iPad 3 related,’ says the company.

Some industry experts are even predicting the end of personal computers as touch-screen tablet-style computers grow in popularity.

Apple announced that more than 25 billion apps have been downloaded from its App Store by customers.

Long lines formed outside Apple’s flagship store in Regent Street in central London two years ago as hundreds vied to get their hands on the original iPad when it was launched.

A tale of two iPads: The new Apple iPad (left) is shown next to its predecessor, the iPad 2 (right) at a launch party at Kings Place, London

COULD THE NEW IPAD COST YOU THOUSANDS IN DATA BILLS?

One of the unannounced new features of the update to Apple’s operating system, iOS5.1 is that it discreetly raises the limit for iTunes downloads via the phone network from 20MB to 50MB – allowing for apps that cater to iPad’s new Retina screen.

Just 20 such downloads could eat up the full capacity of many data plans. Tech site Tecca warns, ‘Combine the realities of multimedia file size and a blazing fast connection that allows transfer of said files at unprecedented speeds, and you have a recipe for potentially expensive disaster.’

Apple was forced to push back its original late April UK launch date because of ‘overwhelming demand’ for the device in the U.S.

The company sold more than one million iPads in the U.S. in the first 100 days making it a better seller than the iPhone.

Sarah Rotman Epps, an analyst for Forrester Research, said the device’s Android competition has failed because most technology companies fail to see that the ‘apps’ are more important than the hardware.

‘It’s about the services – what you can do with the device,’ she said in a blog post.

Apple’s competitors have slowly come to realize this, but only after bringing out dozens of tablets with whiz-bang features like 3-D cameras.

 

Media get a hands on demo of the iPad during an Apple event

The company’s last release was the iPhone 4S – complete with voice recognition software – which went on sale in October.

It was launched just nine days after Apple’s pioneering former chief executive Steve Jobs died following a lengthy battle with pancreatic cancer.

The launch was seen as a key ‘test’ for new CEO Tim Cook.

The competitor that has done the best is Amazon.com Inc.

Its Kindle Fire tablet is cheaper than the iPad, and also tied into Amazon’s book, movie and music stores, making it an easy route to entertainment, just like the iPad. 

Still, the Kindle Fire has a long way to go.

Epps estimates that Amazon sold 5.5 million Kindle Fires in the fourth quarter of last year. Meanwhile, Apple sold 15.4 million iPads, and has sold 55.3 million in total.

According to Canaccord Genuity, 63 percent of the tablets shipped last year were iPads.

The only competitors with more than 5 percent market share were Amazon and Samsung.

The iPad launch comes as Apple has reached a rare milestone: last week, it was worth more than $500billion.

Only six other U.S. companies have been worth that much, and none have held that valuation for long.

On Tuesday, Apple’s stock had fallen, bringing its market value down to $494billion, but analysts believe it the company is worth closer to $550billion.

Close competition: Amazon’s Kindle Fire is Apple’s most serious rival: Analysts estimate that Amazon sold 5.5 million in the fourth quarter of last year, while Apple sold 15.4 million iPads

Korean technology giant has been locked in a protracted legal battle with Apple over its Galaxy 10.1 tablet, but sales of Samsung’s devices have remained low

The success of the seven-inch Kindle Fire and ‘mid-sized’ devices such as Samsung’s Galaxy Note (pictured) has led to increased speculation about a smaller model of iPad

VIDEO: Features of the iPad 4G