retina

Every new tablet, supersize smartphone, or other multifuncton device seems to give industry watchers yet another excuse to declare the traditional laptop dead, or at least on the way out.

With the new features and capabilities built into the just-announced third-gen iPad (also known as the "new iPad"), I expect a flood of reader e-mail over the next few days, asking if a revamped iPad is better investment than a new laptop.

And it's not a crazy question, even if you've thus far resisted the urge to move more and more of your computing tasks to … Read more

commentary To anyone complaining that the new iPad isn't revolutionary enough: Who cares?

Apple's new iPad offers only a few key upgrades--things like an improved display, faster processor, better camera, and 4G LTE. Even the marquee feature of the iPhone 4S, Siri, didn't make its way to the new tablet.

Gadget enthusiasts and tech geeks are going to cry foul over the lack of any true innovation. Where's Siri? Where's the iPad Mini? Why no quad-core? But the truth is, Apple could have put nearly anything out and it would have still been massively successful. … Read more

Brian Tong and Molly Wood give you blow-by-blow analysis on the new iPad announcement, including rewriting the lyrics to John Mayer's "Your Body is a Wonderland," specifically to accommodate the new iPad. Which, in case you haven't guessed by now, is just called "the new iPad."

Subscribe: iTunes (MP3) | iTunes (320x180) | iTunes (640x360)

RSS (MP3) | RSS (320x180) | RSS (640x360)… Read more

So, there's a new iPad. It has better graphics. It has a better screen.

Now what? Does it change gaming?

Ever since the iPhone had its first App Store, Apple has been making waves in the video game industry. Each successive iDevice has had its own improved set of graphics, and in some cases--the iPhone 4 and 4S, for instance--a higher-resolution display opened up gaming possibilities even more.

The iPhone 4S changed gaming by setting the graphics bar so high that it's an honest rival to handhelds like the Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita. (It's no surprise that Apple's iPad events have coincided with the Game Developers Conference two years running.)

With the new iPad, the screen and improved graphics bring some different capabilities, for better-looking games, of course, but also in terms of what can be shown on a screen.… Read more

Extra-short show today to make room for this morning's Apple iPad HD coverage, but we'll quickly speculate about the deal-making features that would push us to run out and buy an iPad HD--we'll also talk about the possibility of a haptic feedback display, a new AppleCare+ program, and what sites you should use to sell your old tablet if you upgrade.… Read more

Though not yet out, the new iPad has already won over a healthy chunk of current iPad owners.

A full 42 percent of existing iPad owners said they'll buy the iPad 3, aka iPad HD, when it's released, according to a recent PriceGrabber survey. Among all the people surveyed by the site, 22 percent already own a tablet, and out of those, 52 percent own an iPad.

Conducted between February 23 and March 2, PriceGrabber's survey reached from 1,829 online shoppers in the U.S.

Of the current iPad owners who plan to buy the new … Read more

Eyeing an iPad 3? Then you're certainly not alone.

Almost one-third of mobile users surveyed by InMobi said they plan to buy Apple's next iPad. And 44 percent said they would consider only an iPad were they to buy a tablet.

Drilling down further, more than half of the people aiming to buy the iPad 3 don't currently own a tablet. But 65 percent would opt for an iPad or iPad 2 at a reduced price, a sign to InMobi that buzz over the iPad 3 will likely help sales of the earlier generation models.

Half of … Read more

The high-resolution "retina display" expected on the next iPad should make users happy--but may present challenges for developers.

As detailed today by The Next Web, the higher resolution display will increase the pixel count and size of graphics used in iPad apps designed for the new screen.

With some apps doubling in size, developers may bump into an Apple-imposed limitation that prevents the download of apps larger than 20 megabytes over 3G. Downloading over a Wi-Fi connection would still be an option, but users who need an app with no Wi-Fi available would be out of luck.… Read more

The iPad 3 will be a substantial upgrade over the current model with a variety of "beefed up specs," says Sterne Agee analyst Shaw Wu.

Based on information from supply chain sources, Wu says the new iPad will sport a much faster processor, a higher-resolution screen, 4G LTE wireless, and the addition of voice assistant Siri. The analyst believes a robust near-term refresh is due since the the iPad 2 is about to turn a year old.

This week, Apple announced an event for March 7 at which the company is expected to unveil its latest iPad.

Other … Read more