Analyzed: The new iPad

It is April 27th. And that means the new iPad is out in the Indian market. We got a first look at Apple's newest creation. It is easy to confuse the new iPad with its predecessor, the iPad 2. It looks just the same. But once you turn the new iPad on, you will know you are looking at something different. All the hype about the updated retina display on the new iPad is not without merit. It looks fantastic. We put the new iPad beside our iPad 2 and it made the older version look very dated. Mind you the display on the iPad 2 is also very good at a resolution of 1024 x 768 pixels but that new display at 2048 x 1536 pixels resolution just blows it out of the water. It makes everything look so crisp and you won't notice the pixelation that occurs in the iPad 2. The sad part is there aren't too many apps that take advantage of this updated resolution right now, but we are sure that will change over time. We wouldn't be surprised if this resolution becomes a standard. Watching videos, playing games, video chatting or just scrolling through pictures is just a beautiful experience. 

Apple has also updated the camera to a 5MP version which is leaps and bounds better than the almost worthless <1MP version in the iPad 2. The pictures you take on the new camera are very crisp and the colors very vivid. All this is just accentuated by the retina display on the new iPad. Coupled with the quad-core A5X processor using the new iPad is just so smooth and seamless. Not once did we notice any lag while scrolling, pinching or swiping. This has definitely become an Apple trademark. The battery life has also been updated (so they say) to last for about 10 hours of continuous use.

We didn't really see a crowd at any of the stores selling Apple products in India like we usually do in the US on launch day (or before), but that doesn't mean it isn't selling well. Initial reports suggest certain stores have sold out all the versions they had in stock. The sales figures are only expected to go up. The new iPad is currently on sale from Rs. 30,500 (~$610) to Rs. 50,900 (~$1020) depending on the model you choose.