Apple surprised us by announcing it was launching a fourth-generation iPad just seven months after it rolled out the Retina display-equipped third-generation iPad in March. Though externally it remains almost identical to the third-gen iPad—save its new Lightning connector, which replaces the 30-pin Dock connector—internally Apple has revved up its processor. The company claims the iPad 4 packs both double the computing performance and double the graphics performance over the previous model.
We spent the weekend with an iPad 4 and iPad 3 in the Orbiting HQ, benchmarking the new processor and spending time in various apps to see if Apple's performance claims held up. Overall, it seems as though we can take Apple at their word. But depending on the apps you use, you may not notice a tons of improvement until developers learn to better exploit the A6X processor's power.
This iPad looks very familiar
| Specs at a glance: Apple iPad (4th-gen) | |
|---|---|
| Screen | 2048×1536 9.7" (264 ppi), "Retina" touchscreen |
| OS | iOS 6 |
| CPU | 1.4-1.7GHz Apple A6X |
| RAM | 1GB DDR3 |
| GPU | ImageTech SGX554MP4 |
| Storage | 16, 32, or 64GB NAND flash |
| Networking | 802.11a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 |
| Ports | Lightning connector |
| Size | 9.50×7.31×0.37" (241.2×185.7×9.4 mm) |
| Weight | 1.44 lbs (652 g) |
| Battery | 43 Whr |
| Starting price | $499 |
| Price as reviewed | $599 |
| Sensor | Ambient light sensor, Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Magnetometer |
| Other perks | 12W charger |
Again, the iPad 4 is, from the outside, nearly identical to the last-generation iPad before it. It shares a similar aluminum unibody shell, with a flat bottom and sloping edges; the headphone jack, buttons, volume rocker all appear identical; even the 5MP autofocus camera at the rear is the same. There's not really much new to say about the design, except that Apple has swapped out the aging 30-pin Dock connector for its new Lightning connector, which is being phased in as the standard connector for all its mobile devices.
Read 37 remaining paragraphs | Comments
via Ars Technica http://arstechnica.com
