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Apple
dished out all the details on its third-generation iPad during the device’s
unveiling but the next iPad also raised a number of interesting questions that
have yet to be answered. We know that Apple's latest iPad features a brand new
Retina Display with 2048-by-1536 resolution at 264 pixels per inch. The device
is powered by a dual-core A5X chip, a 5-megapixel iSight camera with 1080p
video capture, a FaceTime camera for video chat, optional LTE wireless
broadband, and speech-to-text dictation.
Beyond
the usual headlines, however, questions are being raised about whether Apple's
dependence on Google Maps is coming to an end. Why no iPad 3 moniker? How much
RAM is under the new iPad's hood? Is this the end of the road for iPad 1? And
what does the A5X chip tell us about the next iPhone?
It
looks like Apple may be trying to slowly wean itself off Google services by
using its own mapping products in at least part of the new iPhoto for iOS.
Critics started noticing that maps in iPhoto features such as Places (photo
geotagging), the Photo Journals feature, and slideshows did not have the usual
look and feel of Google Maps.
Whether
Apple is using Google Maps at all in iPhoto is still under debate. Daring
Fireball's John Gruber says sources are telling him that Google Maps are still
in use for Places, but other parts of iOS use Apple's own mapping solution.
Apple
in 2009 bought mapping company Placebase and in 2011 bought C3 Technologies, a
3D mapping company. Apple has reportedly had a strained relationship with
Google since the search giant rolled out its Android smartphone platform. Talk
has been circulating for some time about Apple replacing Google services with
its own versions or a rival's.
Reading into numbers
Before
Apple launched its new device, critics and Apple watchers were debating whether
the next iPad would be dubbed iPad 3 or iPad HD. It turns out neither guess was
correct and Apple is opting to simply call its tablet "iPad" from
here on out. Apple does something similar for its MacBook and iMac lineup, and
perhaps that similarity is significant. The iPad is already being used by some
people as a laptop replacement and this newest iPad may have the speed and
improved graphics that convinces the average non-geeky user to jettison a
laptop for Apple's tablet.
More RAM?
Apple's
new iPad may have 1GB RAM, double the amount of the iPad 2, according to
sources who spoke with The Verge. Given that the iPad has improved graphics, a
better camera, and other improved features, it would not be a surprise if The
Verge's claims turn out to be accurate. Apple has also doubled the RAM in each
successive iPad so far, starting with 256MB RAM in the original iPad.
Beginning
of the end for the original iPad?
If
you're going to have an improved display on your tablet, you'd better come out
with a new app to show off how great that new display really is. Apple chose to
show off the new iPad's Retina Display by coming out with iPhoto for iOS. The
new app lets you enhance colors, add effects, and remove red eye. The downside
of iPhoto is that it is only available for iPad 2 and up, signaling what will
likely be a gradual descent into obsolescence for Apple's first iPad.
Chip debate
The
new iPad has a brand new dual-core chip called the A5X able to produce what
Apple describes as "quad-core graphics." But analysts are wondering
what the A5X means for the next iPhone. There is some talk that the next iPhone
will not get the A5X, but will instead sport a new quad-core chip. Since the
first iPad came out with the A4 chip, Apple has introduced a new processor with
the iPad and then rolled out the same chip in the iPhone. But that may not
happen this time around. "I think that this new chip is probably just for
the iPad," Linley Gwennap, founder and principal analyst for the Lynley
Group told IDG News. We should find out what the next iPhone has in store for
users later in 2012.
source
PCWorld
Tag :
iPad 3
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