This is it folks! Apple’s iPad 3 / iPad 2S / iPad HD event should be underway shortly (10:00 AM Pacific Time or 1:00 PM Eastern Time or 6 PM GMT or 11:30 PM India or 2 AM (March 8th) Singapore).
Apple is expected to unveil the hotly anticipated next generation iPad. Apple’s special event is being held at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco.
Please note updates will be posted from top to bottom (bottom newest) so stay tuned (hit refresh to get the latest).
We’re not sure if Apple will be live streaming the event. If they do then we’ll provide the details as soon as possible.
The event will start in less than 3 hours.
Until then, you can check out what you can expect from Apple’s iPad 3 and Apple’s media event and some last minute rumors:
- iPad 3 to Feature Senseg’s Haptic Feedback Touch Technology?
- Apple TV 3 Will be Available For $99; Redesigned Smart Cover For iPad 3 For $39?
- Apple to Introduce AppleCare+ For iPad For $99
- iPad 3 to Have 1GB RAM, Double The RAM of iPad 2?
- Apple to Unveil iPad 3 With Retina Display, Dual-Core A5X Chip, More RAM For AT&T & Verizon LTE And Also Apple TV 3
- iOS 5.1 Golden Master Has Passed QA; Release Imminent
What’s are your predictions for the event? Let us know in the comments.
Apple’s online store is down in preparation for the iPad 3 launch.
Here are some photos of the venue.
Less than two hours to go!
Here are the timings for the event:
08:00AM – Hawaii
10:00AM – Pacific
11:00AM – Mountain
12:00PM – Central
01:00PM – Eastern
06:00PM – London
07:00PM – Paris
09:00PM – Moscow
11:30PM – India
02:00AM – Singapore (March 8th)
03:00AM – Tokyo (March 8th)
Apple introduced iMovie for iPad at last year’s iPad event. So which app will Apple introduce at this year’s event. Will it be iPhoto for iPad? John Gruber of DaringFireball speculates that it is possible for the following three reasons:
- We’ve already got iMovie and GarageBand for iPad. iPhoto seems like a glaring omission.
- A good way to predict what’s coming next for the iPad is to ask yourself what sort of things are keeping regular people from using an iPad as their main computer. Photo management is the biggest one I can think of.
- A retina display iPad should make photos look amazing.
While we wait for the event to start, check out this funny video of iPad 3 features created by Taiwanese animators.
Less than an hour to go!
4G LTE iPad is coming folks! 9 to 5 Mac reports that 4G iPads are now showing up in Apple’s inventory.
Mr. X. just got word that 4G iPads are showing up in Apple’s inventory system. Here’s the first one:
MD369LL/A – IPAD WI-FI 4G 16GBLACK – USA.
That is the J2A Good model = 4G
Yelp’s CEO waiting in the line via @PoornimaGupta:
PSA: iPhone Dev team has warned jailbreakers to avoid updating their iOS devices to iOS 5.1.
10 more minutes to go!
It looks like people are seated, we’re almost ready to roll!
There is some buzz about a report that Liquidmetal has started shipping parts to customers. Apple had acquired Liquidmetal’s technology related to amorphous metal alloys for use in all consumer electronics applications back in 2010. It remains to be seen how Apple plans to use it in iPad 3.
5 more minutes to go!
Lights are dimming! Ready to go!
Tim Cook takes the stage.
He is talking about post-PC era and how Apple has three post-PC products – iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.
76% percent of Apple’s revenues now comes from these three products.
Cook now talking about Apple retail stores.
Cook: Another key element of our post-PC success is iOS, the world’s most advanced mobile operating system. We’ve now sold an astonishing 352 million of these devices, and 62 million just last quarter.
Apple is adding support for Japanese to Siri in iOS 5.1, which will be available today.
“We’re also announcing that movies and TV shows in the iTunes store support 1080p HD. They are absolutely incredible quality.”
Apple unveils new Apple TV with an all new user interface.
We’re having issues due to the high load, we’re working on the issue as we speak. Apologies for the inconvenience caused.
Tim Cook is talking about the iPad.
New iPad: “It is amazing. We’ve taken it to a whole new level, and we are redefining the category that Apple created with the original iPad.”
New iPad features – Retina Display
Phil: “Text sharper than a newspaper. Photos will look incredible. Fonts look amazing, it’s a huge step forward.” 2048 x 1536 pixels!
iPad’s Retina Display has more pixels than your HDTV.
Second feature: Faster dual-core A5X chip
Third feature: an iSight camera
Phil: As you know, on the front of our iPad we have a FaceTime camera. The new iPad has a great rear iSight camera — we brought the optics system from the iPhone 4S…
Auto-exposure, auto-focus, auto-face detection, great edge-to-edge detail, AF-lock, “It is just a blast to use.
Number four: HD video recording now in 1080p resolution
Phil: Wherever you are, you’ve got a great camera built-in to record full 1080p video with.
Phil: Built-in video stabalization.
Number five: Siri Dictation
Phil: “The new iPad supports English, French, German, and of course now, Japanese.”
Number six: Support for 4G LTE networks
Phil: “Now the new iPad supports HSPA+ for up to 21Mbps, and if you haven’t heard about dual-carrier HSDPA for up to 42Mbps.”
iPad 3 will also offer personal hotspot if the carrier allows it.
Two versions of iPad 3 to support Verizon and AT&T.
The new iPad will be available on March 16th.
Phil: “The new iPad delivers the same 10 hours of battery life, and 4G is 9 hours.”
Phil: “It remains amazingly thin at 9.4mm and light at 1.5 pounds.”
iPad 3 will be available in storage capacities of 16Gb, 32Gb and 64GB.
Available for the same price: $499, $599, and $699 for 16, 32, and 64GB. 629, 729, and 829 with 4G.
The new iPad will be available on March 16th in the countries mentioned in the slide below. Strangely, Apple hasn’t told us what’s the name of the new iPad.
Please note Apple hasn’t called the dictation feature – Siri, so it looks like it is just Voice dictation – it needs to be seen if it will need an internet connection.
Apple is giving a demo of some of the apps on the new iPad.
In case you’re wondering if the new iPad has a Home button, it does have one.
So what do you think of the new iPad?
Back to the event, Apple just demoed – Namco’s Bail Bail, Autodesk, Infinity Blade’s Dungeons.
Apple has updated GarageBand, iWork apps and iMovie for the new iPad.
Apple has just introduced iPhone to iPad – just as we had speculated earlier.
Phil: It’s all about photo editing — effects, editing, photo-beaming (from device to device), and new photo journals.
iPhoto for iPad includes smart browsing, multi-touch editing, professional-quality effects, brushes, photo beaming, photo journals.
iPhoto demo is still going on.
We forgot to mention that iTunes in the Cloud now also supports Movies.
Phil is back on stage.
Phil: iPhoto will be available in the App Store today for $4.99.
Apple is now playing the new video of the new iPad.
Phil is back on stage!
Phil: “It’s the ultimate iPad, and we think it’s going to change how you see and do just about everything.”
Phil: “I think the new iPad what people think is possible in this category of device.”
16GB iPad 2 will be still be on sale for $399.
Tim is back on stage.
Tim: “It’s the privilege of a lifetime for me to work with the most innovative people on Earth. Only Apple can deliver this kind of innovation in such a beautiful, integrated, and easy to use way. It’s what we love to do, it’s what we stand for.”
Tim: “Across the year you’re going to see a lot more of this kind of innovation, we are just getting started.”
That’s it folks. Strangely, Apple didn’t give it a name – they called it the new iPad.
Apple.com is now featuring the new iPad, calling it the “Resolutionary new iPad”.
What do you think of the new iPad?
