After months of anticipation, we will now finally confirm which of the new iPad rumors are true such as will it be called the iPad 3 or the recently buzzed iPad HD. Will there be a smaller iPad model and how will the new and old models compete in price against other tablets in the market.
We're bring you today live updates on what's going on in today's March 2012 Apple press conference event and we hope you could stay with us as we bring you now everything you need to know about today's Apple announcement.
Thanks to everyone who stayed with us. A summary article will be posted soon.
Live Blog Updates, all times E.T.
2:25 P.M. Tim Cook ends with, "Across the year, you're going to see a lot more of this kind of innovation. We are just getting started." He then exits the stage. Apple logo projected on the screen.
2:20 P.M. Tim Cook now back on stage. Seems to be wrapping up.
2:15 P.M. The iPad prices
2:05 P.M. Lots of demo for the new iPhoto app for the iPad courtesy of Randy Ubillos, Apple's photo-app chief, who is now on stage.
2:00 P.M. More on Mac OS, specifically, an update to iWork for better integration with the new iPad. Improvements on iMovie... and the release of iPhoto for the iPad which numerous features. The iPad now becomes an efficient light photo editing gadget.
1:55 P.M. Third-party apps such as Autodesk and an Infinity Blade demo is being shown.
1:50 P.M. Current standard apps are now being updated for the new display.
Our take: We hope there's a "One more thing..." later
1:45 P.M. Now moving on to software updates... which is now leading us to believe that the new iPad is just called the "new" iPad.
Yes, no "iPad 3" or "iPad HD" or "iPad 2S"... just "the new iPad".
1:40 P.M. The new iPad will have nine hours battery life on 4G, 10 hours on 3G. Prices will be the same as the previous model with capacities ranging from 16, 32, and up to 64 gigabytes. It will be available starting March 16 and preorders are now available for placement.
Our take: The new iPad vs the iPad 2 is like... the iPhone 4S vs the iPhone 4
1:35 P.M. The new iPad will now have voice dictation feature and 4G LTE wireless capabilities. It will now support HSPA+, dual-carrier HSPA and LTE. In the United States, AT&T and Verizon are the mobile carriers for this.
1:30 P.M. The new iPad now runs on the Apple A5X quad-core chip, which has twice better graphics performance than the old model.
There's also the iSight camera, with a 5-megapixel sensor. However, no changes on the front-facing camera which is primarily for FaceTime and video conferencing. iSight features face detection and video recording at 1080p resolution with image stabilization.
1:25 P.M. Phil Schiller, senior vice president of worldwide marketing, goes on stage and discusses more about what the new iPad has to offer... no official name yet for the new iPad.
The new iPad will have high-resolution Retina Display, same as in the iPhone 4 and 4S. It will now have 2,048 by 1,536 pixels, or a million more pixels than a 1080p high-definition TV, which translates to 4x as many pixels as the older iPad.
1:20 P.M. Now for the iPad. Tim Cook back on stage. Direct quotes:
"When we set out to make the iPad, we didn't just want to make a new product, we wanted to create a new category."
"Everyone's been wondering who will come out with a tablet that's better than the iPad? Stop wondering. We are."
1:15 P.M. Update on the new Apple TV, which now supports 1080p high-definition content and a new interface.
Eddy Cue, senior vice president of Internet software and services, demonstrates the new Apple TV. He show a more visual interface and the options, now icon-based. He announces that the new Apple TV will be available for $99, same as the old version and will be available next week, with pre-orders now being accepted.
1:10 P.M. Updates on the iCloud, which can now support movies and television shows and will now be available in high-definition 1080p.
1:05 P.M. Tim Cook elaborates on how successful the iPad was commercially, worldwide. He announces that Siri is going to be available in Japan, as part of the iOS 5.1 update which goes live today.
1:01 P.M. Tim Cook enters the stage to speak. He is in an untucked shirt. He begins by telling about the post-PC world, where people now spend time on their iPod, iPhone and iPad as much as on their PC. He adds, "The iPad is reinventing portable computing and outstripping the wildest expectations."