Although Apple is keeping the new 3rd generation iPad (a.k.a. iPad 3) under lock and key until the official March 16 release date, a pair of Vietnamese tech journalists managed to snatch an early copy.
As normally happens in these cases, the pair has duly unboxed the new iPad, which is a 16GB 4G model by the way, in front of a camera and also ran a quick benchmark. No surprises with the unboxing, the new iPad comes in pretty much the same box as the iPad 2, and you still get a power adapter and a USB to 30 pin connector cable. But anyone anxious for some early retina display action is welcome to the 4 minute video just below, and we’re sure you won’t mind that it’s in Vietnamese.
The pair also got a chance to run the Geekbench benchmark on the new iPad and has verified some until-now unconfirmed specs. The A5X chipset inside the new iPad is a tweaked version of the A5 found in the iPad 2. We already knew that it was packing a dual-core CPU like the A5 but with a quad-core graphics unit in order to handle the quadruple resolution of the new retina display. Well, it’s now been confirmed that the A5X CPU is running at 1GHz, the same speed as the A5.
It’s also been speculated that the new iPad is packing 1GB of RAM, twice that of its predecessor, again to be able to handle the increasing demands of the new display. Well you can check that as confirmed now too. Overall the 3rd generation iPad scored 756 in the benchmark, similar to an iPad 2, which makes sense since essentially the two are running on the same CPU. Geekbench doesn’t include a graphics test, so at the moment we still don’t know if the increased screen resolution will have any effect on graphics performance.
As we’ve mentioned the new iPad will hit the streets on March 16, and you’d be ill-advised to stand in queue outside Apple’s stores and risk disappointment. Best way is to order online, though mind you we are currently looking at delivery times of 2-3 weeks.
Story Timeline
- Sep 10 2012 Pogo Connect is a pressure sensitive Bluetooth 4.0 stylus for the iPad 3 and iPad mini
- May 20 2012 Retina iPad 3 & iPad 4 (2012) case review: Yoobao leather case
- Apr 18 2012 Display shootout: HTC One X vs. Galaxy Nexus (vs. iPad 3) screen comparison
- Apr 02 2012 New 3rd generation iPad customer satisfaction at an all time high, excessive heat not an issue according to survey
- Apr 01 2012 Public jailbreak for A5 and A5X devices (i.e. iPad 3) running iOS 5.1 still some time away
- Mar 24 2012 Your new iPad is begging for these geometric retina display optimized wallpapers
- Mar 19 2012 If you drop it, it will break; the new iPad's screen that is
- Mar 17 2012 iPad 3 receives untethered jailbreak and Cydia install on its first day out
- Mar 16 2012 No, Apple didn't make a battery tech breakthrough in the iPad 3; it just stuck more of it inside
- Mar 15 2012 The new iPad goes under the scalpel, teardown reveals Samsung retina LCD
- Mar 10 2012 The 3rd generation iPad is the first tablet with Bluetooth 4.0, what's in it for you
- Mar 08 2012 iPad 2 vs. 3rd generation iPad 3 comparison
- Mar 07 2012 The new iPad is here: retina display, A5X with quad-core graphics, better cameras and 4G LTE
- Mar 07 2012 Rumor: the iPad HD will feature advanced haptic feedback technology from Senseg that touches you back
- Mar 02 2012 Apple's next iPad could be called iPad HD instead of iPad 3
- Feb 28 2012 Confirmed: iPad 3 to be announced at Apple event on March 7th. Cue to retina display and advanced haptic feedback?
- Feb 19 2012 Purported iPad 3 leaked photo shows larger lens 8-megapixel camera and gentler curvature
- Feb 13 2012 PSA: It would be unwise to buy an iPad 2 right now
- Jan 20 2012 High-resolution graphics contained in iBooks 2 may point to a 2048x1536 display in the iPad 3
- Jan 17 2012 Rumor: Apple preparing for an iPad 3 and iOS 5.1 event in February? What to expect
