Before we start, you should know that if you've held or seen an iPad 2 before then you're not going to notice an awful lot of difference in the physical appearance of the new iPad. It's layout is pretty much the same; but the new iPad is just a little bit thicker and heavier.
Take a look at the pictures we took at the new iPad UK launch
The real difference that the new iPad has in terms of external appearance, is its Retina display.
Scroll down to the bottom to see our proffessional snaps of the new iPad.]
See also: New iPad review.
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New iPad Display
The new iPad's display boasts 2048 x 1536 pixels, which means, assuming you hold the new iPad at 15in distance rather than the 10in of a smartphone like the iPhone, you get what Apple calls a Retina display. Which in turn means it has Pixels so tightly packed you simply cannot perceive that you’re looking at an LCD display composed of little pinpoint elements. Take a look at What's new in iOS 5.1?
To see photographs and high-definition video rendered large on the new iPad's 9.7in IPS screen with this kind of flawless quality is a new delight to the eyes.
Read Apple launches new iPad: full details
And new iPad launch: as it happened.
The 2048 x 1536 Retina Display in all its glory
Camera
When you couple the Retina Display with the new iPad's an 8Mp sensor, taking a picture with the iPad is like looking through an empty picture frame.
The new iPad is the first Apple tablet that can be your primary camera.
iLife
Apple has completely revamped its iMovie, iPhoto and GarageBand iPad apps. The new apps are truly impressive and are now all completely geared towards touch operation.
Updates to the iLife suite of apps for iOS include new orchestral strings in GarageBand
Thicker and heavier
And there’s a fraction of a mil extra thickness. That extra 0.6mm, you really won’t notice it; unless perhaps you have a super-skinny case from the last gen that you want to try with the new iPad. We’ll have to see if any such cases are affected enough to make them too tight to use now.
Apple iPad 2012 body: the new iPad is just like the iPad 2 but 0.6mm thicker
The only real clue that you’re handling the new iPad: it’s fractionally heavier at 662g, where iPad 2 is 601g.
New iPad looks much the same as iPad 2 (minus the '2')
And here's some more we took in our studio
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