This “Resolutionary” new iPad boasts an impressive full 1080p HD Retina display with a 2048×1536 resolution (264 pixel-per-inch) making it the best mobile screen we’ve seen yet — by a wide margin. Apple’s also improved the processor with the new Apple A5X chip offering 4x the graphics performance over the competition for some truly impressive gameplay. All of this and more was detailed in our Apple Hub linked to above so I wont go into details. Instead lets talk about how you can win your very own directly from SlashGear.

UPDATE: We have a winner! His name is Richard H, and as he notes he’ll be doing the following with his brand new iPad courtesy of SlashGear:

“The new iPad 3 would allow me to more efficiently use the government mandated electronic record and thus help me save more lives. Help me fight the power with power!” – RH

Thank you everyone for participating!

The rules are dead simple. Just follow the few guidelines outlined, and check out the instructions below and you could be the lucky winner of a brand new, shiny, fast, and beautiful, all new iPad 16GB WiFi model.

1. “Like” us on Facebook: /SlashGear
2. Leave a comment in [this Facebook thread] telling us one or more reasons why you want the all new iPad
3. We’ll pick a set of our favorites and select a random winner from that group on March 19th!

It’s just that simple guys! You may only submit ONCE, and only ONE comment of yours will be considered for the random winner if it’s good enough to get into drawing. Then we’ll choose the lucky winner and he/she will be enjoying that HD screen, blazing fast graphics and gaming performance, the new iPhoto features and more in no time.

Here’s the full rules as well, if you’re wondering about all the legalities of the situation:

Rules

Giveaway begins March 12, 12:01AM PST, and ends Monday March 19th, 12:01AM PST barring any complications finding the winner. A winner will be announced here in the main news feed and at our official Facebook page.

Competition is open to residents of the US over the age of 18. One entry per person. Family members of Apple and SlashGear/Android Community are not permitted to enter. Competition entries are only accepted via the specified SlashGear Facebook page; entries left in the comments section of this or any other post will not be recognized.

The winner will be contacted by a SlashGear staff member upon being selected and will be expected to respond to that staff member; they will be expected to respond within 24 hours else their prize may be forfeit and another winner selected. Editors decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into. Winner agrees that their name and details of their entry may be used for promotional purposes by, but not limited to SlashGear.

Prize consists of $499 in cash. The cash value for one Apple iPad 16GB WiFi (3rd Generation). There is no other alternative for prize winner unless this prize should become unavailable, in which case SlashGear reserves the right to substitute another prize of equal or greater value. Any questions can be directed to giveaway[AT]slashgear.com

The pre-order process through RadioShack, however, is bit a more complicated. The retailer requires shoppers to first purchase a $50 gift card that can be used towards picking up the new iPad or any other products in the store. If you simply show up to queue on March 16, you will not need to purchase the gift card. Pre-orders are not accepted online and must be made in-store.

Additionally, RadioShack is offering a Trade & Save program that lets shoppers get up to $350 for a used iPad 2 or $175 for the first generation iPad. Shoppers that purchase a new iPad or iPad 2 using a Shack Card also qualify for a $50 mail-in rebate, but that offer ends on March 31.

[via AppleInsider]

Apple’s Personal Hotspot first debuted with the iPhone 4 last year and AT&T began supporting the feature on the iPhone last March. But when it comes to the latest iPad, AT&T says it is still working with Apple to enable the feature in the future, but did not give a specific timetable.

Verizon’s data plans for the new iPad include the hotspot feature by default and are available in four options. It will cost $20 for 1GB of data per month, $30 for 2GB, $50 for 5GB, and $80 for 10GB. AT&T’s plans will not have the hotspot feature, but start with lower-priced tiers of $15 for 250MB per month, $30 for 3GB, and $50 for 5GB. Overages are rated at $10 per GB.

[via CNET]

That means, even if commercial LTE networks become more commonplace in Europe – which has for the most part remained using the faster variants of 3G technology, such as DC-HSDPA, which the new iPad also supports – the Apple tablet is unlikely to be compatible with them. Instead, the LTE support would only be of use when roaming in the US on AT&T’s LTE networks.

It appears that the decision to include LTE support at all is one more likely based on reducing the number of modem types Apple uses. Both the international and the AT&T models have the same quadband UMTS/HSPA/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA and quadband GSM/EDGE support; the Verizon model uses 700MHz LTE and dualband CDMA/EVDO Rev.A.

In Japan, meanwhile, although the iPad is also branded WiFi + 4G, the version there doesn’t have any LTE support. Instead, it tops out at DC-HSDPA

We’ve got a request in with Apple for more information, but as it stands it seems buying a new iPad 4G in Europe with the expectation that you’ll be able to later use it on LTE networks is unlikely to pan out. If, though, you’re a frequent visitor to the US and want to be able to roam using AT&T’s LTE coverage, then it will be more useful.

More new iPad details in our full hands-on.

[via Karl Aherne, thanks Steve!]

The AppleCare+ plan for the new iPad gives you direct access to Apple experts for technical assistance. If repair of your iPad is needed, you can mail in the device using a prepaid Apple shipping box or carry in the device to an Apple Retail Store or other Apple Authorized Servce Provider. Your iPad hardware, including the battery, USB cable, and power adapter, are all covered under the plan for repair or replacement. You are allowed up to two incidents of accidental damage with each one subject to a $49 service fee.

Additionally, if you have any issues with software, such as updating the iOS or accessing the iCloud, you can call Apple experts directly for assistance. However, AppleCare+ must be purchased within 30 days following the purchase of your new iPad. Pricing for AppleCare+ on an iPhone is $99 for the two-year coverage, but Apple hasn’t revealed what the pricing would be if purchased for the iPad. We suspect it could be a little higher given the more expensive hardware.

This morning’s new iPad event had all the usual hype leading up to it. Plenty of rumors emerged in the weeks ahead, many of which are now confirmed, including the Retina display, 4G LTE support, and A5X dual-core processor with pumped up graphics. Other revelations include support for 1080p video recording and playback, an improved 5-megapixel iSight camera, and voice dictation.

Besides the next-gen iPad, Apple also announced new support for 1080p video downloads in iTunes along with a refreshed Apple TV that can now support 1080p content. The updated Apple TV will be available starting next week at $99, while the new iPad will be available starting March 16. The new iPad is priced starting at $499 for the 16GB WiFi-only model and $629 for the WiFi plus 4G LTE model. The 16GB iPad 2 will continue to be sold with a price reduction to $399 for the WiFi-only model and $529 for the 3G model.

There are several new cases and covers being revealed today by Targus, the first being their Simply Basic Cover, a slim and lightweight design coming with a magnetic off/on feature with soft lining for screen protection – this model comes in graphite black, charcoal gray, orange peel, and indigo blue, each for MSRP $29.99. Next there’s the Vucomplete, a case meant to be a companion to Apple’s own Smart Cover – protecting the back of the device with water-resistant material with a protective lining on the inside, available in graphite black for MSRP $39.99

Targus Slim Case has a set of several viewing angles for your iPad 3, this case also having a magnetic on-off feature activation for your device and coming with a premium soft-touch material lining the inside – this case comes in calypso pink, indigo blue, bittersweet red, bone white, charcoal gray, and graphite black, each for MSRP $49.99.

Each of the cases above are in Targus’ “Slim and Elegant Cases” category while the rest here are categorized as “Higher Utility Cases” for a more “complete” vision. The first of these more hardcore cases is the Vuscape, coming complete with magnetic on/off, three hands-free viewing angles for your iPad, and a “clever stylus storage” for holding your third party capacitive styluses – this unit comes in graphite black, bone white, charcoal gray, and calypso pink for MSRP $44.99

Next there’s the Business Folio and Stand, this unit having all the qualities that a “pro on the go” might need including magnetic on/off, storage for cards, IDs, and a stylus or pen. There’s also a compartment for an included notepad as well as CleanVu cleaning pad for your tablet, and the whole unit converts to a stand for hands-free viewing whenever you need it. The whole unit will be available in black and charcoal gray for MSRP $49.99.

Then of course there’s the Versavu and Versavu Keyboard case, these two units both coming from the same family to offer you premium iPad 3 protection and display abilities. With the Versavu you’ve got a 360 degree rotating mechanism which allows you to view your iPad in both landscape and portrait modes, four different viewing angles available for on-the-go action – plus there’s room for a stylus, once again. This unit comes in graphite black, charcoal gray, and combos of bone white and charcoal gray or calypso pink and charcoal gray, all of these costing MSRP $59.99.

The Versavu Keyboard Case has a low-profile bluetooth-connected keyboard that works with the third generation iPad like a snap and has some lovely tactile feedback for both improved accuracy and speed in your typing while you keep it all quiet. This unit comes in graphite black and bone white at MSRP $99.99, this unit and all the rest available at the same time the iPad 3 is made available – we’ll find out more about that inside the next couple of hours, without a doubt!

It’s an upgrade with a name change for certain with Apple now going full-boar with the idea that there is one one iPad, it being the newest one. Should you want to purchase the original iPad, you’ll have a bit harder time finding it available from Apple as they’ve begun focusing primarily on this iPad 3 device and their iPad 2 units with reduced prices. The previous generation iPad you’ll also notice only comes in Wi-fi now, as the new generation takes over the mobile data game.

Pick up your new iPad via pre-order in the online Apple store right now!

Have a look at the timeline below to get a good idea of what you’re getting into with this new model, and head to the big Apple portal to get the full collection of posts as this model spreads through the marketplace like a wildfire. Will you pick up a new iPad later this month?

Apple’s website now features the new “resolutionary” iPad in all its rich visual glory. It sports a Retina display with 2048 x 1536 resolution at a pixel density of 264ppi, double that of the iPad 2. It runs on an upgraded A5X dual-core processor that features quad-core graphics for a vast performance boost without the battery drain. The rear-facing iSight camera now boasts a 5-megapixel resolution with support for 1080p HD video capture at 30fps.

The new iPad comes in two versions, the WiFi-only and the WiFi plus 4G LTE, the latter of which will run on both Verizon and AT&T at launch. Pricing for the WiFi-only version starts at $499 for the 16GB model, while the 4G LTE version starts at $629. The 16GB iPad 2 will remain on shelves alongside the new iPad and will get a price reduction to $399 for the WiFi-only model and $529 for the WiFi plus 3G model. You can check out the comparison here.

And certainly don’t forget to check out our hands-on with the new iPad and let us know what you think in the comments.

UPDATE: SlashGear’s review of the new iPad here.

Physically, it’s 0.11 pounds heavier than the existing iPad 2, though it’s hardly noticeable. In the hand the brushed aluminum chassis feels much the same as before, but the picture quality is so crisp it looks like a promotional mock-up. Viewing angles are huge, too, certainly on a par with what we’ve seen from Super AMOLED panels in recent months.

Performance from the A5X dual-core processor – with its quadcore GPU – is swift, with apps loading and multitasking flipping through with zero lag. That’s pretty much what we’re used to from the A5, admittedly; we’ll have to wait and see how the heavy-duty games hold up, though, when more developers begin to test the limits of the iPad’s abilities. From what we’ve seen of iPhoto and iMove, though, multimedia editing is potentially faster on the new iPad than on a regular desktop machine.

No Siri, but Apple has added voice dictation to iOS 5.1. Though it’s not exactly quiet here at Apple’s demo area, the voice recognition seemed as solid as we’ve come to expect from the iPhone 4S, though you’ll need an internet connection in order to use it. That brings us neatly to 4G LTE, and we’ll be very keen to see during our review whether the battery claims – 9hrs of active LTE – pan out.

The New iPad hands-on

Should you opt for the new iPad rather than the discounted $399 iPad 2? From our brief experience with the new Retina Display, it’s hard to imagine going back to less pixel-dense panels. When third-party developers jump on board and begin crafting Retina Display-compatible titles, the iPad 2 may start looking like a poor choice for anyone but those on the strictest of budgets. Make no mistake, the new iPad has reset the bar for the tablet segment, leaving Android and Windows 8 OEMs playing catch-up once again.

Retina Display and A5X Chip

This high quality Retina Display has 2048 x 1536 pixels in it, an amazing improvement over the previous generation with 1/4 that packed in the same sized display. This iPad, I should mention, is the same physical size as its predecessor, with the same shape and color variations as well: white or black. Apple let us know that your average HDTV has 1920 x 1080 pixels in it, this generation iPad having quite a bit more than that already — and with the A5X under the hood, your graphics will be popping.

This new A5X processor has what Apple is saying is a vast improvement over not only the previous generation Apple A5 dual-core processor, but the NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor with 4-PLUS-1 technology as well. They say that its with their four graphics cores here in the A5X that they get 4X graphics performance where the A5 gets 2X and the NVIDIA Tegra 3 gets 1X – we’ll see how this all lines up when we get the device in front of us, of course.

iSight Camera

On the back of the new iPad 3rd generation device there’s a new iSight Camera, this camera a vast improvement over the 1 megapixel camera we currently have on the iPad 2. What we’ve got here is a 5-megapixel sensor with backside illumination, a 5-element lens, hybrid IR filter, and an Apple-designed ISP. Essentially this means that it’s not quite as good as the iPhone 4S, but it’s got a lot of the same work put into it. This camera has “advanced optics” with its IR filter, works with autofocus as well as white balance, and has face detection.

This camera is also capable of recording 1080p video with built-in stabilization as well as temporal noise reduction. This camera is what Apple calls “perfect for Retina display” of course as it’ll bring you some sharp and crisp videos straight from reality down to the pad.

Voice Dictation

This newest iPad has the ability to take down what you’re saying as you’re saying it, this feature working in real time with text-driven apps. You’ll be able to do this in a variety of languages including English, French, German, and Japanese – Japanese is also new to Siri this week, but the new iPad does not yet have Siri integration.

4G LTE

For this next generation iPad, Apple decided to take the plunge and integrate 4G LTE. With several networks across the bulk of North America they connected up, with AT&T and Verizon down here in the USA and Rogers, Telus, and Bell up in Canada. This new iPad will also work on a global scale, turning to 3G internationally while the whole unit has more connectivity bands than ever before. This iPad works with 4G LTE as well as 3G HSPA+ and DC-HSDPA and is able to give you a personal hotspot if you want to use your iPad’s data connection on a laptop on the go.

Battery Life

The new iPad will have a lovely batch of new features, each of them demanding in any other case to the system they’re working on – however, as Apple notes near the end of the presentation of this device, the battery power will still be immense. With a 10 hour battery life under normal conditions (with wi-fi) and 9 hours with LTE, this may well be the most impressively tuned tablet connected to LTE yet.

Pricing

The price on this next generation device that Apple is calling The new iPad is set to start at just $499 for the wi-fi 16GB edition, this price jumping to $599 and $699 based on if you’d like 32GB of storage or 64GB of storage. More pricing details are available in our big pricing post, but get this: the iPad 2 is now just $399 in its 16GB with Wi-fi edition – quite a steal!

Follow our whole set of coverage through our Apple portal and stick with us as additional details unfold!

The news isn’t too surprising, since many had speculated that Apple had this coming. The price drop could really cut into competitors with tablets that are vying for the budget-minded market. The reduced price will also help extend the reach of the iPad into hands of students, schools, and other users that may not have been able to buy in previously due to cost.

Therefore, the iPad 2 will now be priced starting at $399 for the 16GB WiFi-only model and $529 for the WiFi plus 3G model. The iPad 3, or “The new iPad” as Apple is calling it, is priced at $499 for the 16GB WiFi-only model and $629 for the WiFi plus 4G LTE model. This is Apple’s biggest rollout of iPad SKUs to date.

With this update, Apple will be joining the likes of 4G device connectivity on Verizon and AT&T as well as Canada’s Bell, Rogers, and Telus. This connection speed will be working with two different versions in the USA along, both of these versions also 3G world-ready. This version of the iPad also has, as Cue noted, “software to make it a personal hotspot if your carrier supports the personal hotspot feature.”

This iPad 3rd generation has the most available connectivity bands of any iPad in the line’s short history, with both AT&T and Verizon getting a version right out of the gate. Though we’ve heard in the past that Apple may move past 4G LTE because of battery life, they’re noting today, through Cue,

“You may be thinking, a lot of these technologies consume a fair amount of power. So how does it do on battery life? You may recall we claim 10 hours of battery life, and 9 hours on 3G. The new iPad delivers the same 10 hours of battery life, and 4G is 9 hours.” – Cue

Pretty impressive stuff! Continue to follow along with today’s news in the liveblogging stream at http://live.slashgear.com/ we’ve got up as well as through our Apple portal, new this week!

As usual, Apple isn’t hiking up the prices but keeping them about the same as with the iPad 2. Hence, the iPad 3 will start at $499 for the 16GB model and then go up to $599 for the 32GB and $699 for the 64GB. Both white and black versions will be available at launch.

If you’d like to step it up a notch with 4G LTE support, Apple has separate versions for that. The 4G LTE model will be available on both AT&T and Verizon, but priced slightly higher. The 16GB model starts at $629, the 32GB model at $729, and the 64GB model at $829. All models, however, will be 3G-ready for international use.

The new camera setup will now also support 1080p video recording as many have suspected. You can now take great pictures and video using the new iPad, complete with auto-exposure, auto-focus, white balance, face detection, and image stabilization software.

As for video recording, besides 1080p support, which will be perfect for the new Retina-like display, there’s also video stabilization along with temporal noise reduction

This display is essentially what you’re getting already with the iPhone 4S, it having the ability to trick your eye into not being able to discern individual pixels – they’re so small that your normal human eye can’t detect them. This is 44% greater saturation than the past model, all of this backed up by A5X quad-core graphics – that’s also an improvement over the past model iPad with its A5 chip.

Continue to follow along with today’s news in the liveblogging stream at http://live.slashgear.com/ we’ve got up as well as through our Apple portal, new this week!

Obviously one of Apple’s main competitors from the Android side has been Samsung so they were quick to make a few comments on that. One in particular was regarding Twitter and how it looks like a bloated phone app and not something built for a tablet. Here’s what Tim Cook had to say:

Showing a Twitter app running on a Samsung tablet on Android – It kind of looks like a blown-up smartphone app — because that’s exactly what it is. Compare that to Twitter on iPad.

Pretty interesting comment considering Android tablets before Android 4.0 have had Honeycomb — an OS built for tablets that was not a phone operating system like iOS is. Either way we found it interesting for sure. It’s all about the apps, and the developers.

Then he instantly talked about the only tablet that is better than the iPad 2. Stating that out of the 100+ tablets shipped to compete with the iPad 2 only ONE is better — and that is the all new iPad. All the details are here at SlashGear so keep reading as we detail all the specs, battery life, and full availability!

Showing off how impressive their latest store, the New York City Grand Central Station store, has been and continues to be. With 74% of Apple’s revenues set in the three products listed above, Cook’s words “Apple has it feet firmly planted in the post-PC future” never rang truer. Numbers such as 172 million devices sold, with 62 million sold just this past quarter show Apple to be a company with so much invested in this world of mobile that it’s easy to forget that they still work with desktop computers as well.

Then there’s Siri, an application integrated into the basic fiber of the newest iPhone device, the iPhone 4S, Cook noting that in addition to Japan getting this service starting today, they’ll be getting the newest version of the Apple mobile operating system today as well, iOS 5.1. We can expect similar upgrade numbers across the USA and Europe soon, though with which upgraded bits we cannot know at the present – we’ve already got Siri, after all.

Cook of course also went through the 25 billion downloads mark that the iOS App Store went through this past week, noting that

“This is a mind-boggling number we couldn’t have even imagined when we launched the App Store.” – Cook

Continue to follow along with today’s news in the liveblogging stream at http://live.slashgear.com/ we’ve got up as well as through our Apple portal, new this week!

Currently, Siri only has support for English in the three accents of the US, UK, and Australia along with the languages French and German. Reports last month started surfacing that when users asked Siri what languages it speaks, that the feature itself revealed that it also spoke Japanese, which suggested that such support would be imminent.

As for other languages, Apple has promised that Siri will be able to support Korean, Chinese, Italian, and Spanish by the end of this year.

For more information on what we know so far as well as what we’re hearing we’re about to see, head to the timeline below, full of rumors, tips, and leaks from the whole Apple world! There’s going to be a new tablet, we must guess heartily, and Apple TV is certainly due for an update – so lets get started! Don’t forget to join in on the liveblog as well to get fully integrated in the action!

From the start, an iPad 3 upgrade would’ve been a bigger step for me: I’m actually still using a first-gen iPad, having never felt the need to switch it for an iPad 2. The introduction of cameras and a faster chipset never really prompted sufficient lust for me to open my wallet, while I actually preferred the bowed-back original model’s design to the slimmed-down second model.

Thing is, my actual tablet use is basically internet browsing, and some email when I can stomach extended text-entry on the on-screen keyboard. Oh sure, when we review tablets, we put them through their paces – browsing, multimedia, content creation, gaming, more – but I’m not much of a gamer in my spare time, and I tend to rely on my Kindle for ebook reading.

Faster processors and higher-resolution cameras, then, aren’t exactly going to improve my user-experience. Even a Retina Display, while an impressive upgrade, wouldn’t necessarily have a significant impact on how I use a tablet.

But virtual touch-feedback, capable of mimicking anything from the edges of keys to textures and more, that has me interested. Haptics as we know them have been little more than an annoyance: vague buzzing when you hit the screen, telling you nothing other than contact has been made. How much better, then, to have a system where virtual keyboards actually felt like real keyboards (or could show braille for blind or partially-sighted users), or apps that could create their own custom layout of buttons and textures. Perfect for a remote control app you could use with the lights down low, for instance.

Since possible Senseg integration first bubbled up, people have been asking what exactly – bar keyboards and game controls – it would be good for. I think that’s the wrong way of looking at it; if the App Store has taught us anything, it’s that iOS developers will hungrily leap on new hardware and software possibilities and create features we hadn’t even envisaged. That may sound like a cop-out, and I guess it is, but true tactile feedback is so very new that it’s hard to conceptualize its exact potential.

That potential – beyond the usual upgrade cycle of faster-longer-brighter-lighter – is why I’m all of a sudden excited by the iPad HD. Not just a slimmer tablet, or a speedier one, but something that could legitimately bring new possibilities to the table. Even if there’s no Senseg announcement today, I’d not be surprised to see it show up as a future Apple acquisition, for inclusion in a future product. Either way, I’ll be glued to the SlashGear liveblog to see if Apple delivers on the rumors, and whether my credit card will stay in my wallet today or get a gadget airing.

You can keep track off all the Apple announcements today at live.slashgear.com – join us from 10AM PST for the iPad details!

There’s no shortage of rumor and speculation about what we can expect from today. Apple’s invite all but confirmed that a new tablet is on the cards, from which we’re expecting a Retina Display with 2048 x 1536 resolution for incredibly-smooth graphics. There’s also likely to be LTE connectivity – Verizon is said to be adding LTE support to its stores, just so it can be demonstrated – and a faster processor, possibly the Apple A5X, with an upgraded GPU.

However, more recent indicators point to a more significant game-changer, in the shape of an advanced haptic-feedback display capable of delivering the sensation of actual materials to users’ fingertips. Based on Senseg tech, so the rumors claim, it could prove a significant benefit to on-screen controls like keyboards.

A new iPad isn’t the only fresh device tipped to be on the cards. An Apple TV refresh is also suggested, bringing 1080p HD support among other advances. Meanwhile, a new Catalogs category has been quietly added to the App Store, and we’ll likely hear more about that today too.

We’ll know everything from 10AM PST today, so join us over at live.slashgear.com for all the announcements!

According to AppleInsider, Verizon have been sending plain clothes contractors to various Apple stores over the past month in order upgrade network infrastructure. Meanwhile, Cult of Mac reports via a tipster that Verizon has been installing LTE equipment at Apple stores over the past couple of days ahead of today’s Apple event. Why would they do that unless there was some kind of Apple device expected to utilize LTE, like, say, the iPad 3?

Back in August 2011, there was similar information saying that AT&T LTE equipment was being installed at Apple stores. That rumor seemingly pointed towards an LTE equipped iPhone 5, ultimately debunked with the release of the iPhone 4S in October, but the equipment may have been intended for the LTE iPad after all.

Apple are expected to unveil the iPad 3 (or iPad HD) at its event today. Features are expected to include a “Retina” display with a resolution of 2048×1536, 4G LTE connectivity for AT&T and Verizon, increased RAM, and iOS 5.1. We’ll be liveblogging the event, so tune your browsers to this link at 10am PST to get up to the minute coverage of the event!

[via CNet]

It’s perhaps tenuous, until you consider that Senseg has previously dropped some heavy-handed indications that it has been in discussions with Apple. Back in June 2011, the company told Trusted Reviews that it was “currently working with a certain tablet maker based in Cupertino” though couldn’t be pressed for any more information, and when asked directly this week whether Apple is a customer, Senseg would make no comment.

Still, the tactile tech would be a great way for Apple to differentiate the iPad from its Android rivals, most of which provide some degree of vague physical buzz when tapped, but nothing more precise. Senseg, though, promises to create “Feel Screens” that can feel like silk, rock, or anything else. The system uses a special charge driver – which Senseg calls a “Tixel” – that can create differing degrees of attractive force to the skin of a user’s finger. Developers can precisely map the artificially created texture sensations wherever they choose in their app.

Apple’s challenge with Senseg technology, if indeed it’s included in the third-gen iPad, will be convincing people just how special the system is. As the event tagline itself admits, you really have to “touch” the new haptic-textures in order to see the benefit.

Nonetheless, getting curious shoppers in through the door has note been a problem Apple faced for several years now, and the iPad HD is likely to have other, more immediately graspable improvements – such as the well-rumored Retina Display – that will grab attention. We’ll know for sure later on today, when SlashGear liveblogs the whole Apple announcement. Join us at live.slashgear.com for all the details from 10AM PST on Wednesday, March 7.

Update: More speculation on the “Feel Screen” potential, with TNW pointing to very few recent changes in the hardware APIs that could well mean Apple is readying new versions for accessing the Senseg tech. Meanwhile, The Guardian also weighs in, having visited Senseg at its Finnish HQ. Apparently the technology “uses less than 5-percent of typical battery capacity” according to CTO Ville Makinen – or roughly half an hour from a 10hr battery – and “would probably add less than 10-percent to the cost” of production.

Verizon’s cryptic “Something is Coming” teaser below may be referring to the iPad 3. According to The Verge, its sources say that the next-gen iPad will definitely be announced with LTE for both the Verizon and AT&T networks tomorrow. There will be two distinct models, one for each carrier, while a third international model will double duty on 3G with a CDMA/GSM radio chipset.

The sources were also adamant that the iPad 3 would be equipped with a dual-core A5X processor instead of a quad-core A6, which won’t debut until the iPhone 5. A boost in RAM is expected, likely to 1GB, although no specifics were given.

Confirming the speculation of a Retina-like display with 2048 x 1536 resolution on the iPad 3 or iPad HD, the sources also revealed that new Apple TVs will be part of the announcement tomorrow. These updated Apple TVs with 1080p support will work with the next-gen iPad and OS X Mountain Lion for improved AirPlay mirroring and streaming.

Additionally, it’s believed that the iPad 3 / iPad HD will hit store shelves alongside the iPad 2, which could get a price reduction. We’ll find out all the official details tomorrow during our live coverage of the Apple event, so be sure to keep it here on SlashGear.

This device will more than likely come in one size, with rumors ranging from one to three models being released inside a month after the big announcement tomorrow. The iPad HD would be the most high-definition of the triad and is the most likely candidate for an actual real-world product. There’s also an iPad mini in the rumor mill with a 7-inch display as well as the iPad 4S which would be released as a slight upgrade to the iPad 2 while the iPad 3 would be released alongside with the bonus of an improved display. Again more than likely we’ll be seeing one model by the name of iPad HD, and that’s it.

NOTE: Remember to join us LIVE at live.slashgear.com for the whole rundown of this device official with Apple as we take on the iPad 3 event. Also join us here in the main SlashGear news feed as well, all of this starting at 10AM PST on Wednesday the 7th of March 2012.

The high definition display that is also amongst the rumors that sit very close to the realm of reality is an IPS LCD display with Retina technology, this display having twice the amount of pixels in the same space the iPad 2 and 1 had. This new model would have the same size display as previous models but would also require slightly more power due to the larger amount of pixels packed into the same space. Because of this, a new version of iOS, perhaps iOS 6, may be in the works, it having upgrades specifically for optimizing the iPad HD for battery life. This upgrade could also be incremental and hit on iPad 5.5 or something similar.

We know that the iPad HD will have an extremely similar size to the previous model iPad, the iPad 2, and will likely be able to fit accessories made for the second-generation slate. Apple has been known to stick with one model for extremely long periods of time, this done not only because it creates a sort of trust in that perfected shape, but because manufacturers of accessories can then take the time to make high-quality cases and physical add-ons galore without fear of being left behind.

This model iPad HD has been tipped as having 4G LTE capabilities for data speed, but this also is likely still set to sit in the rumor category for a bit longer due to the still massive battery drain 4G LTE has on modern devices. Apple is less likely to drain their battery for data speed and more likely to stick with 3G, a tried and true system already laid down in bulk. Along these same lines, Apple is likely to stick with a dual-core processor, likely a slight upgrade to the A5 processor currently in the iPad 2, a tip just this past week showing up with an image of an A5X chip which, again, could have better optimization for the device’s battery life.

Have a peek in our timeline below to see some of the highlights from the tips and leaks we’ve seen thus far, and join us tomorrow for the big show! The iPad 3 event is set to take place at 10AM PST and you can join us live through our liveblogging portal at live.slashgear.com as well through our main news feed where we’ll be delivering you stories as fast and as comprehensive as humanly possible – stay tuned!

We’ve had more than a couple fun reviews pop up over the past couple days that you should be aware of, one of them bringing the sweet sounds of music to your ears with Bob Marley inspired looks and vision: House of Marley Redemption Song on-ear headphones. Then there’s the tiny but tough Samsung Rugby Smart as well as the greatest and latest tablet from the big S: Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 LTE carried by Verizon.

In gaming news you’re going to want to hop on board with split-screen Minecraft for Xbox as well as Mass Effect 2 to 3 saving news – no cloud for you! Get some Smart TV info from Samsung’s 2012 range announcement as well as Toshiba’s ZL2 Quad HD – more of a glasses-free 3D situation.

For computing there’s a lovely new Acer V3 notebook range coming out soon while the Gigabyte P2542G gaming notebook hits quadcore i7 under the hood for ultimate supremacy. Those same folks at Gigabyte are bringing two new ultrabooks to the streets in cool aluminum. HP is bringing some fire with some workstations also, showing an updated Z-series with 512GB of RAM – that’s hot.

Then the long arm of the law is descending upon us all once again, this time with Google and Motorola spilling the beans to Apple on their development and patents as required by the judge.

Half of those surveyed said they’d willingly pay more than $500 for the iPad HD; currently, only the entry-level 16GB iPad 2 WiFi model sneaks in at under that price point. 44-percent of the 689 surveyed said they wouldn’t consider any other tablet brand than Apple; for the remainder, Samsung took a distant second place in slate appeal.

The results echo SlashGear’s own research, where 16-percent of over 9,500 surveyed said they intend to buy the new iPad regardless of its price. A further 16-percent said they were only waiting on final details before pulling the trigger.

Leaks earlier this year indicated Apple might increase iPad pricing, though more recent talk has suggested that won’t be the case. The new model is believed to feature a Retina Display running at 2048 x 1536 resolution, along with an updated processor, the Apple A5X. Those speaking to inMobi said a faster processor and better battery life were their top demands from the iPad HD, though a higher quality display came in just behind.

Apple will confirm pricing – as well as lay to rest all the other rumored specifications – when the company officially unveils the new third-gen iPad at an event tomorrow, Wednesday March. Join us from 10AM PST at live.slashgear.com for all the details!

[via Washington Post]

Arguably a 7.1-inch tablet would make more sense for Apple than a near-8-inch model. The company’s existing iPad is already 9.7-inches, and a 7.1-inch version would slot neatly into the midpoint between it and the 3.5-inch iPod touch. According to previous leaks, LG Display and AU Optronics have been fingered to supply the LCD IPS screens, with Samsung left out of the party as Apple attempts to distance itself from the supplier.

Apple’s attitude to a smaller tablet than the original iPad has been until now uninterested; Steve Jobs memorably dismissed the prospect, describing slates of 7-inch or thereabouts as “tweeners” that weren’t suited to users’ fingers. With the rising star of iOS and the growth of the tablet market, however, the lure of another model may well have put those concerns to rest.

Of course, the iPad mini – whatever size it is – isn’t expected to show up until later in 2012, though the new sources point out that even that could well change. Before then we’ll see the iPad HD (aka iPad 3), so join SlashGear for the full liveblog at live.slashgear.com on Wednesday, March 7 from 10AM PST.

You’ll also notice that just a few days ago the name iPad HD was found in the rough by an intrepid tipster amongst case listings for infinite other devices. The iPad HD (3) as it’s called in the listing is set to be revealed to the world on the 7th of March, this Wednesday, at an event that’s already been tipped as one Apple will “have something you really have to see” – in other words, something with an advanced set of visuals without a doubt. The iPad HD event (aka the iPad 3 event as we’ve been calling it thus far) will be liveblogged by SlashGear in our live.slashgear.com portal for all to follow along with in real-time.

We’ve heard that this device, now known as the iPad HD, will have a gigantically dense 2048 x 1536 pixel resolution display, this having twice the pixels per inch that the iPad 2 has. The name iPad HD makes sense with the naming scheme Apple has adopted thus far with their mobile products, each generation’s name reflecting either a giant overall change (iPhone 4) or boost in one particular feature (iPhone 3G). Here we’ve got an update to the display specifically so the most universal term is inserted in the name: iPad HD.

This ring true with you? Follow along with us through the rest of the week to see all the iPad HD action from the event itself to the firestorm of activity that comes afterward. Be there!