The biggest surprise to come out of Apple iPad launch this morning was the fact that the new iPad is just that, The New iPad. No more sequential nomenclature, just a new straight to the point. And in many way, the name mirrors the gadget itself. Much of the form factors stayed the same, but engineers at Apple swap out much of the innards.

As predicted, Apple’s new iPad has a Retina Display with a resolution of 2048 x 1538, four times more than the iPad 2 and 1 million pixels more than your standard HD display. To complement the new display, Apple added the new A5X processor. With only dual-core, it wasn’t the purported A6 yet the quad-core graphic chipset more than compensate the new device’s speed. There is a brand new iSight camera (the rear facing one) too. Similar to the 5-megapixel sensor found on the iPhone 4S with auto-exposure, auto-focus, and you can now record HD video in 1080p format.

Another prediction realized is the addition of 4G LTE and 42Mbps HSPA+. This means there are more ways for the new iPad to connect wirelessly than any mobile devices out in the market today. New Garage Band, updated iMovie, and iPhoto rivals many of the professional imaging software out there, Apple’ New iPad is ready to revolutionize the very product category it created. And Tim Cook, Apple CEO, proclaimed “Across the year, you’re going to see a lot more of this kind of innovation. We are just getting started.”

A release date is set for Friday, March 16th, through Apple Store locations in the U.S., Canada, U.K., France, Germany, Switzerland, and Japan, the New iPad from Apple is also available for pre-order now at $499 for the 16GB Wi-Fi model, $599 for 32GB, and $699 for 64GB.

• Dual-Core Apple A5X with Quad-Core Graphic Chip

• 2048 x 1536 9.7-inch Retina Display with Multi-Touch Feature and IPS technology

• 5-Megapixel iSight Camera with 1080p HD Video Capture

• Supports 4G LTE and 42Mbps HSPA+ Cellular Connectivity

Release Date: March 16th, 2012 (Friday) – US, Canada, UK, France, Germany, Switzerland, and Japan

Size + Weight

WiFi

• Height: 9.50 inches (241.2 mm)

• Width: 7.31 inches (185.7 mm)

• Depth: 0.37 inch (9.4 mm)

• Weight: 1.46 pounds (662 g)

WiFi + 4G

• Height: 9.50 inches (241.2 mm)

• Width: 7.31 inches (185.7 mm)

• Depth: 0.37 inch (9.4 mm)

• Weight: 1.46 pounds (662 g)

Display

• Retina display

• 9.7-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit glossy widescreen Multi-Touch display with IPS technology

• 2048-by-1536-pixel resolution at 264 pixels per inch (ppi)

• Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating

• Support for display of multiple languages and characters simultaneously

Chip

• Dual-core Apple A5X custom-designed, high-performance, low-power system-on-a-chip with quad-core graphics

Cellular + Wireless

Wi-Fi

• Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n)

• Bluetooth 4.0 technology

Wi-Fi + 4G

• Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n)

• Bluetooth 4.0 technology

• Wi-Fi + 4G for AT&T model: LTE (700, 2100 MHz)3; UMTS/HSPA/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz); GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)

• Wi-Fi + 4G for Verizon model: LTE (700 MHz)3; CDMA EV-DO Rev. A (800, 1900 MHz); UMTS/HSPA/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz); GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)

• Data only4

Camera

• 5-megapixel iSight camera

• Autofocus

• Tap to focus

• Face detection in still images

• Video recording, HD (1080p) up to 30 frames per second with audio

• Video stabilization

• FaceTime camera with VGA-quality photos and video at up to 30 frames per second

• Photo and video geotagging

Power + Battery

• Built-in 42.5-watt-hour rechargeable lithium-polymer battery

• Up to 10 hours of surfing the web on Wi-Fi, watching video, or listening to music

• Charging via power adapter or USB to computer system

Audio Playback

• Frequency response: 20Hz to 20,000Hz

• Audio formats supported: AAC (8 to 320 Kbps), Protected AAC (from iTunes Store), HE-AAC, MP3 (8 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3, 4, Audible Enhanced Audio, AAX, and AAX+), Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV

TV + Video

• Video formats supported: H.264 video up to 720p, 30 frames per second, Main Profile level 3.1 with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; MPEG-4 video, up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps per channel, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; Motion JPEG (M-JPEG) up to 35 Mbps, 1280 by 720 pixels, 30 frames per second, audio in ulaw, PCM stereo audio in .avi file format

• Support for 1024 by 768 pixels with Dock Connector to VGA Adapter; 576p and 480p with Apple Component AV Cable; 576i and 480i with Apple Composite AV Cable (cables sold separately)

Sensors

• Three-axis gyro

• Accelerometer

• Proximity sensor

• Ambient light sensor

In The Box

• iPhone 4

• Apple Earphones with Remote and Mic

• Dock Connector to USB Cable

• USB Power Adapter

• Documentation