Apple’s new iPad has officially launched!

Ladies and gentlemen, it’s here – Apple’s next-generation iPad has officially been announced, and it seems that unlike the iPhone 4S rumors of last year, safe to say pretty much all the speculation and rumors surrounding the next-generation iPad have turned out to be true! 

Yup, this means that we can expect a 2048×1536 Retina display, an A5X dual-core processor under the hood with quad-core graphics, and 4G LTE connectivity that will work on both AT&T and Verizon’s network! 4G LTE will also be extended to other countries capable of a 4G LTE connection, but if not it will revert to the fastest speed possibly available, i.e. HSPA+ or maybe even 3G in certain cases.

It will also see an improvement in its camera, with a 5MP backside illuminated 5-element lens, an IR filter and ISP built into the A5X chip, face detection, along with the ability to record 1080p Full HD video. You could even think of it as the same camera for the iPhone 4S, just with a lower megapixel count. The new iPad will also come with a VGA face time camera, voice dictation capabilities, hotspot capabilities, and Apple has claimed it will sport 10 hours of battery life, and an amazing 9 hours even with 4G enabled. It will measure 9.4mm thin, which is slightly thicker than its predecessor, and will weigh 1.4lbs.

The pricing scheme of the new iPad will remain the same as the previous iPad, which means that those rumors that suggested a price hike were dead wrong. If anything, it seems that the iPad 2 has since seen a price cut of $100, so for those who are looking to save some money, perhaps the $100-cheaper iPad 2 might be worth considering.

Interestingly it seems that Apple has yet to name this iPad, other than referring to it as the “new iPad”. Interested in getting your hands on the new iPad? Well if you are, expect it to be made available come 16th of March in most major markets. So, who’s getting themselves the new iPad? [Product page]