Four Times the Pixels: Apple's New iPad

There is a screen this week, and the screen is the announcement: the new iPad that Apple unveiled on Wednesday at the Yerba Buena Center. The screen is the promise, and the promise is the pixels: 3.1 million of them, four times the pixels of the iPad 2, the highest resolution display ever shipped in a mobile device. The screen is the moment: Tim Cook's first major launch as chief executive. Four Times the Pixels is the March 2012 story, and the story is the lesson: the display that changes the device, the device that changes the category, the category that changes the industry.

Four Times the Pixels is the subject of this article: the new iPad announced on Wednesday, the Retina display, the naming debate, the chip, the camera, the connection, the market it faces.

1. The Announcement on Wednesday

The announcement is the news, and the news is the Wednesday: the seventh of March, the Yerba Buena Center in San Francisco, the iPad that Apple unveiled before the press and partners. The announcement is the man: Tim Cook on the stage, his first major product launch as chief executive, the company moving forward after the death of its founder in October. The announcement is the device: the new iPad, no version number attached, the third generation of the tablet that defined a category in 2010, dominated the market since, and now stands alone at the top of the whole world.

The announcement is the wait, and the wait is the year: the iPad 2, the rumors that followed, the speculation of a sharper screen, the guesses that proved right on Wednesday. The announcement is the detail, and the detail is the list: the Retina display with 2048 by 1536 pixels, the A5X chip with quad core graphics, the five megapixel iSight camera, the LTE connection, the ten hour battery, the price that did not move from 499 dollars. The announcement was the beginning, and the beginning was the promise, and the promise was the pixels, and the pixels were the point.

2. The Display

The display is the story, and the story is the pixels: 3.1 million of them, four times the pixels of the iPad 2, 2048 by 1536 on a screen that measures 9.7 inches. The display is the density: 264 pixels per inch, the number that Apple calls Retina, the density that the company says is the highest ever shipped in a mobile device. The display is the claim, and the claim is the page: text that looks like a printed page, letters that have no visible pixels, the reading experience that magazines were built for, the photos that finally look like photographs.

The display is the race, and the race is the density: the pixel race in tablets, the screens that sharpened every year, the bar that Apple just raised for everyone else. The display is the reading, and the reading is the point: the newspaper that can be read like paper, the book that opens like a book, the magazine that glows like a magazine, the text that no longer needs to be zoomed. The display is the future, and the future is the standard: the screen that every app will be rebuilt for, the pixels that will be quoted for years.

3. The Naming

The name is the choice, and the choice is the surprise: no iPad 3, no iPad HD, no version at all, just the new iPad, the words that Apple put on the stage and the press has debated all week. The name is the break, and the break is the pattern: the numbering that every gadget maker follows, the sequential names that the industry expects, the convention that Apple simply dropped. The name is the message, and the message is the product: the iPad that is simply the iPad, the device that needs no number, the tablet that defines its own category.

The name is the debate, and the debate is the week: the columnists who asked what to call it, the buyers who wondered which model to order, the retailers who stock the shelves, the confusion that became a story. The name is the confidence, and the confidence is the company: Apple that needs no number to sell a product, Apple that trusts the name alone, Apple that expects the world to follow. The name is the sign, and the sign is the change: the company that now speaks with a single voice, the new iPad, the device that carries the whole brand.

4. The Engine

The chip is the engine, and the engine is the A5X: the processor inside the new iPad, the four graphics cores that drive the display, the silicon built for the pixels. The chip is the reason, and the reason is the screen: four times the pixels demand four times the power, the graphics that push 3.1 million pixels without a stutter, the work that the A5X was made to do. The chip is the proof, and the proof is the battery: ten hours of life, the same as the iPad 2, the power that the new engine somehow does not consume.

The engine is the quiet, and the quiet is the point: no fan, no noise, no heat that burns the hand, the tablet that stays silent while it works. The engine is the balance, and the balance is the design: the power that fits in a slab of glass and aluminum, the battery that lasts through a flight across the ocean, the weight that the user never thinks about. The engine is the promise, and the promise is the experience: the app that scrolls like silk, the game that plays like a console, the tablet that feels effortless even under load.

5. The Camera

The camera is the addition, and the addition is the iSight: five megapixels on the back of the tablet, video at 1080p, the camera that the iPad never really had before. The camera is the change, and the change is the habit: the tablet that people already hold up at concerts, the photos that were always second rate, the pictures that will now be worth keeping. The camera is the signal, and the signal is the role: the iPad as the everyday computer, the device that records the moments, the tablet that does everything the laptop did and more besides.

The camera is the comparison, and the comparison is the phone: the five megapixel shooter that matches the iPhone, the video that matches the pocket cameras, the lens that makes the tablet a tool instead of a toy. The camera is the software, and the software is the polish: the face detection, the tap to focus, the editing on the device, the sharing that happens in a moment. The camera is the story, and the story is the memory: the holiday that is captured, the child that is filmed, the moments that live on the tablet and in the cloud.

6. The Connection

The connection is the speed, and the speed is the LTE: the fourth generation networks that the carriers are building, the fast data that the new iPad brings to the tablet, the web that loads like a desktop. The connection is the step, and the step is the platform: the iPad that was always a little slow on the road, the tablet that waited for the network, the device that now catches up to the phone. The connection is the promise, and the promise is the future: the tablet as the always connected machine, the device that lives on the network.

The connection is the choice, and the choice is the price: the same 499 dollars to start, the models that add the cellular radio, the plans that the carriers sell, the decision that every buyer must make. The connection is the balance, and the balance is the battery: ten hours of life, the battery that survives the fast network, the power that the fast LTE does not destroy. The connection is the risk, and the risk is the coverage: the fast networks that are still young, the places where the signal falls back, the tablet that still works everywhere anyway.

7. The Market

The market is the context, and the context is the year: the tablet category that Apple created in 2010, the category that Apple still owns, the lead that nobody has closed. The market is the competition, and the competition is the shelf: the Kindle Fire at 199 dollars from Amazon, the Android tablets chasing the price down, the rivals that sell on cost while Apple sells on quality. The market is the map, and the map is the world: the post PC era Apple talks about, the computing that moves to the tablet, the future that the new iPad leads.

The market is the question, and the question is the threat: the cheap tablets that fill the shelves, the low prices that pull the category down, the race between quality and cost. The market is the answer, and the answer is the screen: the display that no cheap tablet can match, the pixels that cost money to make, the bar that keeps the low end forever low. The market is the bet, and the bet is the buyer: the customer who will pay 499 dollars again, the customer who upgrades, the customer who believes the pixels are worth the price.

8. The Lesson

The lesson is the pixels, and the pixels are the proof: the display that changed the conversation, the resolution that reset the standard, the bar that every screen will now be measured against, from phones to laptops. The lesson is the company, and the company is the courage: the launch without the founder, the first act of the new chief executive, the confidence that the story goes on. The lesson is the product, and the product is the point: the device that improves the one thing everyone sees, the screen that everyone touches, the upgrade that everyone understands at a glance.

The lesson is the week, and the week is the turning: the announcement on Wednesday, the debate over the name, the excitement that carried into this week, the story that belongs to the world. The lesson is the Monday, and the Monday is the view: the story told on Monday, the perspective of the fifth day after the launch, the question of what comes next. The lesson is the March 2012 story, and the story is the lesson: the display that changes the device, the device that changes the category, the category that changes the industry, the industry that changes computing itself.

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