The new iPad comes with a dual core Apple A5X processor

The new iPad’s processor, an object of a lot of speculation, has finally been unveiled with the processor not being quad core but rather dual core.

The 3rd generation iPad has been unveiled, with it being called the "new iPad". Not the iPad 3 or iPad HD, despite widespread speculation over the last few days. The new tablet, with dimensions of 241 x 185 x 9.4 mm and weighing 652 g (662 g for the 3G version, which is more than the 600 to 610 g of the iPad 2), will come with a 9.7" display offering 2048 x 1536 pixels 264 ppi (compared to 1024 x 768 pixels 132 ppi in the iPad 2) which corresponds to the rumours of a Retina display.

Closely resembling the iPad 2, it comes with an Apple A5X processor (and not an Apple A6) which will finally remain a dual core processor for applications (like the Apple A5) but quad core for the graphics processor. No information has been provided about how much RAM is on board, with it likely either being 1 GB, or 512 MB as in the iPad 2.

Despite the arrival of quad core smartphones and tablets, Apple remains invested in their dual core architecture although the company has confirmed that the performance is far superior to the NVidia Tegra 3 quad core processor. The A5X denomination suggests that the ARM Cortex-A9 cores have been optimized, surely with the direct integration of new components, as was the case with the Apple A5.

The number of cores isn’t everything and Apple has demonstrated on numerous occasions that the strength of their processors is in haw they are adapted to the needs of mobile products. The selection of a dual core processor for the new iPad is indeed that which we suggested from a competing chipset manufacturer during the MWC 2012 show.

The graphics processor is surely that provided by Imagination (a long-time partner of Apple in their mobile products) and their PowerVR family, possibly the PowerVR SGX543MP4 (which comes with 4 cores), taking over from Apple’s A5 SGX543MP2. We will have to wait for the device to be dissembled to confirm this though.

While Apple’s logic is respected, this combination of the Apple A5X/quad core graphics processor will be found in the future iPhone (the "new iPhone"?) which could possibly be announced in June at WWDC 2012 or in the autumn, like the iPhone 4S last year.

The new tablet comes with Wi-Fi a/b/g/n and Bluetooth connectivity, while also offering GSM/EDGE, UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSPA and LTE cellular compatibility. The LTE offer, for non-LTE markets, will surely be activated once compatible mobile networks are made available. It is surely Qualcomm who provides this multimodal component, which is associated to an A-GPS module with electronic compass.

There is no 8 mega pixel camera lens in the new iPad but rather a 5 mega pixel iSight lens capable of 1080p video recording (720p on the iPad 2) situated on the back and a VGA camera lens on the front for FaceTime videoconferencing. We also find the classic connection option found on all iOS products.

The integrated battery provides up to 10 hours of battery life in Wi-Fi, and up to 9 hours when connected to the cellular network which is still managed by a micro SIM.