The New iPad Is Not The HD Or The 3

Today, at a media event in San Francisco, Apple unveiled their next-gen iPad to the world. The iPad sports many of the rumored features like a high-def Retina display, new cameras, and an A5X quad-core processor. It even surprised some by launching with 4G LTE functionality.

And like we speculated earlier this week, it will hit the shelves on March 16th. Pre-orders, however, begin today.

Like the iPad 2, the new iPad is going to start at $499. That will be the price for the 16 GB non-4G model. Here’s the full pricing structure: $499, $599, and $699 for 16, 32, and 64GB, respectively. If you want 4G, it’ll cost you $629, $729, and $829, respectively.

“We have redefined once again the category that Apple created just two years ago with the original iPad,” said Tim Cook. “It’s the privilege of a lifetime for me to work with the most innovative people on Earth. Only Apple can deliver this kind of innovation in such a beautiful, integrated, and easy to use way. It’s what we love to do, it’s what we stand for.”

So Tim Cook said a lot about the new iPad today. One thing he didn’t say was anything about an iPad 3 or an iPad HD. After everyone referred to the device as the iPad 3 for a while, reports emerged that it was going to be called the iPad HD. Fooled us, Apple!

The next gen iPad is called the iPad. But it’s the new iPad.

This sort of reaction shouldn’t surprise you:

Can’t wait for the moment when I get to trade in my old new iPad for a new new new iPad.

What do you think? Let us know in the comments.