Apple doubles iPad with Retina Display storage to 128GB, and is this a picture of the iPad 5?
Apple has announced a new version of its iPad with Retina Display which ups the storage space to a hefty 128GB.
The new iPad will be available from February with Wi-Fi or 3G/4G mobile data and doubles the storage space on the existing top end 64GB model. This is just a memory boost though - the rest of the specification remains unchanged.
Obviously it is not going to come cheap. While UK costs have not been confirmed yet the US prices are $799 for Wi-Fi and a massive $929 for the mobile broadband model. Right now the 64GB 3G model is yours for £659 direct from Apple UK, so start saving now.
Apple’s senior VP of worldwide marketing, Philip Schiller, said: “With twice the storage capacity and an unparalleled selection of over 300,000 native iPad apps, enterprises, educators and artists have even more reasons to use iPad for all their business and personal needs.”
128GB of onboard memory is larger than any other tablet, though many Android models include a microSD slot which give users much more flexibility for increasing storage at a lower cost.
Apple tablets have always been pricier than Android equivalents but a model which costs the best part of a grand is a new record. For that money you could buy a Nexus 4 smartphone, Nexus 10 tablet, a Dropbox Pro account for extra storage, and still have enough left over for a really good night out and a fry up the next morning.
Those of you feeling flush may want to hold off for a few months though. There are persistent rumours that Apple is working on the iPad 5 for release as soon as March, and yesterday 9to5Mac got hold of this image which purportedly shows the new iPad 5 backplate. Assuming these pictures are accurate it confirms claims that the iPad 5 will take design cues from the iPad Mini.
