The Anatomy of a New iPad
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The majority of coding that is involved in developing applications for the iPad consists of interacting with and responding to the device hardware in a variety of ways. Given this fact it is worth taking some time to look at the underlying hardware contained in the shell of an iPad. The focus of this overview will be the “new iPad” which was announced to the public on March 7, 2012.
Display
The new iPad has a 9.7 inch display with a resolution of 2048-by-1536 pixels capable of displaying 264 pixels per inch (ppi).
The underlying technology is an In Plane Switching (IPS) LED, capacitive multi touch screen. The screen has a scratch, oil and fingerprint resistant oleophobic coated surface. The device also has ambient light detection that adjusts the screen brightness to ensure the optimal screen visibility in a variety of lighting conditions from bright sunlight to darkness.
Wireless Connectivity
The new iPad supports a wide range of connectivity options. When within range of a Wi-Fi network, the device can connect at either 802.11b, 802.11g or 802.11n speeds. For U.S models with cellular support, the AT&T device supports GSM/EDGE connectivity (otherwise known as 2G). For faster speeds, support is also provided for connectivity via LTE based UMTS/HSPA/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA standards. The Verizon model also supports CDMA EV-DO Rev. A.
The new iPad also includes Bluetooth v4.0 support.
Wired Connectivity
Given the wide array of wireless options it is not surprising that the iPad has little need for wired connections. In fact the iPad only has two. One is a standard 3.5 mm headset jack for the attachment of headphones or other audio devices. The second is a proprietary, 30-pin dock connector that, by default, is used to provide a USB connection for synching with a computer system and battery charging. In practice, however, this connection also provides audio and TV output via specialty third party cables.
Memory
The new iPad comes in six configurations divided into Wi-Fi only and Wi-Fi + 4G categories. Each category of device is available in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB versions. The memory is in the form of a flash drive. Unlike some devices, the iPad lacks the ability to supplement the installed memory by inserting additional flash memory cards.
Cameras
The front facing camera is VGA resolution also at 30 fps.
Sensors
Sensors built into the new iPad consist of an accelerometer that uses the pull of gravity to detect when the device is moved or rotated, a three-axis gyroscope and an ambient light sensor that detects current environmental light levels.
Location Detection
All new iPad models contain a digital compass and the ability to identify approximate location information using Wi-Fi. The Wi-Fi + 4G models, however, also support location detection via GPS support with Assisted GPS (A-GPS) support. Essentially this enables the iPad to identify the current location by detecting radio signals from GPS satellites.
Central Processing Unit (CPU)
The central processing unit (CPU) of the new iPad is the Apple A5X, an Apple designed system-on-a-chip (SoC) combining dual core processors with quad-core graphics
Speaker and Microphone
The new iPad includes both a built-in microphone and a speaker. Both the speaker and microphone may be used by third party apps.
Battery
The new iPad contains lithium-polymer battery rated at 42.5 watt hours and estimated to provide up to 10 hours of typical use including video or audio playback or Wi-Fi internet access.
Summary
As we have seen in this chapter, the new iPad packs an impressive amount of technology into a case that is 9.5 inches high, 7.31 inches wide, 0.37 inches deep weighing in at around 1.45 lbs. Perhaps the most exciting aspect of all this technology is that you can, almost without exception, access and utilize all this hardware within your own applications.
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