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iPad 3 press event live blog

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Ladies and gentlemen, we’re here with the iPad 3 press event live blog, as covered via Macworld.

So, without further ado, let’s get to it and see what’s happening:

– The music is playing, people are filing in and the event should begin at 10 A.M. PST/1 P.M. EST.

– Apple CEO Tim Cook takes the stage and thanks everyone for coming on out. Begins to discuss the idea of a post-PC world and the devices you carry around with you on a daily basis.

– States that the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch are post-PC devices and that last year, Apple sold 172 million post-PC devices, which accounted for 76% of the company’s revenue.

– Apple will add Japanese language support to Siri as part of iOS 5.1, which is available today and will be rolled out in Japan over the next few weeks.

– A new Apple TV device is now being unveiled.

– This is nifty: Movies and TV shows purchased/rented in the iTunes Store will now support 1080p.

– Photo Stream appears to be due for an update and Tim Cook is demonstrating how a picture taken with an iPhone is automatically synced over to an Apple TV in the background at full 1080p.

– Tim Cook is now beginning to discuss the iPad, its effect and the company’s sales numbers for the tablet.

– Building the suspense on the iPad 3…Barnum would be proud.

– “Until you see it, you can’t understand how amazing it is.”

– The iPad 3’s new screen resolution: 2048 x 1536 pixels. Do some nerd math and this is over 3.1 million pixels to gaze upon.

– Phil Schiller has declared that the 2048 x 1536 pixel display is only the first new feature, which is met with applause.

– The camera has been upgraded and the front of the device will now feature a FaceTime camera, complete with auto face detection, auto exposure lock, auto focus lock and HD video recording now at 1080p resolution.

– Apple has added a voice dictation feature to the iPad 3.

– The new interface features a microphone icon at the bottom of the screen (a la the iPhone 4S) that allows the user to tap and begin speaking.

– Siri will be available on the iPad 3 and the device currently supports U.S., British, Australian English, French, German, and Japanese languages.

– It was expected but you’ll like it: The iPad 3 features 4G LTE with EV-DO support and a maximum downlink of 3.1Mbps while also supporting HSPA (with a maximum downlink of 7.2 Mbps).

– If your carrier supports it, you can turn your iPad 3 into a hotspot and allow up to five users to connect at once.

– Faster processor time: The iPad 3 will use the A5X quad-core chip.

– Apple is citing 10 hours of battery life (nine hours with 4G activated).

– The new iPad is now 9.44mm thick and weighs 1.4 pounds.

– The iPad 3 will be available on March 16 and is priced at US$499 for 16GB, US$599 for 32GB, US$699 for 64GB. And US$629, US$729, and US$829 for 4G (these are the same prices as the iPad 2).

– The iPad 3 will be available in the U.S., Canada, UK, France, Germany, Switzerland, Japan, Hong Kong, and more. One week later, 25 more countries.

– From what’s being said, the new resolutions of the iPad 3 look absolutely beautiful.

– Garage Band and iMovie for the iOS have been updated, will remain at their US49.99 price points.

– Ok, this is interesting: The new GarageBand adds smart strings joins smart guitars, smart keyboards, smart drums and a Note Editor. The app can sync in with iCloud to share data and a new “Jam Session” feature allows four iPads to play together to create a new song over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.

– The updated GarageBand is available today as a free update for current owners and US$4.99 for new users.

– The updated iMovie for iOS allows users to easily create movie trailers as needed (select styles, templates, etc). The new version is a free update for current owners of US$4.99 for new users.

– Apple is introducing iPhoto for iOS, the current speech highlighting sharing tools, editing tools, brushes, support for both left-handed and right-handed users, etc.

– Once edited in iPhoto for iOS, photos can be shared via Twitter, Flickr and Facebook.

– Photos can be shared to your iCloud and then viewed by anyone with a web browser.

– iPhoto for iOS is available for US$4.99 starting today.

– Apple WILL keep the iPad 2 in stock, but drop its starting price down to US$399.

And that about wraps it up. Stay tuned for additional details as they become available and thanks for reading!