A month ago, I think its fair to say, we were all waiting for Apple to announce the iPad 3. Its now been nearly two weeks since the New iPad – not the full-scale follow up we mightve expected, rather a 4S-style upgrade – was launched on 16 March. And, as ever with much-anticipated technology launches, its been something of a choppy ride.
First, the good. The launch was the fastest single day roll-out ever, taking in ten countries, and a further 25 within the first week. The device had “the strongest iPad launch yet,” according to Apple, shifting 3m units over the first weekend, and, its been reported, already accounts for 1 in 15 Apple tablets accessing the internet.
Of course, it didnt take long for problems to emerge. Reports that the iPad was hitting temperatures as high as 47°C were followed by complaints about its ability to access wi-fi connections. This reached a head in Australia, where Apple has agreed to email all buyers of the device to offer them a refund, after being accused of misleading customers about its 4G compatibility in the country – and it looks like Sweden, and even the UK, might follow suit.
Perhaps of most concern to us here at Mobile Marketing, however, are the issues the high-definition Retina screen has caused for pre-existing lower resolution assets. Reports of text in magazines appearing badly aliased or blurry spread across the internet – raising questions of what it all means for advertisers. 
Terence Eden, InMobis developer community manager, thinks InMobi has the solution. “The iPad’s screen resolution has quadrupled since the last generation, so we are using the latest HTML5 features to ensure a high quality, rich-media advertising experience. Simply scaling up existing creative will not work on Retina screens, because those advertisements will look blurry and unprofessional at a 2048×1536 resolution,” says Eden. “InMobi’s technology automatically optimises all content to display perfectly on the new iPad. In fact, as SVG (scalable vector graphics) and Canvas support develops within Tablet browsers, we will be able to deliver adverts with never-before-seen clarity.”
For good or ill, the new iPad has attracted a lot of attention over the last fortnight. The news is beginning to slow down, and – with rumours of an iPad Mini start to spread – the cycle is just about ready to start all over again.
