New iPad set to make official debut in UAE today

Steve Jobs may be gone, but his legacy continues to rub off on everyone. Today, the UAE — led by Apple fans — welcomes the latest incarnation of the iPad, giving everyone an opportunity to own a piece of his legacy. The third version of Apple’s benchmark-setting tablet — announced as “The new iPad” and informally called “iPad 3” — officially hits UAE shelves today, the most highly-anticipated Apple product so far in the post-Steve Jobs era. The A5X chip with quad-core graphics and a Retina display that is four times more pixels than its predecessor powers the new iPad. It also has a revved-up 5MP iSight camera that also allows to record 1080p HD video and the capability to connect to the fastest data networks in the world up to 4G LTE. The new iPad has been well received by critics, thanks to these upgrades. An industry executive sees these improvements further heightening the craving of UAE consumers to own one. “The new iPad should sell well when officially released in the UAE though most early adopters would’ve already got their hands on one beforehand as Apple officially released this in several countries a few months ago,” Jacky’s Electronics chief operating officer Ashish Panjabi told Khaleej Times in an e-mailed response to queries. “As the app universe grows for apps that take advantage of the higher resolution display [and other new features] on the new iPad, sales should continue on an upward trend in the future.” Panjabi also mentioned that the iPad 2 has benefitted from its successor, with the latter’s price dropping, thus triggering an improvement in sales. The new iPad was initially launched in 10 countries on March 15. It won’t be a surprise if UAE retailers would run short of stocks, owing to a large number of consumers waiting for their turn to grab one.