The announcement of today’s new iPad with its retina display has undoubtedly propelled technology a few years into the future. The amount of features packed into the new iPad and its accompanying software is pretty mind blowing when you slow down and take a minute to think of our progress over the last 40 years. Mankind has been dreaming of such a device for over 75 years. In the April, 1935 issue of Everyday Science and Mechanics, this crazy contraption above was their dream version of the iPad.

Apple has officially released its new TV ad simply entitled “the new iPad.” The 30-second commercial only features the tablet’s gorgeous Retina display. It’s simple and elegant.

“When a screen becomes this good, it’s simply you and the things you care about.”

Today’s keynote is available for streaming online and there are other videos for the new iPad on Apple’s website.

There’s a nice refinement to the iOS lock screen in the 5.1 update released today: now, your iPhone’s camera lurks just beneath the lock screen, and you can jump straight into it with an upward swipe.

Previously, it was possible to toggle a button that appeared in the same position, and took you to the camera when tapped. In iOS 5.1, that button becomes a handle for swiping, and seems to be permanently in place.

UPDATE: Experimenting with this today, I discovered that if you swipe up to show the camera from the lock screen, you can swipe down again from the top of the screen to put the camera away and lock the phone again. The downwards swipe won’t show Notification Center.

Apple has noted that iCloud can now be used to re-download movies and TV shows that have been purchased from the iTunes Store. During today’s keynote, it was revealed that the third-gen Apple TV would support 1080p HD video, and Apple gave its iTunes video catalog a 1080p facelift to match. On top of that, iCloud will now let you access your purchased video content on all of your devices as many times as you want.

The new feature is welcomed, but there are a couple major Hollywood studios that have not made their content available on iCloud. Universal and Fox haven’t been able to ink a deal with Apple yet.

In the slew of software updates Apple has released today, version 5.0 for the Apple TV brings the new user interface that was demoed during today’s keynote. The new icon-based interface harkens to the feel of iOS with “channel” hubs for content providers like Netflix and MLB.com.

5 app-like icons are displayed for each row under the interface’s top marquee. Apple’s cloud-based iTunes Match service can be used to access your music library on the Apple TV, and iTunes Home Sharing can be used to access libraries locally stored on your network. You also have direct access to Netflix, MLB, NBA, NHL, Apple’s own Trailers app, Wall Street Journal Live, YouTube, Vimeo, iTunes Podcasts, Internet Radio, Photo Stream, and Flickr.

Netflix was a big part of the new Apple TV presentation today, and almost like an afterthought, the streaming video king has an announcement of its own: Netflix is getting enhanced integration with iTunes and the Apple TV.

Naturally, the biggest upgrade to Netflix on Apple TV is support for 1080p video an Dolby Digital 5.1 audio, but Netflix has also announced that users will now be able to sign up for Netflix directly on the Apple TV and even pay using their iTunes account.

That’s a big coup, but it also implies Netflix is giving Apple a 30% cut of every sign-up. Given how many studios are fleeing them lately, seems to me like Netflix could use all the money it can get.

The new iPad comes equipped with LTE 4G networking on AT&T and Verizon in the United States, and data plan prices for the nation’s largest carriers can now be compared. As you can see, AT&T offers the cheapest option with a $15/month for 250MB option.

Like always, these iPad data plans can be purchased month-to-month on either AT&T or Verizon with no long-term commitment. The new iPad offers Personal Hotspot for creating a WiFi network out of your 4G connection. LTE 4G will get you up to 72Mbps when available, but the iPad also supports HSPDA 3G for speeds up to 42MBps. Regular 3G will be used when nothing else is available.

Our awesome Twitter follower @presstopher was one of the first to get iOS 5.1 downloaded on his iPhone and noticed an odd update – his AT&T iPhone 4S (that runs on the 3G network) is now lying, claiming that it is running on a 4G network. iOS 5.1 changes AT&T iPhone 4S to show that they are using a 4G network. It’s complete malarkey and we’re stunned that Apple and AT&T have made this move.

We told you that Apple announced the stunningly beautiful iPhoto for iPad today during the keynote, and it’s already available for download in the App Store! The $5 app is actually a universal download for the iPhone and iPad, so you get even more bang for your buck!

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Did we forget something? Tell us in the comments and we’ll add it to the poll!

Following Apple’s announcement of a new iPad today, you can purchase AppleCare+ for your shiny new tablet. The extended warranty was first made available for the iPhone 4S last October. The $99 plan gets you two years of accidental coverage, but it will need to be purchased within 30 days of when you buy your new iPad.

The warranty is still labeled as “coming soon” on Apple’s website, but we suspect you’ll be able to add to your purchase when you pre-order.

Apple dropped the price on the iPad 2 down to $400 for a brand new unit, but if you’re looking to save a little extra cash, buying a refurbished model is a great option. The Apple Store is back online, and right now Apple is selling refurbished iPad 2s for $349. Considering the iPad 2 is the second best tablet on the market (thanks to a recent demotion from the new iPad), shelling out $349 for a new iPad 2 is a sweet bargain.

Think about that. That’s just $150 more than a brand new Kindle Fire and you can do a whole lot more with it than Amazon’s puny tablet. If you know someone who is hankering for a tablet, this is what you buy.

It’s all about software.

Watch the video of this morning’s iPad event, and note how Apple’s execs spend more time talking about the apps that the new iPad can run than the new iPad itself.

Apple has released iOS 5.1 to the public. The update is available for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad owners running iOS 5. Check Software Update in your Settings app to download.

This update includes Japanese support for Siri, an always-visible camera shortcut on the lock screen, a redesigned Camera app for iPad, and the ability to finally delete individual photos from Photo Stream.

Alright, so you’ve been glued to your monitor the past few hours, drooling over the new iPad’s ridiculous screen, crazy camera, and insane apps. Now you’re just wondering which iPad model you should buy. Are you torn between Wi-Fi only and LTE? Or maybe the decision between the black and white model is too hard for you to make on your own. Don’t worry. We’re here to help you out and find the absolute best new iPad for you.

Let’s call a spade a spade: the iPad 2 camera seemed like an afterthought with image quality that barely rivaled the iPhone 3GS — it was hardly usable. But the new iPad camera isn’t a small upgrade. It’s going to start a revolution.

Now that the iPad has LTE, the old 20MB limit on over-the-air downloads just isn’t going to cut it anymore. So Apple has more than doubled it to 50MB, applicable to movies, apps, games, music, and more.

As we thought, Apple has launched iPhoto for the iPad, meaning that — at last — we won’t have to deal with the awful built-in Photos app so much any more. As you’d expect if you have used GarageBand or iMovie on the iPad, iPhoto keeps the spirit of its desktop cousin, but has been completely remade for the touch-screen tablet. And while it is sure to shine on the new iPad’s Retina display, it will also run on the iPad you have today.

We’ll let you know when it’s back up.

Apple just announced new apps and updates for its iLife and iWork apps on iOS, as part of today’s new iPad announcement.

Now both collections are available – in full – for the iPad. Here’s an overview of what’s new.

Apple has made the new iPad available for pre-order on its online store. As Phil Schiller noted during today’s keynote, the tablet will become available in stores on Friday, March 16th, with international availability occurring the following week.

The new iPad starts at $499 and features many new features, including a Retina display and 4G LTE networking.

Well that was quick. The Apple Special Event just concluded about 30 minutes ago, but Apple already has the full video available for viewing right here. Grab some popcorn, a couple pints of Ben and Jerry’s and maybe some root beer so you can kick back and relive the 90 minute keynote in all its visual glory.

The new Apple TV didn’t get a lot of discussion time during the keynote today, and you might have missed a few new features. The new interface looks great, and we’ve been dying for 1080p support for years. Apple just updated the Apple TV page on their website, so you can now dig into all the detail of the new device and bust out your credit card once the store comes back online.

It’s not available for download yet, but on Apple’s official iTunes page, there’s reference to iTunes 10.6… which it looks like we can expect to go live today.

Following the Apple iPad keynote that just ended, Apple.com/iPad has been updated with new information about the third-gen tablet. Apple has chosen to go with neither “iPad 3” or “iPad HD” and just call it “the new iPad.”

The new website marquee features the device’s gorgeous Retina display, features, pricing details, and tech specs. There are also two new ads that can be streamed.