The most important feature on any iPad is the screen. So that’s where we started — by building the breakthrough Retina display with over 3 million pixels. To create a display like this was an engineering feat in its own right. But we went even further. We designed a camera that could take images as brilliant as the display itself. And we enclosed iPad in a unibody so thin and light, you can take all those pixels with you wherever you go. And they travel beautifully.

 

In order to create a display with a 2048-by-1536-pixel resolution, we had to design it in a completely new way. Every pixel in a display has multiple signals telling it when to light up. But when you have a lot of pixels and a lot of signals on the same plane, signals get crossed and image quality suffers. To make sure everything on iPad looks crystal clear, Apple engineers elevated the pixels onto a different plane — separating them from the signals. It’s technology that’s breakthrough. Just like iPad itself.

 

 

Megapixels matter. But the quality of a photo is determined by other things, too — like the camera’s optics, image signal processor, and software. The iSight camera uses advanced optics to give you the best picture possible. With an ƒ/2.4 aperture and a five-element lens, it captures light efficiently to produce a sharper and brighter overall image. And the hybrid infrared filter — typically reserved for expensive SLR cameras — keeps out harmful IR light for more accurate, uniform colors.

Advancements that go layers deep.

The five-element camera lens built into iPad captures light efficiently to produce a sharper and brighter overall image.

 

Even with so much power built into iPad, it’s incredibly thin and light. From the A6X chip to the Retina display, we had to engineer each component to maximize performance while minimizing size and weight. So at just 0.37 inch thin and less than 1.5 pounds, iPad isn’t just capable, it’s portable, too.*

 

  

 

iPad is sleek, beautiful, and engineered to handle life on the go — thanks in large part to the aluminum unibody. By consolidating many parts into one, everything becomes less complex and far more precise. The result is an iPad that’s thin, light, and durable enough for the ins and outs of everyday life.

 

Lightning connector

Not only is the Lightning connector 80 percent smaller than the 30‑pin connector, it was designed to be reversible and significantly more durable.

How a product looks and performs matters, but so does its impact on the environment. That’s why nearly every Apple product is made from highly recyclable materials like aluminum, and why we refuse to use harmful toxins in our components.

Every iPad is free of brominated flame retardants (BFRs) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC). In fact, Apple has one of the strictest BFR-free and PVC-free standards in the industry. And we expect the same from our suppliers. We go so far as to disassemble our products into individual components and materials in our Cupertino lab. Then we test them using many methods, including X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy and ion chromatography. We do this to ensure that every product we release meets our environmental standards.

To learn more about Apple’s dedication to reducing the environmental impact of our products and processes, visit the Apple and the Environment website.

http://www.apple.com/ipad/design/