There is much to be said about the Apple Event held today. This new product launch is about two things for me, the Retina display of the new iPad and the inclusion of LTE cellular antennas.

Retina Display

The display on the original iPhone was truly remarkable when it was introduced. It seemed so large and detailed. Looking at anything displayed on it was a real joy compared to most other phones on the market at the time. When the original iPad was introduced and I turned it on for the first time, I was blown away with how great everything from books to photos looked on it.

Then came the iPhone 4. When the Retina display was introduced and I saw that screen for the first time, the game had changed. Here was a display that would never need to have it's resolution improved upon. Think about that for a moment in a tech industry where the best never holds that position very long. All of a sudden, using the iPad suffered by comparison. I would rather read a book on my iPhone 4 now than on my iPad.

That's been the state of these two Apple devices for more than 20 months, even as the models evolved into the iPhone 4S and iPad 2. It all ends in a little more than a week. The Retina display on the new iPad will truly be something you need to see to appreciate. People will get the chance first hand in Apple stores and other retailers everywhere.

Some people will certainly purchase the discounted iPad 2 for $399, but I can't imagine many people doing so if they have an opportunity to see a new iPad first. Apple is going to sell these things like crazy this year.

LTE Cellular Antenna

The new iPad will be the first Apple product on the market capable of LTE wireless technology. Everyone has been waiting for this day. I believe it's only a matter of time before LTE makes it's way into the entire mobile line of Apple's products. Everything from the next MacBook Air to the next iPhone would benefit greatly from it's inclusion.

In the specification war, Apple competitors have long been able to trumpet their LTE capable devices. Apple has chosen, wisely I believe, not to play this game until now. The LTE chips have been too great a battery drain. Apparently, the technology has improved to allow the new device to lose only 10% of it's battery life when used on LTE vs. wireless. That's not a bad tradeoff for the increased usefulness of the device.

Looking forward to the launch of the next iPhone, it shouldn't be hard for Apple to increase battery capacity by that 10% either through improved battery technology, the shrinking of other phone components or a modest increase in phone size. I personally don't want an Android sized phone in any way, but a new iPhone with a screen size increase to 4" would allow for additional battery while still retaining the one handed usefulness of the phone I've come to love.

One More Thing

I'll close with the following quote from Tim Cook as he closed today's event. I must say, I'm certainly excited about the next 9 months.

“Only Apple could deliver this kind of innovation, in such a beautiful, integrated, and easy-to-use way. It’s what we love to do. It’s what we stand for. And across the year, you’re going to see a lot more of this kind of innovation. We are just getting started.”