NEW YORK — Apple is revealing a new iPad model Wednesday with new features including a sharper screen and faster processor.
Apple Inc. CEO Tim Cook says, “We are taking it to a whole new level and are redefining the category that Apple created with the original iPad."
Earlier, Cook spoke of a “post-PC” era dominated by the iPad and other Apple products.
At the event Wednesday in San Francisco, Apple said the tablet will don a speedier processor, a sharper screen and an option for faster wireless broadband access.
Apple said the new display will be even sharper than the high-definition television set in the living room, will show more saturated colors than previous models, and will also be four times faster.
Compared to the iPad 2, the new model features a higher-resolution camera on the back, similar to the one in the iPhone 4S.
Apple is also updating some of the software on the tablet to take advantage of the new features. For example, it's introducing a version of the Mac's iPhoto photo organization and manipulation program for the iPad.
In addition to the U.S., the new tablet will go on sale in Canada, Britain, France, Germany, Switzerland and Japan on March 16.
Prices aren't changing from the previous models. They will start at $499. Versions capable of accessing cellular networks will cost $629 to $829.
Apple also announced it would start letting users store movies in its iCloud remote storage service, so they can be accessed through the Internet by PCs and Apple devices. It already lets users store photos, music and documents in the service.
Cook also unveiled an updated version of the company’s Apple TV set-top box with a new user interface that can play movies in "1080p" format, the highest-resolution commonly used video standard.
Cook said the Apple TV device, which is plugged into a television, has a so-called mirroring function so video from a user’s mobile devices can be played on TV. Photos taken from an iPhone will wirelessly sync using Apple TV, he said. The device also goes on sale March 16 for $99.
The iPad launch comes as Apple has reached a rare milestone: Last week, it was worth more than $500 billion. Only six other U.S. companies have been worth that much, and none have held that valuation for long. On Tuesday, Apple's stock fell, bringing its market value down to $493 billion, but analysts believe the company is worth closer to $550 billion.