128GB iPad

Apple have announced that their iPad with Retina display (what we call the iPad 4th Generation) will be available with even more storage capacity from 5th February 2013. The new size is 128GB, as you probably guessed from the title of this blogpost! There was no fanfare or an Apple special event to break the news, just a simple press statement, but then the product remains the same. The new size is available in both Wi-Fi only and Wi-Fi+Cellular options. The costs in the USA are $799 for the Wi-Fi only and $929 for the cellular option.

A whopping 128GB flash drive takes the iPad with Retina Display into new territories. This doubling of storage capacity from 64GB to 128GB, and coupling an iPad with Retina Display with the Apple Wireless Keyboard brings it into competition with a MacBook Air, which is $999, to use US dollars for a direct comparison. And the $999 MacBook Air is only equipped with 64 GB flash storage!

Both the MacBook Air and the iPad + a wireless keyboard give you the option to quickly and accurately type emails, documents etc. for work. But the iPad has a lot more to offer for play. The multi-touch interface works brilliantly with games and creative apps, and also for showing off your photos. It's a tough choice to make if you have $1000 to spend on Apple products!

More and more complex applications are being released for the iPad too. Companies such as Autodesk and WaveMachines Labs take the iPad format very seriously with their AutoCAD WS and Auria apps respectively. Both companies are quoted in Apple's press release of acknowledging that their customers will benefit from a larger storage option on new devices.

Is this enough storage to tempt buyers away from tablets with expandable memory? Can you foresee ever using up 128GB, thats a fair few apps, photos and films. But the with the 4G LTE high speed it is quick to download a large file, so it's probably very useful. Let us know in the comments below what you think of the this addition to the iPad product line up.