The best high-definition display on the market today will not be found on any large, expensive flat-panel television. It is on the third-generation iPad, which starts selling in Hong Kong and nine other markets from today.
People, however, will need to see the device in the store to fully appreciate the 9.7-inch HD display.
Apple's latest media tablet costs the same as the iPad 2 did when it was rolled out last year, with prices for the Wi-fi-ready version starting at HK$3,888. It is also simply called 'iPad', eliminating any numerical or physical brand distinction.
The new iPad offers practically the same design, size and weight as the previous version. Its most striking feature is the 'Retina display', a screen technology that Apple first introduced on the iPhone 4 in 2010.
A side-by-side comparison of the new iPad and the iPad 2 - in an unlit room - playing the HD trailer for upcoming computer-animated movie Despicable Me 2, showed the updated device delivers crisper and more vibrant colours. The blue outfit, yellow skin and brown eyes of movie villain Gru's minions appear richer and somewhat more lifelike.
When reading the electronic version of Charles Dickens' Great Expectations on the iBook application, the text and graphic icons appear sharper on the new device. Photographs on the South China Morning Post's iPad app are also shown in finer detail.