IPad HD, aka iPad 3, may prove to bring tablets to the forefront of the laptop market. Boasting a super high-resolution display, built in 4G LTE, and faster graphics silicon, all in a smaller lighter package, it’s easy to see the appeal. And with so many keyboard peripherals already on the market for the previous iPad, laptops and ultrabooks will have some tough competition ahead.

With a stunning 2048×1536 pixel display, the iPad HD already surpasses the MacBook Air and Intel Ultrabooks in screen resolution. The Air maxes out at 1440×900 on the thirteen inch display; Ultrabooks are similar at 1366×768 for most models. This is a huge jump on the 9.7 inch iPad 3 screen.

Neither of those have built in broadband as a standard feature, let alone 4G LTE, the latest and most promising of the 4G networks.

Apple is even catching up on the chip front, with the A5X or the A6 still as possibilities, Intel may no longer have the advantage in this category.

OnLive Desktop will help convert laptop owners by making Microsoft Office available on to iPad. This latest app uses the superior computing power of the cloud to run Windows while making these features available on the thinner, lighter iPad. This may not be the exact advantage as having Office on your local hard drive, but people may be willing to exchange speed for portability.

The new iPad HD may or may not be equivalent to a laptop, but the technology is definitely catching up to the point where people are going to have to make a decision on what they value in portable computing.