Apple iPad 3 announcement 'in early March'

The US technology blog All ThingsD reports that "sources" say Apple will announce the next iPad at a special event early next month.

Apple typically updates it products annually and the iPad 2 was announced on March 2 last year so this would fit the schedule. All ThingsD suggests that, as last year, Apple will put the device on sale a week or two later.

Earlier, blogs circulated a photo that appeared to show the back of the next iPad. The picture, which suggested that the new tablet had already entered production, ignited rumours about the iPad 3.
The photograph shows only slight differences from the iPad 2 back and it is possible that the part is not from an 'iPad 3' but instead from a rejected prototype or even a fake.

Technology blog The Verge, citing "people familiar with the product", says that the new iPad will have double the screen resolution of the iPad 2 and as a result will be about one millimetre thicker. It will probably be powered by an A6 chip - the iPad 2 is powered by the A5 - but The Verge says that chip will be dual-core and not quad-core as had been suggested elsewhere.

RepairLabs, the website that received the photo in the first place, says that the new design appears to suggest a slimmer logic board, meaning that the new device could have a larger battery.
RepairLabs writes: "Our insiders tell us that so far the screen is not out there yet. That could mean that the finished product has not been signed off or that it is being kept top secret."
It's impossible to draw conclusions at this stage but as we draw closer to the anticipated launch - which still has not been confirmed by Apple, of course - then we can expect the rumours to increase.





By Shane Richmond, Head of Technology (Editorial)3:43PM GMT 09 Feb 2012
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/apple/9072300/Apple-iPad-3-announcement-in-early-March.html

Category: Feature , Tablets