Apple's iPad 3 will arrive March 7, according to an ever-popular unnamed source talking to iMore.
Apples iPad 3
could make its debut March 7.
At least,
thats the prediction of
iMore,
which cited the ever-popular unnamed sources who have been reliable in the
past.
Whether or not
that source proves accurate, the information dovetails neatly with a prediction
from
AllThingsD
(which also cited an unnamed source) that Apples next iPad will make its debut
at the beginning of March. No word yet on a street date for the iPad 3
(assuming thats what its called), noted the Feb. 9 report.
The
iMore report also suggested that the
device would feature a 2048x1536 Retina Display along with a quad-core
processor and possibly 4G LTE networking.
Rumors of
similar features have circulated for some time. In a Feb. 1 posting, the
Boy Genius Report also suggested the
iPad 3 will feature a faster, next-generation A6 processor. That information
likewise came from an unnamed source, who provided the blog with
screenshots
of output from an iPad 3 using a development and debug tool called iBoot.
Based on those screens, the iPad 3 will come in two versions: one with WiFi
only and one with WiFi and embedded GSM/CDMA/LTE for all carriers.
As a whole,
the iPad franchise enters 2012 in a particularly strong market position.
Throughout 2011, other tablets have plunged into the tablet arena with huge
advertising budgets and the stated aim of becoming an iPad killer, only to
find apathetic customers and a general lack of buzz.
Our checks
indicate modest sales of most competing tablet offerings, including the
Motorola Xyboard, RIM PlayBook, HTC View 4G, Samsung Galaxy tab and several
other Android-based devices, T. Michael Walkley, an analyst with Canaccord
Genuity, wrote in a Jan. 24 research note. Also consistent with our checks,
the Amazon Kindle Fire did not adversely impact iPad sales but more likely had
a greater impact on e-reader sales.
Apples next
big tablet challenge might come in late 2012, when it will face Windows 8 on
Microsoft and its manufacturing partners. Whatever features are included with
the iPad 3, they will need to prove capable of beating back that challenge, in
addition to keeping Android at bay.
Follow
Nicholas Kolakowski on Twitter
Email
Print
