Apple's iPad 3 will feature a quad-core A6 processor, according to a new posting from the Boy Genius Report blog.
Apple's iPad 3
will feature a new A6 processor, according to a Feb. 1 posting on the Boy Genius Report blog.
BGR's information
came from an unnamed source, who in turn provided 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."
If Apple
follows the release cadence of the two previous iPad versions, the iPad 3 could
arrive early this year. Certainly, the tablet has proven a resounding success
for Apple, having sold 15.43 million units in the last quarter alone.
That massive
sales volume has apparently affected other products in Apple's hardware
ecosystem.
"There is
cannibalization clearly of the Mac by the iPad, but we continue to believe
there is much more cannibalization of Windows PCs by the iPad," Apple CEO Tim
Cook told analysts and media listening to the call, "and there's many more of them
to cannibalize. And so we love that trend."
Moreover, the
iPad 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."
Later in 2012,
Apple will likely face a tablet challenge from Microsoft and its manufacturing
partners, who could market a host of touch-screen devices loaded with the
upcoming Windows 8. Whatever hits the market from Redmond, it will face an iPad
3 that, in addition to a more powerful processor, could also boast a
higher-resolution display and other next-generation features.
Follow Nicholas Kolakowski on Twitter
Nicholas Kolakowski is a staff editor at eWEEK, covering Microsoft and other companies in the enterprise space, as well as evolving technology such as tablet PCs. His work has appeared in The Washington Post, Playboy, WebMD, AARP the Magazine, AutoWeek, Washington City Paper, Trader Monthly, and Private Air. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.
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