iPad 3: 10 Features You Won't Find

NEWS ANALYSIS: Apple’s iPad 3 is scheduled to be shown off at a special event March 7. But there are several features Apple won’t include with its new tablet.

Apple€™s announcement of its upcoming tablet, the iPad 3, is right around the corner. And as one might expect, given the company€™s history, the sheer number of rumors surrounding the device have hit a tipping point. Just about anyone who has a stake in seeing Apple launch the new iPad€”from consumer to reporter to retailer€”has some idea of what the device will offer, and what it won€™t.

While it€™s easy to speculate about what Apple will include with the new iPad 3, it€™s also useful to focus on what consumers and business users won€™t find in the iPad 3. Sure, there will be several improvements coming to the tablet that everyone likes, but users should expect to find some omissions that might make you take pause. After all, when has Apple ever delivered every single feature you€™ve really been searching for all these years?

So, with Apple€™s big event just hours away, the question is: What will Apple not include in the iPad 3?

1. Extra ports and slots

For years, consumers and enterprise users have been hoping for everything from a Secure Digital (SD) card slot to a USB port in the iPad. But time and again, Apple has balked at providing such options. Those hoping for the same in the iPad 3 will be sorely disappointed; like it or not, extra ports and slots won€™t be coming to Apple€™s tablet anytime soon.

2. A smaller screen

Rumors have been running rampant, claiming Apple will be launching a smaller iPad this year. But have those who believe those rumors forgotten about Steve Jobs saying that he didn€™t believe 7-inch tablets made sense? Apple is content at the higher end of the tablet space, and that won€™t change.

3. A cheaper price

Pricing matters greatly in the world of tablets. It€™s why the Kindle Fire and the Nook Tablet from Barnes & Noble are so popular. And yet, any hope that the iPad 3 will be any cheaper than its predecessors should be tossed out the window. The iPad is designed to be a premium product on sale for a premium price. That's not going to chance with the iPad 3.

4. The so-called €œHD€ branding

As of late, several reports have cropped up, suggesting the iPad 3 will come with €œHD€ branding to signify its use of the Retina Display. That won€™t happen. Apple is very careful with its branding, offering only an €œS€ at the end of its product names. Adding an HD to the iPad 3 name would devalue Apple€™s branding, and the iPhone maker knows it.