Apple's iPad 3 unveiling is likely imminent at its March 7 event, which has caused the rumor mill to kick into its highest gear.
With Apple's iPad-related event March
7, the rumor mill has kicked into its highest gear.
The popular assumption is that Apple
will use the event to unveil its next iPad, which the media has dubbed "iPad
3" but could arrive under another name altogether. Because Apple typically
refuses to part with details of its upcoming devices ahead of their unveiling,
accurate information on the next iPad's features is virtually nonexistent.
However, the rumor mill has proved more
than adept at filling that vacuum with all manner of conjecture, some of it
plausible. Among the most pervasive ones: that the next iPad will feature a
high-resolution "Retina Display," backed by a more powerful processor
and support for 4G LTE. Some news sources have also suggested the device will
boast an improved camera and Siri, Apple's "digital personal assistant."
Even Apple's invitation to the event
sparked a flurry of speculation. "We have something you really have to
see. And touch," read that missive, which included an image of a finger
touching the calendar app on an iPad screen. The respective positions of hand
and hardware led the blog
Gizmodo to theorize that the iPad 3 would lack a
home button.
Although the iPad has managed to
dominate the consumer tablet market, it faces two threats in 2012. The first
comes from Microsoft, which intends to challenge Apple in a big way with
Windows 8 on tablets. Reportedly due closer to the end of the year, Windows 8
features an interface optimized for touch input; moreover, a variety of
developers and manufacturing partners are committed to creating software and
hardware for the ecosystem, which could give Microsoft the momentum that other
iPad competitors have lacked.
In addition, Google and its own
manufacturing partners show no signs of abating their collective quest to make
Android a tablet player, despite the anemic performance of many supposed "iPad
killers" that hit the marketplace in 2011.
A bevy of new high-powered features
could help the iPad beat back these threats. But the exact nature of those
features will have to wait a few more days: At this late date, Apple has still
confirmed exactly nothing about its plans, aside from that it intends to host an
event March 7.
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