Okay, so first off, coverage of the supposedly imminent arrival of the iPad 3 is vast and varied. In fact, I don’t recall a time when so many mainstream media outlets have differed so much on something as mundane as a product release. But that is to assume that the iPad 3 is any other product, as opposed to the reality – that it is one of the most anticipated consumer goods on the planet.
Most sources of the release date of the iPad 3 have looked to the behaviour of Apple’s Taiwanese-based manufacturers as guidance for when production will kick in. But here at iPaded, we will leave this speculation to the experts and instead concentrate on what the iPad 3 is going to be. First off are the rumours that the device may actually be released as an iPad 2 Plus. If predictions that the iPad is due for release before the end of 2011 or even the first quarter of 2012 are true then the device is likely to sit more as a model in between the iPad 2 and 3. Why? Well, the iPad 3 is said to have an A6 processor and to have that ready for even first quarter 2012 is a huge task. The A6 will require four processor cores and will use new 3D technology. Not only this, but Apple is switching from Samsung to a new chip manufacturer which will take time to bed down. Here at iPaded, we are salivating over the introduction of the A6 and anything less is a tad underwhelming. Of the three fundamentally important parts of the iPad to see improvement (the others being the screen and speed), the battery is almost definitely going to be significantly lighter and thinner, with a longer service life. A report by Taiwan Economic News has quoted institutional investors of Simplo and Dynapack (Apple’s battery makers) as predicting surging profits on the back of the newly improved battery offerings. On to the screen, expectations are that resolution will be much higher at 2048 by 1536, as opposed to its present 1024 by 768. As well, it seems highly likely that the iPad 3 will come with the retina display expected to have arrived with the iPad 2.
Finally, the iPad 3 is also anticipated to have an NFC chip. NFC (Near Field Communications) allows a device to take over nearby computers. As the iPhone 5 is almost certain to have one, it seems likely that the iPad 3 will put one in for good measure.
Future of the iPad – Part 3, Eddy Cue The Maestro, Future of the iPad – Part 2, Jonathan Ive The Visionary, Future of the iPad – Part 1, Tim Cook The Leader
