If the latest iPad 3 rumours are true, Apple is set to unveil the iPad 2’s successor the week after Mobile World Congress. As I’m about to head off for Barcelona in a few days, I figured I’d combine the various iPad 3 rumours into one handy feature beforehand. Why the heck not?
Of course, absolutely nothing is certain, and Apple could always throw an iPhone 4S-style curveball in terms of the specs, but the iPad 3 rumour mill seems pretty certain about more than a few of the details.
Ready to rock, iPad 3 rumour-style?
iPad 3 launch date
We’ve had various silly suggestions about the iPad 3’s launch date over the past few months, including the assertion that Apple would unveil the tablet on the late Steve Jobs’ birthday – February 24. Well, that’s four days away at the time of writing, so I’d bet my own mother that that ain’t happenin’.
More recently we’ve been hearing that the iPad 3 launch will go down “early next month”. More specifically, March 7 (the Wednesday after Mobile World Congress) is the date being touted.
iPad 3 display
The iPad 3 is expected to boast significant enhancements across the board, but the display in particular is tipped to be the big improvement over the soon-to-be-humble iPad 2.
The iPad 2 surprised everyone by dropping in March 2011 with an identical resolution to the original iPad, namely 1024 x 768. The iPad 3 is thought to double that to an eye-melting 2048 x 1536.
If we’re splitting hairs, 2048 x 1536 isn’t quite Retina, but we’re told the iPad 3’s display is sexy enough to make it look “like printed material”. Sounds good to us.
iPad 3 processor
Last March, the iPad 2 debuted Apple’s dual-core A5 chip – also adopted by the iPhone 4S. This year, the iPad 3 is expected to introduce the quad-core A6 processor. Maybe. Somewhat ironically, it’s made by none other than Apple’s best friend (ahem), Samsung.
There have been whispers that the iPad 3 might actually arrive with a comparatively modest dual-core processor, and after the iPhone 4S debacle, nothing would surprise us. Might we be welcoming the iPad 2S?
iPad 3 camera
It’s funny to think that the original iPad had no cameras whatsoever. The iPad 2 was sold largely on its dual-core processor and the introduction of front and rear cameras. How luxurious.
Fast-forward to the present, and the iPad 3 is tipped to mark another significant leap, with an iPhone 4S-style 8MP rear camera. To be honest, we’re not massively bothered about rear cameras on a tablet. I mean, who walks around taking pictures with an iPad?
Siri
When Apple first revealed Siri last October, we assumed it was available to all iOS 5 devices. Of course, we quickly learned that it was an iPhone 4S exclusive, and supposedly incapable of running on earlier iDevices. However, it wasn’t long before various tinkerers proved otherwise.
Nothing much has been said about Siri and the iPad 3 rumours, but it’s one of these things we simply assume will be included. We’d be pretty surprised if it didn’t. Mind you, we are talking about Apple here.
iPad 3 price
Again, little has been said about the iPad 3’s price, but we expect it’ll stick with the tried-and-tested formula adopted over the past two years, namely £399 for the 16GB, £479 for the 32GB, £559 for the 64GB, and an extra £100 if you fancy 3G action.
It’s widely predicted that the iPad 2 will hang around when the iPad 3 arrives, much like the iPhone 4 and the iPhone 4S. There are even rumours that a budget 8GB iPad 2 could look to slap the Amazon Kindle Fire in the face.
iPad 3 release date
The iPad 2 was announced on March 2 and released nine days later, while the iPhone 4S was unveiled on October 4 - hitting shelves 10 days later. Apple is quite fond of the rapid reveal-release technique, so the iPad 3 could be on sale by mid-March. Exciting stuff.
