It’s pretty much a foregone conclusion that Apple will be releasing the next version of its iPad tablet on March 7 with a high-resolution, 2048×1536 display. Whether its 264 pixels per inch classifies as a true Retina Display is up to critics and Apple’s marketers, but we’re certain it’ll be the most desirable object to come from Cupertino since, well, the iPad 2.

But just because you want one, that doesn’t necessarily mean you should just rush out to hand over another fistful of your hard-earned dollars to Cook & Co. We already know the pros--it’s a new iPad, after all--so lets take a look at some cons the iPad 3’s presumed Retina Display might have.

Price

Apple’s not really in the habit raising prices anymore, so we’re sure there will be an entry-level $499 model--or lower, if they keep the iPad 2 around--but there’s no assurance that it will have the allegedly drool-worthy high-resolution screen. In fact, with so many rumors swirling--quad-core processor, LTE networking, 8MP camera--it’s hard to imagine Apple could squeeze so much iPad into such an attractive price. Now, we don’t expect the price to bring back memories of the Cube, but we wouldn’t be surprised to see the Retina Display reserved for the higher end configurations this time around, with a price drop sometime in the fall.

Battery

One of the best things about the iPad is its ridiculous battery life: 10 or so hours of heavy use and about a week of standby. But with the presumed screen enhancements in store for the next-generation model, the old battery just isn’t going to cut it. While case leaks suggest a slightly larger enclosure (presumably making way for a larger battery in the iPad 3), the iPhone 4S's 100-hour drop in standby time--along with reports of some serious usage shortcomings--make us a bit concerned. After all, what use is a Retina Display when you’re fighting Kindle Fire users for an outlet at Starbucks?

Existing Apps

Just because Apple updates doubles the resolution of the iPad screen doesn’t mean everything’s going to immediately look better--in reality, many of our favorite apps will look worse. When the diminutive iPhone went Retina we were able to deal with the ugliness, but on a 10-inch screen, all of those blurry images and jagged lines will be accentuated to the extreme when compared to their high-resolution bretheren. Remember how awful those pixel-doubled iPhone apps looked on iPad 1? It’ll take time for developers to catch up (in some cases a painfully long time).

Technical Issues

With new technology comes new problems, and Apple isn’t immune to missteps with a new launch. (Remember the white iPhone 4?) Thus far, the iPad has pretty much been immune from any major scandals--save some scattered reports of backlight bleeding--so we have no reason to believe the third go-round won’t go off without a hitch. But no one wants to be the first one on their block with an iPad that needs to go back to the Apple Store.