The near-mythical iPad 3 is coming, and while no one outside of Apple knows exactly when, it’s a pretty good guess that it will be announced in the next few weeks and likely in stores a week or two after that. AllThingsD, however, claims to have a source that’s pinpointing it just a little bit closer.
AllThingsD is reporting that the next iPad will be announced sometime during the first week of March, throwing cold water on any theories that the blessed event will come this month, as many tablet geeks have been hoping. But hey, that’s only a few weeks away, and if last year’s iPad 2 launch is any indication, potential iPad 3 buyers may even have one in their hands in less than six weeks.
“Sources say the company has chosen the first week in March to debut the successor to the iPad 2, and will do so at one of its trademark special events,” John Paczkowski’s report reveals. “The event will be held in San Francisco, presumably at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Apple’s preferred location for big announcements like these. No word yet on a street date for the iPad 3 (assuming that’s what it’s called), though my guess is retail availability will follow roughly the same schedule as that of the iPad 2: Available for purchase a week or so after the event.”
The gang at ATD isn’t prone to throwing out speculation willy-nilly, so we’d say the above information is a pretty safe bet -- although it’s hardly crystal ball-level mysticism, since it follows pretty closely to the same playbook as last year’s iPad 2 launch. Apple, as usual, has no comment on any potential event (big surprise).
As for what the next iPad will offer in the way of new features, that’s anyone’s guess. A higher-resolution display seems to be a given, with the leading speculation doubling the current resolution to 2048x1536. A faster A6 processor with improved graphics is also likely, and since there’s not a whole lot that can be done with the existing tablet form factor, it will probably look and weigh in pretty close to the existing iPad 2.
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(Image courtesy of AllThingsD)
