Remember those rumors about a Retina Display-equipped iPad 3 coming later this year? Well, just walk on by, nothing to see here -- as it turns out, component suppliers are now saying that such talk is much ado about nothing.
DigiTimes is reporting that Apple’s supposed plans for an iPad 3 later this year are simply talk -- or rather “wishful thinking and misreporting,” according to the company’s component makers. Among the rumored plans for a third quarter iPad 3 refresh is a Retina Display, which is not expected to be in the cards this year.
“Sources from touch panel makers pointed out that Apple recently released its latest tablet PC plan and is asking the panel makers to provide products that are capable to support higher image quality than the current iPad 2 and Apple may even choose AMOLED panel or panel that support Full HD standard to accomplish the plan,” the DigiTimes report explains. “However, since the project is still at the initial planning stage, the actual products are unlikely to appear in 2011.”
AMOLED display technology has appeared in a number of Android-based handsets in the last couple of years, but it’s unlikely that Apple will adopt it for the iPad -- AMOLED is largely controlled by Samsung, who is viewed as a direct competitor in the tablet market.
“As for the iPad 3 rumor, the sources from upstream component makers pointed out that the new rumored device should be an upgrade version of iPad 2 or an iPad 2 version that supports different communication format,” the report reveals. “Since Apple just released its iPad 2 in early March and is ready to start mass shipping, launching the iPad 3 would simply bite off share from its iPad 2.”
So what is this “different communication format” alluded to in the DigiTimes report? The most logical choice would be 4G LTE, which partner Verizon Wireless has been actively ramping up this year. Recent rumors of an iPhone 5 delay have also pointed to the possibility of an LTE handset, although many pundits predict that Apple won’t adopt such technology until 2012 at the earliest.
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