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Friday, January 13, 2012, 05:15 pm
Bloomberg: LTE-capable iPad 3 production underway, to launch in March
Rumors surrounding Apple's upcoming iPad 3 have been swirling as an expected March launch date quickly approaches, and now sources say the yet-to-be-announced tablet will include LTE and be made by Chinese manufacturer Foxconn.Citing information from three Chinese sources close to the matter, Bloomberg on Friday said that the iPad 3 entered mass production earlier in January, and Apple's Chinese manufacturing partners are working around the clock to get the highly-anticipated product out by March.
One of the sources claims that manufacture is quickly ramping up and should reach full volumes by February. Factories are expected to take a break during China's Lunar New Year, and will hit peak capacity shortly following the holiday.
Sources also corroborated previous rumors that the iPad 3 will feature a new quad-core processor, LTE functionality and a high-resolution Retina Display that has more pixels than some high-definition TVs.
LTE compatibility has been rumored since a line of code was found in GSM iPhone 4 and iPad 2 builds of iOS 5, and there have been ongoing rumblings of a Retina Display being developed akin to the one found on the iPhone 4.
Apple has yet to announce any work on a new processor, but Samsung is expected to supply the company with a next-generation A6 quad-core CPU that was rumored to be in testing since August 2011.
The company refused to comment on availability, but rumors of a March release have remained stable and pictures of alleged parts for the tablet continue to crop up.
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Previous Comments View All
Sweetness. LTE launch in Austin just in time. Any bets if T will continue to honor the unlimited?
Sweetness. LTE launch in Austin just in time. Any bets if T will continue to honor the unlimited?
T as in Mr. or T as in -Mobile?
T as in Mr. or T as in -Mobile?
AT&T's ticker = T
And damn it if I didn't waste all those Internet bits and more.
Double res, LTE, quad core, 30 min battery life... 
\
::extreme sarcasm::
I am looking forward to the next iteration. I'd be happy with the current gen but with the new one likely only 2-3 months out I'm in no rush. I don't plan on replacing it every year like a few people around here, so just looking for the best bang for the buck.
Sweetness. LTE launch in Austin just in time. Any bets if T will continue to honor the unlimited?
LTE is a different plan, so you would have to jump off the 3G unlimited into one of the new plans. I'm not positive if you would have to because you purchase an LTE device or if you would only have to if you want to take advantage of LTE speeds though.
Don't forget iPad 3 3G will also be a world mode product. Surprised AI didn't mention that.
So only 12 models this time instead of 18, which is good news for Apple and its customers.
Sweetness. LTE launch in Austin just in time. Any bets if T will continue to honor the unlimited?
I did not know there was ever an unlimited plan for iPad. I have unlimited for my iPhone and my AirCard in my MacPro but only the $15 dollar a month plan for my iPad.
Apple wants to use LTE as soon as possible since they don't have to pay Nokia for it. With 28nm manufacturing the battery penalty is gone.
Its fun how the article thinks that Samsung is going to provide A6 and links to an article that TSMC had a trial run in August. It's technically impossible to take one tape out and use it on another foundry. Either the rumors about trial run at TSMC are false or the rumors about Samsung is false.
I read in june that Apple got back test wafers from TSMC from a site with good foundry knowledge. With one re-spin a trial run in August is plausible.
The most interesting will be to see what graphic core Apple will use. I would guesstimate that its PowerVR Rouge: about 10 times faster then the graphics in A5. A much needed boost for Retina display.
With Quad Core ARM15 + PowerVR Rouge the average uses will have faster Ipad3 then their desktop PC. Its time for these people to ditch their PCs and hook up an HDMI cable to Ipad + bluetooth keyboard = you have the future of computing. Especially since Apple is Merlin iOS/OSX. (something that was reported on Hardmac in April/May 2010)
LTE is a different plan, so you would have to jump off the 3G unlimited into one of the new plans. I'm not positive if you would have to because you purchase an LTE device or if you would only have to if you want to take advantage of LTE speeds though.
I used to have unlimited 3G for my AirCard in my MBP but I just upgraded to the LTE version and I called AT&T about that exact issue and they said the unlimited plan is grandfathered in and although my old sim works fine the tech support rep said I should get a new 4G sim. Since LA is getting LTE very soon I may find out the hard way but right now I get HSPD+ just fine.
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| Model | White | Black | |
|---|---|---|---|
| iPad mini (WiFi only) | |||
| 16GB WiFi |  |
$329.99 | $329.99 |
| 32GB WiFi | |
$429.99 | $429.99 |
| 64GB WiFi | |
$529.99 | $529.99 |
| iPad mini (WiFi + 4G) | |||
 |
 |
 |
|
| 16GB 4G White | $459.99 | $459.99 | $459.99 |
| 32GB 4G White | $559.99 | $559.99 | $559.99 |
| 64GB 4G White | $659.99 | $659.99 | $659.99 |
| 16GB 4G Black | $459.99 | $459.99 | $459.99 |
| 32GB 4G Black | $559.99 | $559.99 | $559.99 |
| 64GB 4G Black | $659.99 | $659.99 | $659.99 |
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... Oh Joy. Proud owner of iPad 1 and 2. Can't wait till this things announced! Retina display will be beautiful.