AppleInsider Staff
Citing component makers in Taiwan, DigiTimes reported on Friday that the so-called "iPad 3" will launch in March with a high-resolution Retina Display, like is found on the iPhone and iPod touch. That will be followed by an "iPad 4" with "killer applications" set to launch in October.
The report claimed that Apple is planning to launch the fourth iPad quickly in October to counter a rumored Google-branded tablet as well as touchscreen devices running Microsoft's Windows 8 operating system. The Taiwanese industry publication said the fourth iPad will feature "much upgraded hardware specifications and integrated applications so as to compete with an array of Android-, Wintel- or WoA (Windows on ARM)-based tablet PCs to be released in the fourth quarter."
As for the third-generation iPad, the report said it will feature a QXGA display with a resolution of 1,536-by-2,048 pixels. It will also sport longer battery life, but reportedly "may not be so amazing as expected."
Finally, the publication also reiterated belief that Apple will continue to sell the current iPad 2, but will drop its price to $399, much like Apple currently does with older iPhone models. Such a move is believed to be in an effort to counter lower priced tablets that are available, such as the Kindle Fire for $199.
Of course, Friday's report should be taken with a heavy dose of skepticism, as similar rumors surfaced numerous occasions last year that Apple planned to launch a third-generation iPad in 2011. That, of course, never came to be, and Apple stayed true to its promise of 2011 being the "Year of iPad 2."
In addition, DigiTimes has had a hit-or-miss track record with Apple-related rumors over the years. Just last week, the publication claimed Apple planned to unveil two new iPad models at the MacWorld | iWorld conference later this month, but those claims were quickly disputed by the well-sourced Jim Dalrymple at The Loop.
-m.jpg)
Malcolm Owen
Oliver Haslam
Christine McKee
Amber Neely
Andrew Orr
William Gallagher
107 Comments
Why would Apple worry about countering some rumored Google tablet? They practically own the market and an iPad 3 release would only further that.
The idea that Apple would release an iPad 4 in 2012 is so ridiculous that AppleInsider have tarnished their own credibility by republishing it.
Must be the new year. Yet another rumor that two iPads will be released in the same calendar year. Just like they release two new iPhone models every year..... oh, wait. Well, at least they release two new models of each of the iPods every year.... oh, wait. iPad 3 will be released in Spring/Summer, iPhone will be released in Summer/Fall, iPods will fall somewhere in there, rinse and repeat for next year. Predictable unpredictability. That's what Apple is great at.
Maybe it's time I stopped reading rumour sites...
Did digitimes set up a template for this story last year so that they could just increment all of the relevant numbers (2011, 2, 3) by 1?
The only thing that I can imagine might be missing in a March iPad that could be added by October would be LTE.
If the iPad 3 is missing LTE, I'll probably buy a cheap iPad 2 to replace my aging iPad 1. The retina display doesn't do much for me (my retinas just aren't up to it), and the iPad2 has a plenty fast processor. If Apple were to add LTE in the fall, I would just sell the iPad 2 and buy the iPad3 with LTE at that time.
(note -- I realize that there are probably tons of people who really can tell the difference between a retina display and a non-retina display. I don't mean to suggest you can't, so don't flame me. I just really do have lame retinas -- it's a legit medical condition).