Apple said to hold 'iPad 3' event first week in March

Citing unnamed sources, AllThingsD reported on Thursday that Apple's so-called "iPad 3" will debut at a special event to be held the first week in March. That means the next-generation tablet will be shown off in the next three to four weeks.

Author John Paczkowski said the device will be largely the same as rumors have suggested, with a high-resolution Retina Display in the range of 2,048-by-1,536 pixels along with a "much faster" processor and improved graphics processing.

Paczkowski also asked a source whether 2012 will be "the year of the iPad 3," and they reportedly said, "what do you think?" Last year at the iPad 2 unveiling in March, Apple killed off rumors that a new iPad model would launch later in the year by declaring 2011 the "Year of iPad 2."

Last year, the iPad 2 was unveiled at a media event at San Francisco's Yerba Buena Center for the Arts on Wednesday, March 2. Thursday's rumor suggests that the new iPad will debut at a similar point in the year. The month of March kicks off on a Thursday in three weeks.

The rumored date comes as a flurry of pictures claim to show components for Apple's third-generation iPad, including one that purports to be a high-resolution Retina Display manufactured by Sharp for the anticipated tablet's 9.7-inch touchscreen. Separately, a pair of reports claim to show both the outside and inside of the device's back panel, suggesting it will include space internally for a larger battery.