iPad 3 iPad 3 Review, Release Date, Specifications, Rumors

The iPad 3 will have Three versions to – Wi-Fi, 3G, and 4G. 9to5Mac said that these new iPads will be called J1, J2, and J2a (code names. The J1 iPad is likely the WiFI-only model, and the J2 and J2a are likely hybrid cellular-data-enabled versions (mix of GSM, CDMA, and LTE to run on both 3G and 4G).  The site cites its earlier reports on the three variants.

“We have something you really have to see. And touch,” Apple said on Tuesday, in an invitation distributed to select media. The invitation features a picture of an iPad screen. Trudy Muller, a spokeswoman for Apple declined to comment anything beyond the information provided. Apple has invited media to attend a special event on 7^th March to be conducted at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco, Timing – 10 a.m. PT. Watch the iPad 3 Concept Video, to have a better idea. Analysis of the invitation provides bits of information on the new generation iPad. As per Gizmodo’s analysis the iPad 3 will not feature the physical Home button. The spacing of the apps shown in the invitation indicate the iPad being held in portrait mode. When held in portrait mode, the Home button is visible directly beneath the screen. That’s not the case here?

MS Office App is the new buzz for iPad3 fans. The Daily has published a report on this aspect. The report announces a version of the Microsoft Office Suite for iPad3; having interface similar to OneNote App (Microsoft’s note-taking app for iPad). The app is complete and is to be submitted to Apple for App Store approval. The Daily also mentions of the App of having design standard similar (Metro – design language) to that of Windows Phone and the forthcoming Windows 8 operating system. The app supports creation and edition of Word, Excel and PowerPoint files, both offline and online. Two things are however unclear – 1) Will Microsoft support other Office apps at launch or if they will be added later?  2) When will the App be available for customers? Android version of Office seems to be in the dumps.

Further heating up the Rumours – Chinese language news blog App.WePost.Me has released pics of iPad 3 parts which further confirm the much hyped ‘Retina Display’. The pics have been taken from one of Samsung’s supplier plants in China i.e. Wujiang City, Radiant Opto-Electronics LCM sector. The photos are blurry but they do show something revealing, photos of packed up Retina Displays and some boxes which appear to ready for shipping off to Apple’s final product assembly lines.

Rumours are becoming more and more intriguing, the latest doing the circles, Leaked pics of  iPad 3 logic board with Apple A5X processor. Taking into consideration, the photograph posted on Chinese site Weiphone, iPad 3 might just have upgraded A5X chip instead of the rumored quad-core A6 chip. The date code on the chip is 1146 indicates 46th week of 2011 (i.e. November 14 onwards ). It is accompanied by two 16GB Hynix flash memory chips and a further, Apple-branded chip believed to be responsible for power management. But the question arises – Why? It is being considered that a quad-core processor in the new iPad isn’t as much of a necessity as the iPad2’s performance is far better than most current Android tabs, even though it has older architecture. When you already have an advanced pad in the market why to jump for Four Cores? The A5X chip has a model number of S5L8945X which are in line with S5L8930X of the A4 chip and S5L8940X of the A5. It can be concluded that –  A5X lies somewhere between the A5 and the A6. This also means that Apple is looking for a more power-friendly iPad. But then, it would be disappointing as that makes iPad3, just an upgrade over the iPad 2. Doesn’t it?

Apple Daily, a Chinese publication posted pics of the rear facing camera on Saturday. The pictures clearly show that the iPad3 rear camera is larger than iPad2 camera. It was asserted by the agency that the change was made to accommodate an 8 megapixel sensor. If true, this would be a much-welcomed change from the harshly-reviewed 1MP camera found on the iPad 2. Earlier leaked pics case showed that the size of the camera hole was similar to that of the iPad 2, but it there was a change in how the sensor would be mounted. Apart from the change in lens size, the case of iPad3 appears more bevelled than iPad2. This slight change in design is indicative of more space for a larger battery.

Rumours aside, MacRumors has published photographic evidence and microscopic examination to authenticate the Retina Display. , MacRumors obtained one of the iPad 3 displays (OEM replacement part) and examined it under a microscope to find out about the ultra-high resolution Retina display. Physically, the purported iPad 3 display is the same size as the current iPad 1 and iPad 2 display at 9.7″ in diagonal, and looks quite similar to the naked eye. But under the microscope the iPad 3 display’s pixels appear to be one-quarter the size of those on the iPad 2. Since the examination was performed on raw iPad 3 display with no method to power it, high quality photos of the pixels were taken. In the pic one can easily make out the pixels on each display (made up of red, green and blue elements). The site highlighted a cluster of 4 pixels (2×2) from the iPad 2 to compare it to the same area on the iPad 3. On the iPad 3, the same cluster was occupied by 16 pixels (4×4) — exactly twice the resolution in each direction. Extrapolating out, the iPad 3 screen should carry a full resolution of 2048×1536, exactly twice the linear resolution of the iPad 1 and iPad 2 which is 1024×768. Such a screen should be able to display much sharper images as compared to the previous generation iPads.

The Day: Wednesday, the Date – 7^th March and the occasion ‘iPad3 Release’. Circulating all over the world this rumoured news could be a reality. And, just how?  Apple released iPad2, last year during First Wednesday of March at a special event in San Francisco on (March 2^nd).  Certain reports indicate a particular pattern which Apple follows whilst releasing or updating its products. As has been the case with – iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4S. Then the Yerba Buena Center in San Francisco is free on the predicted date; it is the same date where Apple’s late founder Steve Jobs unveiled the iPad 2 last March. Relying on the earlier accurate predictions offered on Apple leaks by prominent sources like – All Things Digital, iMore, The Loop and 9to5mac, there is a consensus on the date. To remind you, iPad3 is rumoured to feature 2048×1536 Retina display and the quad-core Apple A6 chip to boost its speed and effectiveness. The new iPad is also expected to be able to run on the speedier fourth-generation (4G) network. 4G is the next step up from 3G in mobile internet connectivity – offering at least 100 mega-bits per second (Mbps) of information to be transferred as opposed to 3G which can be as slow as 3.84 Mbps. According to a report from the Wall Street Journal, Apple will launch the iPad 3 on March 7th and will feature 4G LTE connectivity, and be available on both Verizon and AT&T networks.

The leaked pics of back casing and internal parts point towards an early March release. It is being rumoured that Apple will unveil the iPad 3 at an event in San Francisco during the first week of March. Details found in iOS 5.1 also suggest the updated version will arrive on March 9 along with a surprise launch iPad3 as well (not a surprise any more).