iPad 3 launch expected early March, case components leak

iPad and iPad 2 when the latter was launched on March 13, 2011By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

It is that time of the year again when iPad rumours start to percolate. This time around, All Things D reveals that Apple is planning on an early March event in San Francisco to launch the iPad 3.

All Things D's John Paczkowski states in his post, "Sources say the company has chosen the first week in March to debut the successor to the iPad 2, and will do so at one of its trademark special events. The event will be held in San Francisco, presumably at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Apple’s preferred location for big announcements like these."

The Apple invitation to members of the press for the iPad 2 launch

Indeed, if we are to look at the iPad 2, it was launched on March 2, 2011 and then started selling in the US on March 13th. This could be the same schedule on Apple's mind this year.

The next iPad is a bit of a mystery as everyone has theories of what it will offer but no one is really sure. Apple did a good job keeping this under wraps. The iPad 2 was expected to come with dual cameras (because of FaceTime) and it was expected to have a better processor and it did but no one really saw the new graphics architecture or the magnetic case coming until it was launched.

Steve Jobs introduces iPad 2 which was 33 percent thinner than the iPad

Some images of purported iPad 3 cases have littered the Internet and are offering clues on what the new tablet will offer. Many are expecting an improved processor, possibly a quad core A6 processor and a new graphics chipset that could work in tandem with a high density Retina Display similar to what the iPhone 4 and 4S have. 

LTE (long Term Evolution) data capability has been speculated although we think that unless Apple has found a way to counteract LTE being a battery hog, that it is unlikely unless a larger battery is used. 

Personally, I hope the iPad 3 isn't any bigger than the iPad 2 since there are already a good number of iPad 2 accessories a lot of users depend on. l also think Apple should sell the iPad 2 at a reduced price even when the iPad 3 is in stores. This will allow even greater adoption from users and specially to the educational market that it is clearly targeting with iBooks 2.