Three main announcements that Apple made during the San Francisco event of Wednesday were the release of new iPad, which was of course the most important one, the release of updated version of Apple TV and a new version of iOS. This version of iPad would have no number or letter with it and would only be called iPad, which might seem a bit odd since we already have iPad 2 but then again, technical specs are more important than name itself and on this front this new device is pretty sound. The prefix “new” has been added just to distinguish this device from the previous versions since Apple would not terminate the sale of the previous versions, according to the official announcement. In an impressive move, Apple has also drastically reduced the price of the previous version of iPad, bringing it down to $399 from $499. So if your budget doesn’t allow you to purchase the latest model of the device, you can buy iPad 2 at a much lower price. Since the inception of the concept of tablet computers, Apple has been doing extremely well and according to Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, the company has sold more number of iPads than the computers sold by any other manufacturer in the world. This, on one hand, depicts the popularity of tablet computers and, on the other, shows the fame of iPads. In a sense, this is a post-PC revolution that has given an entirely new meaning to portable computing.
 
There were a lot of rumors and wild expectations from this version of iPad and to be perfectly honest, many of them have remained entirely unfulfilled. But still, we would see some very interesting hardware and software features on this model of the device. The expectations that were not fulfilled include the voice operated digital assistant known as Siri, changes in the physical structure of the device, support for NFC technology, and capability of wireless charging. But we do have high resolution displays and more importantly, support for the LTE technology. The new display, having more than 3.1 million pixels, would particularly be a delight to use, both during normal browsing and video watching. We have a faster processor and we also have improved cellular networking capabilities in this device. Overall, Apple has delivered a device which, although not perfect, deserves a lot of appreciation.

Although there aren’t grand changes in the structure and design of the latest version of Apple’s iPad, we do see some enhancements in the functionality. For example the resolution of the display has been considerably improved and the wireless connection is also faster. So there aren’t any grand changes, but then again, Apple does not really need to undertake drastic changes to attract new customers and the brand name itself has proven to be quite sufficient over the years.
 
In the iPad announcement event, Apple said that the sale of the new iPad would start from March 16^th and you can buy iPad 3  at prices starting with $499.  The price is same compared to the previous versions of iPad. Another noteworthy announcement that Apple made was decrease in the price of the previous model of iPad, which was brought down to $399 from $499. This move shows that Apple intends to retain its market dominance in face of increasing competition. Finally, Apple also displayed a new version of Apple TV which would stream high definition videos in 1080p format.
 
Interestingly, there is not any number or letter with the name of the new version of iPad and it is simply known as iPad. The name of the device was particularly source of lot of rumors but none of them proved to be accurate. iPad happens to be the main source of revenue generation for Apple and according to the present CEO of the company Tim Cook, during the last quarter Apple sold iPads more than the personal computers developed by any other manufacturer. Today, there is no doubt in the accuracy of the opinion that Apple has totally transformed the concept of portable computing.
 
From the physical structure, there is hard to differentiate this version of iPad from the previous versions, even though it is slightly heavier and thicker than the last one. Besides, the display of this iPad is remarkable, having more than 3.1 million pixels which are four times more than iPad 2. Good news is that this iPad does have support for LTE technology which was a source of lot of speculation. A little disappointment would be the absence of Siri, the voice operated digital assistant found on iPhone 4S. Overall, the functionality and features of iPad seem to be quite impressive and the price is also reasonable so it seems that the fame of Apple tablet would be retained.

Just when the release date of next version of iPad arrived, the rumor started circulating that it would actually be called iPad HD and not iPad 3. Several media reports that have been released about the device are calling it iPad HD. We are not sure if iPad HD and iPad 3 are the same devices since Apple might be considering two iPads this year. This is other than another possible mini version of iPad that, rumors has it, would be released later this year. It is also possible that the release date of iPad 3 is actually deferred and what we hear from the latest information, Apple has decided to release iPad on 16^th of March. So basically there is a lot of confusion about the release date, the name and the technical specs of the device. What we understand is that the device would be announced on 7^th and would be released on 16^th of March, which makes perfect sense.
 
As the release itself is getting closer, more and more sources are claiming that the device would actually be called iPad HD and not iPad 3. The HD with the name, as probably many of you would have already guessed, is because of the Retina display. The Retina display would certainly be a huge enhancement on iPad, even though it has previously been displayed on iPhone 4S. The rumors about the name are not new and previously, some people were speculating about iPad HD but majority was in the favor of iPad 3. But now it seems that the case for iPad HD is stronger. Other than the launch of iPad 3, Apple is also expected to announce the new streaming service for Apple TV. This release would most probably be also announced during the same event during which iPad HD would be announced and the service itself would be made available later this year, most probably on Christmas. As for iPad HD, other than the Retina display, other improvements that we are expecting are changes in iTunes and iCloud technology, availability of Siri, enhanced battery life, and support for LTE. As far as the support of LTE is concerned, Apple might or might not make it available on iPad HD. Other than this, the rumors about the possible release of a mini version of iPad this year are also gaining momentum and we have also heard that Apple has already started purchasing the 7.1 inch screen components for mini iPad. But for the moment, let’s just wait for iPad HD and see how it turns out to be.

A few images have popped over the internet that are claimed to be the images of iPad 3 displays. These displays are being manufactured by Samsung and it appears that Samsung has also outsourced the manufacture of these displays, probably because of the tight schedule. These leaked images were spotted on a Chinese tech blog according to which these images were taken in a Chinese display manufacturing factory. These images were supposedly leaked from Opto-Electronics factory in China. This factory is among the suppliers of equipment to Samsung. Even though there was tight security in the factory and photography was strictly prohibited, about twenty images of these displays were leaked and hence spread over the internet.

It appears from the images, and is being confirmed by the reliable sources, that the appearance of the displays that would be made part of iPad 3 is not different from iPad 2. However, good news for Apple lovers is, we would see Retina Display on iPad 3 and other than that, these displays would also feature dual LED display. There are a few other rumors that seem to be strengthened with these latest images. For example, there were rumors that the upcoming model of iPad would contain an 8 mega pixel camera sensor and these images also give a similar idea. However, still it is not a confirmed fact that the camera of iPad 3 would indeed be an 8 mega pixel camera. It can also be 5 mega pixels but that seems quite unlikely since there are other tablets in the market already showcasing 8 mega pixel cameras.

Another thing worth mentioning is the processor that would power iPad 3. According to the rumors and speculation, A6 processors would be made part of iPad 3, but these leaked images tell some other story. According to these images, we would see an A5X CPU on the logic board of iPad and not the anticipated A6 processor. A5x processor would certainly be an improvement but of course, that won’t be as good as A6 processor. The images also give the possibility of a bigger battery and if iPad 3 would have support for LTE technology, bigger battery is a must requirement. Anyways, the release date of iPad 3 is not too far, even though we don’t have any official statement on it, and there are not more than just a few weeks before the wait would end.

Now that the release date of iPad 3 is quite close, leaks about the technical specs of the device have become a norm. Every week we see scores of pictures over the Internet where some information about the iPad 3 is rumored. The latest leak concerns the processors that would power the upcoming model of Apple tablet. What almost everyone was speculating was that iPad 3 would come with an A6 processor which was quite natural since iPad had an A4 processor and iPad 2 had an A5 processor. But what the latest leaks suggest is that iPad 3 would actually come with an A5x processor and not A6 processor.

Well, this might be a disappointment for many, just like the disappointment that was seen when against the expectations of iPhone 5, Apple decided to release iPhone 4S. But then again, this does not really matter much as long as have a faster and reliable processor, which A5x hopefully would be. Probability is that instead of developing completely new chips, Apple would prefer to improve the existing chips, which explains the use of A5x instead of A6. There weren’t many complaints about the A5 processor anyways, so things seem pretty fine as long as the next processor holds at least some improvement.

Installation of A6 in iPad 3 would have required designing of an entirely new chip from scratch, which does not seem to be very viable for Apple. For companies like Intel, this option might be attractive and they have been developing new processors at regular intervals, but their priorities are quite different compared to Apple. Developing new processor each year, since at least one new product is released each year, is not really necessary for Apple since the performance of the new device can be enhanced just by improving the previously working processors. And that is exactly what Apple seems to be doing for iPad 3.

So far, the specs of the A5x processor are not known since the leaks only showed the image of the chip written A5x on it. We don’t even know whether this is a dual-core or a quad-core processor, although expectations lean toward a quad-core processor. Most probably we would have an improved GPU with its parallel processing architecture that serves well when it comes to tasks such as Infinity Blade and video decompression. But whatever the reality is, most probably we would find out in a couple of weeks.

Apple’s iPad remains to be the most popular tablet device of all time with no other tablet posing serious threat to it. However, when we consider tablets with smaller size, Amazon Kindle Fire has proven to be immensely successful. Previously, not everyone was considering 7 inch tablets a viable area of production, but Kindle Fire has changed the entire perception. As for Apple, Steve Jobs had a clear position on this matter and he ruled out any possibility of manufacturing a 7 inch version of iPad. Now, however, it seems that things have changed at Apple as well as the company is considering manufacturing a smaller version of iPad, mainly to compete with Kindle Fire.

According to the resources related with this news, Apple is considering production of 8 inch versions of iPad, which might be called iPad mini. Production of these devices has not kicked off as yet but might be started any time in near future. The production, if it really happens, would most probably be started after the release of iPad 3 since at present, Apple would be devoting the full concentration to iPad 3 release which would take place in a few weeks. The resources revealing the news of the possibility of producing 8 inch tablet have not come with detailed technical specifications of this device. However, it was told that this 8 inch version of iPad would showcase a screen resolution of 1024 x 768. Other technical specs would most probably be less than the standard version of iPad since  Apple wants to compete with Kindle Fire market, the price of this new device would have to be considerably lower than the standard version of iPad. According to the resources, although mass production of these devices has not started as yet, the test panels are being produced by AU Optronics and LG Display. What’s more, this mini version is expected to have support for LTE networks. However, all this is just speculation and there is no official announcement form Apple to take any such initiative. It might turn out to be just another hoax and to know about the actual truth, we would have to wait for a few months. But if this actually turns out to be true, we would be having two versions of iPad this year, another new precedence form Apple.

There is little doubt to the news that iPad 3 would be announced in the first ten days of March, most probably on 7^th  of March. With this expectation, the ongoing process of rumors and speculations about iPad 3 has also considerably accelerated. A more recent piece of information has revealed that the resolution of iPad 3 would be twice that of iPad 2. The sources claiming this information have claimed to have obtained OEM LCD screen displays that are being used in the manufacture process of iPad 3. These displays were not powered on but were thoroughly and closely examined with the help of microscope and this examination revealed that the screen resolution of these displays is indeed about double the resolution of iPad 2. We find the clusters of 2×2 pixels on iPad 2 but there are clusters of 4×4 pixels on these displays which clearly mean double resolution. Overall, this means a resolution of 2048×1536 pixels compared to the resolution of 1024×768 on iPad 2.

Now this is not very surprising and unexpected news since already almost everyone was dead sure that Retina Display would be among the most important and integral features of the next model of Apple tablet. Retina Display is the highest possible resolution that has so far been achieved on any tablet or smart phone and was already showcased on iPhone 4S so it was quite reasonable that it now appeared on iPad 3. The distinguishing feature of Retina Display is that the individual pixels are not visible from normal viewing distance and hence the resolution is perfect. From the point of view of the developers, Retina Display means doubling the resolution of the graphics of the games and other apps that would be developed for these devices.

Other than Retina Display, there are also several other noteworthy features that we expect to be part of the next model of iPad. Most importantly, we expect that it would be equipped with a faster A6 processor and would also have support for LTE networks. There are Android tablets with LTE support in the market so Apple should really consider releasing tablet with this support now. And if iPad 3 comes with this support, it would also need to have a larger battery and hence longer battery life. Let’s just wait for a couple of weeks and see what Apple actually gives us on iPad 3.

From iPad 3 release date to the technical specifications and price of this remarkable piece of technology, everything is the part of rumors and wild guesses these days. But this is among the distinctive features of grand Apple products; they have a lot of hype and rumors surrounding them. There are a lot of photos of iPad 3 circulating over the internet. Some of them really seem to have some tint of reality while others seem to be just a flight of fancy. Recently, some new photographs of iPad 3 have emerged over the internet showing the internal structure of the famed device. Some internal hardware components of iPad 3 seem to be quite visible in this photograph. The most revealing aspect, however, was that the battery of the next version of iPad seems to be considerably larger than that of the previous version, which clearly indicates that the battery life of iPad 3 would be significantly longer than that of iPad 2. The internal structure of camera also seems to be different but it is quite difficult to infer the details about the camera just by seeing at the internal structure. There would also be some differences in the LCD of the device.

As the iPad 3 release date is getting closer, such rumors and revealed inside details are increasingly appearing over the internet. We can’t say anything for sure about the authenticity of these details or the reliability of the resources. The rumor about the bigger battery life, however, makes perfect sense since what we are hearing is that iPad 3 would be equipped with the famed Retina Display and if it is true, it is certainly going to require a much powerful battery. Apple likes to keep things highly secret and we can know for sure about the hardware components and software specifications only after the device is actually released or officially announced by Apple. This is expected to happen some time in March, although no official release date of iPad 3 has been announced by Apple as yet. Previously, there were rumors that Apple might choose 24th of February to announce iPad 3 since that is the birthday of Steve Jobs but due to the problems in the manufacturing of the devices, this does not seem to be a very viable idea now. The release date of iPad 3 seems to be somewhere in the last weak of March. Lots of people are waiting the moment to buy iPad 3 and take benefit of its features. March it’s just around the corner.

Everyone is giving his own opinion about the specs and release date of iPad 3 but if there shouldn’t be any two opinions on a fact, it is that iPad 3 is the hottest news in the industry at present. Now according to the latest resources, Apple would hold a media event in the last week of March during which the famed iPad 3 would released. The release date of iPad 3 has been set to be March 29, according to these resources.

These resources have further revealed that the component maker companies of iPad 3 have been supplying various components since the end of 2011 and the device itself is now almost ready to be unveiled. Other than rumors about iPad 3, there are also rumors about the next model of iPhone. According to these rumors, Apple might be considering releasing iPhone 5 during the summer of 2012, which would be much ahead of the schedule. The industry of chip making and purchasing is also in full swing these days and according to a reputed business newspapers, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), which happens to be largest manufacturer of contract chips, has received a large order of 28 nm APUs Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), the US based supplier of microprocessors. The above mentioned Taiwan based company has been engaged in chip manufacturing orders with some of the leading chip suppliers such as Altera, Xilinx, Qualcomm and Nvidia.

Last year, Apple had held an event on March 2 during which iPad 2 was announced and about 10 days after that event, iPad 2 was actually released. According to most critics and experts, Apple would follow the same convention this year as well. Previously, it was expected that iPad 3 would be released during the first week of March but the holidays of Chinese New Year resulted in considerable prolongation of the development process of the devices which consequently also delayed the release date. Important technical specs of iPad 3 that almost everyone is expecting include a more attractive design, faster A6 processor, and the coveted Retina Display. As expected, Apple has not made any comments about the rumors regarding the release dates of iPad 3 and has been following the strategy of strictly keeping the information regarding the release date confidential. According to reliable resources, there would be considerable growth in the revenues of Apple with iPad 3 compared to the revenues that were generated with the previous versions.

With the constantly increasing fame of the Apple tablet, there are chances that Apple might gradually reduce the production of its MacBook Air. Recently there were a few rumors about the release of an ARM-based MacBook Air in near future but the craze that was once associated with these products was not seen. On the other hand, the craze and eagerness for the upcoming model of iPad is constantly increasing. There has been a lot of speculation about the probable release date and the technical specs of iPad 3. In a recent meeting of Apple’s top brass, it was noted that the popularity of iPad is clearly increasing compared to the popularity of MacBook Air. This means that the possibility of releasing an ARM-based MacBook Air would also require a revision. During the same meeting, issues like the possibilities of growth in Chine, improvement in iCloud and the future of Apple TV were also brought into consideration.

There has been a lot of speculation about various features related to iPad 3 and even though the device might be released in less than a month, no one knows for sure the release date of it. Wild guesses can be seen over the internet and there is also a lot of hype surrounding the technical specs and features of the upcoming model of iPad. Most talked about technical features of the new model are Siri integration, facilities for the 4G LTE network and faster processor. Besides, there are also rumors that Apple might choose to release an iPad 2S or iPad 2 HD instead of iPad 3. Although no one knows for sure the technical specifications that we would be able to see in the next generation version of iPad, Apple sure would incorporate some pretty exciting features in this model since iPad 3 has become the main source of attraction among all the Apple products. Apple has also been considering limiting the production of MacBook Air since in the presence of highly popular iPad, there would be little or no need for conventional PCs. Besides, all the functions that people used to have from with MacBook Air are not being performed by iPad so Apple intends to instead invest more in the future of iPad. The next model of iPad would mostly probably be released during the first few days of March.