Computing power that fits in the palm of your hand. That is the definition of a tablet PC. Every genre of science has its stars and superstars. For tablet PCs, the race is still young, the competition is just beginning but one undisputed superstar has to be Apple's iPad. The iPod, the iPhone, the iOS, in the long line of "i"nteresting products, the iPad is a mix of strong and obvious Apple design principles and quality. Each Apple product release is eagerly awaited and one of the most talked-of and speculated dates is the Apple iPad 3 release date.
iPad 3 Release Rumors
Let's get right down to the nitty-gritty, there are a lot of rumours about the iPad 3 release date. Even before the iPad 2 was released, there were whispers and murmurs about iPad 3. Now with the release of any tablet PC, be it the Toshiba Thrive or the Blackberry Playbook, the question on everybody's lips is "When's the iPad 3 coming out?". The numerous opinions and contributions from various dealers and shops, anonymous Apple employees and iPad fans are capable of driving anyone mad.
The most popular opinion is that the iPad 3 will release in 2011 itself. September or October is one option or just in time for Thanksgiving to catch the holiday shopping frenzy. Now the iPad 2 just released in March, so releasing another tablet a few months later seems like pushing it a bit, don't you think? But logically speaking, it's actually a smart move. Tablet PC's are being released left, right and center and each seems to outdo the other even more. So dilly-dallying in releasing a successor to the iPad 2 could mean a loss in rank among the tablet PC race. Motorola, Samsung are just a few tablet enemies, waiting in the ranks for a slight edge. Plus there's the little green alien, the Android OS, which is now a very popular tablet OS.
Plus the iPad 2 does have its shortcomings such as no USB or SD card slot and making up for such deficits in a newer model will win hearts and minds. Die-hard fans will be appeased and newbies to the Apple product range will be enticed. Any competing tablet PCs will be squashed. On the other hand, if a cheaper, more powerful tablet emerges to fill this gap and satisfy buyers, the iPad 3 could lose out on its fan base. The strategy adopted with the iPhone 4 and 3GS could work here, where the iPhone 3GS has a reduced price, boosting its sales in the bargain.
There's another silent factor that contrarily adds and detracts from a late-2011 new iPad 3 release and that is the highly anticipated iPhone 5. Its release date is equally debated and equally unpredictable. If the iPhone 5 does not release this year, the release of the iPad 3 would be the only Apple product to conquer the market in the later half of 2011. The two devices could be released together or a month apart, resulting in a dominion of Apple over the tech market. On the flip side, releasing two products together could take the glam of each other, either the iPhone would succeed or the iPad 3. Once again, consumers are left hanging.
Recent digging around from tech-snoops have reported Taiwanese part and component manufactures gearing up for mass production of a tablet device. There has been immense ordering of parts and pieces, which fishily suit the specifications necessary to build a tablet. But all such claims have been pooh-poohed by Apple, who very firmly in March, asserted that "2011 is the year for iPad 2". A very recent development in the whole iPad 3 release date circus, is that the iPad 2 Plus will turn up in this fall and the iPad 3 will be released in 2012. The iPad 2 Plus is said to be an enhanced model of the iPad 2, maybe all the parts, strategies etc. are all for its benefit. If so, expect the iPad 3 in late 2012, nothing earlier.
iPad 3 Features
Enough haggling over possible release dates, ultimately an iPad 3 is going to be released. So what can one expect from an iPad 3? Thin and light profile of Apple's products will be reflected in the expected tablet. Perhaps an even "thinner" and "lighter" profile, as compared to the .34 inch thickness of the iPad 2, which is supermodel slim. It's frame is rumored to be made of carbon fiber with an aluminum casing.
Expected display specs include a 250 ppi (pixel-per-inch) display resolution and a screen size of 10 inches. The Retina Display specification of a very crystal clear, high resolution screen just adds to the allure of an iPad 3. The screen technology might be a AMOLED type, which is Samsung produced but based on their current rivalry, that seems a bit unlikely. The hardware of the iPad 3 remains a secret but the rumor mill reports a new Apple A6 processor. A delay in release date could mean a quad-core processor with improved graphics. Other hardware goodies include increasing the storage capacity or including a USB port or the new Apple technology, Thunderbolt port. It will, of course, feature the iOS 5 as its operating system.
In summation, the iPad 3 release date could be this year or next year. Along with the iPhone 5, this is one more Apple product to eagerly wait for, followed by endless discussions among fellow Apple lovers and pestering of Apple employees and sales reps.
No comments:
Post a Comment