Apple iPad 3 Release Date and Specs

After the amazing success of iPad 2 that literally took several competitors out, developers are seeking to maintain the status of Apple’s iPad by introducing many goodies in iPad 3. However, there are several rumours circling around the web and the most closest release date that you can find on the internet is somewhere in winter 2012 or 1^st quarter of 2013 (most likely).

After the amazing success of iPad 2 that literally took several competitors out, developers are seeking to maintain the status of Apple’s iPad by introducing many goodies in iPad 3. However, there are several rumours circling around the web and the most closest release date that you can find on the internet is somewhere in winter 2012 or 1^st quarter of 2013 (most likely).

Now... when last time I wrote a wishful article about iPad, I overdid it with wishes and when I pointed it out that Apple should lower the screen size for better portability, people were not satisfied with the idea at all. Samsung amazed us by giving away Tab 2 a wonderful screen of 10.1-inch. So... there goes the portability down the drain. But, I am not discouraged as of yet because after suggesting folks what iPad 2 might have... I came out correct in many aspects in an iPad 2 Specification Leaked article.

So, it is only fair that I write about what may or may not happen in iPad 3 and we will know rest of story when Steve Jobs surprises us at a press event with iPad 3 in his skinny hands.

Get the Screen Upgraded Steve!

Oh Yeah. Many folks (including me) believed that iPad 2 will finally be upgraded to Retina Display and that did not happen. It is true that Retina Display provides crisper and sharper images than iPad’s screen technology (IPS – in-plane switching) and that is why it was needed for the number 1 contender in Pads and Tablets markets.

But I guess Steve Jobs did not think really high about Retina Display and therefore, did not approve it for iPad 2. Now... it is only natural for his decision to alter this time and allow the developers to finally install Retina Display in the forthcoming iPad, i.e. iPad 3.

iPad 2’s screen size is the same as before, i.e. 9.7-inch (diagonally), but what are the odds of increasing or decreasing it up. In any case, what we can hope for is a better screen and please oh please! A better resolution than 1024X768. We are not in the age of CRT monitors you know. If we want to play HD content on iPad 3, it better look awesome and with a better resolution, images and videos (not to mention games) will look crispier and sharper.

In any case, the upgrades in iPad 3 must be for two things regarding Screen (let’s exclude the screen size for the time being) and they are, screen technology and resolution.

Let us hope they crank up the resolution to 2048×1200 (and for that to happen they would have to increase the screen size) and use Retina Display at the very least.

Better Camera Please!

It goes without saying that people like to view their images on a big screen rather than on a tiny Smartphone or camera or even a camcorder. Now, since 9.7-inch is a respective size, one might want to see his/her images right after the click. Now, Apple remained very silent on the type of the camera they used and the information they put up on their website is not enough. It is claimed that iPad 2 can capture 720p videos and HD pictures from its rear camera and if you would like to believe on other blogs and websites, iPad 2 might be having a 3MP camera.

So... I am not buying the whole 720p video thing. It may capture the videos of the same size as other cameras and camcorders do, but the quality is questionable and not at all pretty. Guess what! I have Samsung Galaxy Ace that has 5MP camera and it captures pictures (not videos) as clear and crisp as my friend’s iPad 2 does. I don’t think that this is what we want.

So... let us hope for a 5 to 8 Mega Pixels camera on the rear of iPad 3 and 3 Mega Pixels on the front of iPad 3 because now we have 4G around us and HD video conferencing is certainly going to appeal many people and it might give 4G (fourth generation data transmission technology) a boost too.

Awesome Gaming Power and processing Speed is the Future!

I agree that iPad 2 is blazing fast. It is so fast that it makes my Smartphone look like I bought it from a caveman and he swindled me that no other gadget can be faster than my phone. However, when you are dealing what Technology, there is always room for further improvementand when you are working with gadgets, well... there is always room for further development.

This is something that I learned from my previous experiences and there is no denying that new is always better (if not best), so what I am hoping in development is Apple’s custom build processor A6 coupled with Nvidia’s Project Kal-El Quad Core graphics chip.

If this seems to be a little too farfetched then we can rest on the shoulders of a retouched and refined graphics chip from Apple, but I certainly don’t want to!

Can Thinnest get any thinner?

That is the question that every person is pondering about who wants his/her iPad 3 to look like a paper. It may or may not be possible but certainly not impossible. Apple did amaze us by reducing the width of iPad by few inches and gave iPad 2 a whole new look.

But after talking about a blazing fast gaming pad and 8 MP camera and several other enhancements that I didn’t tell you or haven’t thought about right now, is it even possible to make iPad 3 any sleeker? Well, if miracles can happen, then this could be a miracle of engineering for sure like several wonders lying around us, big or small, they are there!

A little Sexier too

Right now, iPad 2 looks cool and dashing. I don’t know what crowd Steve Jobs is following, but gadgets are supposed to have a little bit of sex appeal. So... I am not very good in developing gadgets in that manner but let us hope that iPad 3 comes out be more than just cool.

3D without Glasses

Nintendo 3DS made it possible to have 3D screen without the use of glasses. Now with a screen like iPad 3, making it 3D might be challenging, but since the development of entire 3D TVs is in progress. We can certainly assume the possibility of a 3D iPad 3. Now that I think about it, it could be named iPad 3D, does that sound all right to you? Well, let’s wait and watch.

Thunderbolt port or HDMI without accessories

iPad 2 supports HDMI but you will have to hook up an accessory that can convert the native port to HDMI. You can then connect iPad to your HD TV and watch movies in High – Definition. But it is a waste of port. Now, since MacBook Pros are coming with Thunderbolt port, that is capable of delivering high-speed data as well video streaming, iPad 3 might benefit from it a lot.

Since, Thunderbolt can be used as both data transmission and streaming, there would be no use of a third accessories. However, in this scenario, we are lacking thunderbolt in our HD TVs and now, we will have to purchase a Thunderbolt to HDMI adapter in order to access HDMI port.

This is why there is a limitation to this method and perhaps that is the main reason why iPad 2 did not come with Thunderbolt port. HDMI does not seem to vanish any time soon, so we have to wait a little longer than iPad 3 to access Thunderbolt port in our high-definition televisions.

4G Transmission

Nothing more to it, just an upgrade over what we have seen already on devices like HTC EVO 4G.

Operating System

iOS 5.0 is already out now with more than 200 features and since it is still in beta and available for only few users. Chances are pretty high that iPad 3 might have iOS 5.1 or some updated version of iOS 5.0.

Conclusion

The release date of iPad 3 has not been finalized as of yet, but if you would like to believe rumours and follow leaks then iPad 3 is supposed to be released by the 1^st quarter of 2013.