Photo of iPad 3 Rear Shell Suggests Minor Physical Changes, Larger Battery

[MacRumors]

(Click here for larger version)

RepairLabs reports that it has received a photo of what is claimed to the inside of the rear shell of the iPad 3, comparing the part to the corresponding version found on the iPad 2. The iPad 3 version demonstrates a few minor changes compared to the iPad 2, with one of the most notable being an apparently narrower logic board that could make room for an expanded battery.

A. You can see here that the mounts for the logic board are very different, which means the logic board shape will be different allowing for . . . .

B. More battery. The width of where the logic board sits on the iPad 2 appears much larger than that of the iPad 3. We have long heard that the iPad 3 was going to provide longer battery life, and this back housing seems to support that.

The report also points out slight differences to the locations where the iPad's rear camera and LCD display mount to the rear casing. While those changes obviously do not offer any evidence of enhancements for the components themselves, they do suggest that Apple has at least tweaked their designs from the current iPad.

The photo does not show the backside of the rear shell that would be visible on the assembled device, nor does it show an edge view that would allow for a thickness comparison to the iPad 2. The photo's source does claim, however, that there is no apparent difference in thickness between the two rear shells.

Rumors have disagreed on whether the iPad 3 will thicker, thinner, or the same thickness as the iPad 2, with some suggesting that the final result depends on what type of display technology and backlight system Apple has settled on for the device. The iPad 3 is said to be gaining a high-resolution "Retina" display that could require new solutions for powering and lighting the the screen.

Other rumors have claimed that the device will run utilize a quad-core processor on Apple's next-generation "A6" system-on-a-chip and that support for LTE cellular connectivity will be included on some models.

Article Link: Photo of iPad 3 Rear Shell Suggests Minor Physical Changes, Larger Battery

[basesloaded190]

Longer battery life?! If it has a retina display we should all be jumping for joy if it has the same life as it currently does.

[nfl46]

Finally some iPad 3 news. For a second there, I thought Apple gave up on it and 5.1. Now, hurry up and take my money!

[bad03xtreme]

I am disappointed.

[Thunderhawks]

I think they should allow pre-orders for each part that gets revealed and we put everything together ourselves.

That way it's Made in America and nobody has to stand in line and we can save a few bucks.

Think different!

[Jordom115]

I was sure Apple was going to include a flash for the rear camera. Oh well.

I just wish someone would release some more information about the launch event or release date.

I'm losing my mind.

[JS77]

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iPad 2S?

[backinblack875]

it doesn't look different?? NO ONE WILL BUY IT! just like the iPhone 4s

[brdeveloper]

I would love playing with an iPad 1 3G with a really fast internet bandwidth. I think the biggest innovation is in the infrastructure area. Retina display is nice, but I think the biggest use of a retina display would be in a macbook for professional video/photo editing.

[green94]

Originally Posted by Thunderhawks

I think they should allow pre-orders for each part that gets revealed and we put everything together ourselves.

That way it's Made in America and nobody has to stand in line and we can save a few bucks.

Think different!

lol

[Macopotamus]

It's going to look identical to the iPad 2, except the screen of course.

[Tom8]

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So this discredits the rumour that iPad 3 would have a bigger camera aperture and thus a better camera?

[whoathere]

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I'm getting the itch solely based on this news.

[rovex]

Originally Posted by JS77

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iPad 2S?

As far as I'm concerned, the addition of a retina display would not merit the 'S' badge.

[swarmster]

Originally Posted by basesloaded190

Longer battery life?! If it has a retina display we should all be jumping for joy if it has the same life as it currently does.

Not that I won't be jumping for joy regardless, but...why do you say that?

The upgrade from iPhone 3GS to iPhone 4 added (among other things):

A retina display, a faster clocked and more advanced processor, a faster clocked GPU, a wider bus, more RAM, a penta-band radio and 802.11n, and the same height but significantly less width and depth.

And, oh yeah, a higher capacity, longer lasting battery.


I'm not saying the iPad's situation is identical, of course, but it wouldn't be unheard of for Apple.

[Lordskelic]

When is Apple going to announce the dang thing? It seems the iPad 3 is going to be like the iPhone 4S; Announced far beyond their typical release pattern.

[Peace]

What do people expect ? USB ports ? HDMI ports ? eSata Ports ?

We all know that will never happen. It's not needed.

[chrmjenkins]

Apple also holds a patent in batteries that allows them to take on a variety of shapes, such as pyramidal, toroidal, curved, etc. No doubt that's going to be incorporated at some point in the iPad as well.

The question is whether the power consumption of the A6 plus possible LTE radio and retina display (with two light bars?) is merely being offset by this new battery or if the battery life actually increases.

Assuming this shell is legitimate, which it certainly appears so.

[tonyshaker]

It seems like a iPad 2 because the changes are not much i think apple will start to use the sales technique they are currently using with the iPhone to get more money from the customer and as we all know how people are crazy over apple upgrades.

[gorskiegangsta]

Originally Posted by bad03xtreme

I am disappointed.

By what

[Pyrrhic Victory]

Why no rumors on the iPad 4???

[d4rkc4sm]

i hope they put in a nice camera. i hate watching my grainy sex videos!

[Rodimus Prime]

Originally Posted by basesloaded190

Longer battery life?! If it has a retina display we should all be jumping for joy if it has the same life as it currently does.

It is not the LCD part of the screen that sucks down battery life. It is the back lighting that is the power drain. The LCD panel itself takes very little power to run and the number of pixels in it does not really matter to much on power usage.

Longer battery life is good. It is the biggest piece of technology that we use that has not grown exponentially like everything else. It has been a very slow linear growth over the years.

What we have figured out how to do is make other parts smaller so we can put in larger batteries and try to reduce power demand on parts to increase battery life.

[Mr.DD216]

As much as I like these rumors, I can never geuinely get excited over pictures because any of them can be fake. I'm getting the iPad 3 no matter what anyway so just like the other guy all I care about are rumors about when it will be released!
Oh & btw as I always say: If they name it iPad 2S it will ruin everything! Just call it 3

[spiderman0616]

Originally Posted by Jordom115

I was sure Apple was going to include a flash for the rear camera. Oh well.

I just wish someone would release some more information about the launch event or release date.

I'm losing my mind.

My god--I'm with you on that one. I check rumor sites about every 2 seconds.

And as a side note, if this new iPad has a retina display, LTE, and better processor, (or maybe even just the retina display by itself), there is no reason to be disappointed by the lack of a new design. The iPad 2 (much like the iPhone 4) already has a gorgeous design and is incredibly thin. Even when I had the back cover on my iPad 2, it still felt paper thin. I just hope they don't move the camera, or I'll have to buy a new back cover.