Not a chance Apple would do that
My question, which you were quoting, wasn't about what Apple would do, but what
Gruber was saying.
Many here seems to think that Gruber was referring to the release of iPad 3 in 2012, but what I meant was that Gruber is saying that Apple will align iPad product cycle with the iPod, in time for the holidays.
Now, that
IS what Gruber was saying (exactly like I originally thought), because he followed it up
with this:
Apple doesnt announce much about what theyre going to do in the future. But, theyve become a very predictable company regarding the schedule for new hardware at least in the consumer space. New iPods come in the fall, at an event in September, timed to hit full production for the holiday season. New iPhones are announced at WWDC in June and ship soon thereafter.
[...]
So where does the iPad fit in? Last years iPad was announced early, in late January, and went on sale at the beginning of April. Apple was willing to announce it months in advance because they had no competition, and because they wanted to give iPhone developers time to write native iPad apps. The lack of competition was why they were willing to pre-announce the original iPhone by six months, as well.
Now that the iPad is out, though, I dont expect to see new hardware revisions pre-announced at least not by more than a handful of weeks. Overall, I think the iPad fits most naturally into the same schedule as the iPods: where new hardware is announced and ships in September. The iPad was a massive hit during this past holiday season.
I dont think April is a particularly good month for an annual iPad release. I dont think its a particularly bad month, either, but it doesnt make as much sense as September. April is four months into the new year, but still feels like early in the year. That leads to whispers and rumors during the holiday season that people should wait. Shipping new hardware in April adds another milestone to the iOS release schedule, too.
Thus, my gut feeling is that Apple will move the iPad to a September release schedule, alongside the iPods. But they wouldnt want to wait over a year and a half from the announcement of the original iPad to announce the second one not with these stakes, and not with so many serious competitors trying their best to catch up.
This is what I meant
when I wrote:
Or is Gruber saying that Apple will switch the product cycle for iPad to the same as iPod? In time for the holidays...