Apple's Suppliers Preparing for Fall Launch of iPhone 5 and iPad 3?

[Discoverer]

Steve will say something like:

"This has truly been a year of the iPad 2. And, for this holiday season, we will make it even better".

Retina displays and lower prices. That's it. No iPad 3 until next year.

 

[AZREOSpecialist]

Agreed with the pic. Hasn't even been a full product cycle yet!

But Apple defines the product cycle, who determined that the iPad had to follow a 1-year update cycle? That's what Apple has been doing, but if they feel they need to change that, then they will. I don't understand your logic. Most companies will update products when newer, faster, better components become available. That doesn't necessarily happen only once per year.

 

[Popeye206]

2011 is the year of the iPad 2: And? So what? If they release iPad 3 in October, more iPad 2s will have sold in 2011 than any other model.

Apple can't ramp up production to do this: Yes, they can, and they are. Read the news. They are adding new iPad production lines. It would be just in time for an October release, if that is what they want to do.

Apple doesn't release products more than once a year: Huh? Of course they do! MacBooks in 2/08 and 10/08, and 5/09 and 10/09. Mac Minis in 3/09 and 10/09. iPod Shuffles in 2/08 and 9/08, and 3/09 and 9/09. iPod touch in 2/08 and 9/08. Macbook Air in 1/08 and 10/08. Macbook Pro in 2/08 and 10/08. iMac in 3/09 and 10/09. If Apple wants to reshuffle the iPad release schedule to be a Christmas release, you bet they will do 3/11 and 10/11.

Apple would piss customers off if they release a new iPad this soon: So? Nothing Apple does is considered right on this site, so why should Apple start catering to the whiners now? If the iPad 3 is ready, it will ship. If it isn't ready, it won't. When you bought your iPad 2 has nothing to do with it.

iPad 2 is selling too well, no need for iPad 3 yet: OMG, I hope you don't run a business with that sort of logic. Apple absolutely will replace a great selling model with a new model if they think it's the right thing to do. It's all those other me-too outfits who coast on success until the rug is suddenly pulled out from under them.

Does this mean there is an iPad 3 coming out in October? I dunno. I'm just saying all the reasons people have given in this thread against it are just wrong.

Just to add in contrast... I don't hear a lot of complaining about other manufactures like Samsung who will one-up themselves a few times a year as they crank out new models. Or other manufactures for that matter. Apple is one of the only companies that seems to take the slower more cautious road most of the time. So for them to do two new models of the iPad in one year would not be out of line with industry standards.

I hope that makes sense? LOL!

 

[AZREOSpecialist]

It all started with Gruber's _speculation_ that something like that _could_ make sense. But there hasn't been any substantial / believable update on this. iPad 2 is still selling like crazy, why would they need to update? Why?
Also they had plenty of trouble delivering the iPad 2 in numbers. Putting in an expensive hi-res display that no one could mass-produce right now won't help with this issue.

Not. gonna. happen.

Well, I hope you like surprises!

 

[AZREOSpecialist]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_3 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Mobile/8J2)

No.

The iPad 3 WAS scheduled for a side-by-side release with the next iPhone bur it's been pushed back to February 2012.

Trust me, I say whatever my source in Apple R&D says. They've been right about the glass mouse trackpad, 13" aluminum MacBook Pros, timing, etc. so far.

You must work for The National Enquirer with top notch sources like that! LOL

 

[AZREOSpecialist]

iphone yes, ipad 3, not a chance before 2012!

It would not only be a slap in the face to their customers but quite frankly I don't think they have the resources to do everything people think they can do, mac pro update, mac mini update, mac air update and the iphone update, just not possible.

You don't think a company with over $70 BILLION in cash that can buy Motorola, Nokia, and Sony combined doesn't have the capability to fire simultaneously on multiple product lines? That's like saying Sony can't design more than one TV at a time. Utter nonsense! Apple is one of the largest companies in the world and has eclipsed Microsoft. Apple could buy Google if it wanted to. It could buy Facebook. As of September 2010, Apple had over 46,000 full time employees worldwide. But I'm sure you are right...

And I'm sorry, how is this a "slap in the face to their customers"? Is the world supposed to stand still because you bought an iPad 2?

 

[AZREOSpecialist]

2011 is the year of the iPad 2: And? So what? If they release iPad 3 in October, more iPad 2s will have sold in 2011 than any other model.

Apple can't ramp up production to do this: Yes, they can, and they are. Read the news. They are adding new iPad production lines. It would be just in time for an October release, if that is what they want to do.

Apple doesn't release products more than once a year: Huh? Of course they do! MacBooks in 2/08 and 10/08, and 5/09 and 10/09. Mac Minis in 3/09 and 10/09. iPod Shuffles in 2/08 and 9/08, and 3/09 and 9/09. iPod touch in 2/08 and 9/08. Macbook Air in 1/08 and 10/08. Macbook Pro in 2/08 and 10/08. iMac in 3/09 and 10/09. If Apple wants to reshuffle the iPad release schedule to be a Christmas release, you bet they will do 3/11 and 10/11.

Apple would piss customers off if they release a new iPad this soon: So? Nothing Apple does is considered right on this site, so why should Apple start catering to the whiners now? If the iPad 3 is ready, it will ship. If it isn't ready, it won't. When you bought your iPad 2 has nothing to do with it.

iPad 2 is selling too well, no need for iPad 3 yet: OMG, I hope you don't run a business with that sort of logic. Apple absolutely will replace a great selling model with a new model if they think it's the right thing to do. It's all those other me-too outfits who coast on success until the rug is suddenly pulled out from under them.

Does this mean there is an iPad 3 coming out in October? I dunno. I'm just saying all the reasons people have given in this thread against it are just wrong.

+1

You are totally spot on. I personally believe there will be an iPad 3 in September/October and just in time for a huge holiday quarter. Apple needs to be constantly blowing people away and performing beyond expectations. They can't do that if they sit on their butts while the rest of the world tries to catch up. Apple has to be far out ahead of the pack.

While most people here don't think specs make a difference in the tablet space, that's exactly why PCs eclipsed Macs in sales. They were more capable and less expensive, and ultimately people cared more about their wallets than they did about the user experience. The same will happen here unless Apple competes at all levels. Competitors already have faster processors, more RAM and higher resolution screens. Apple can't sit this one out.

 

[NebulaClash]

Is the world supposed to stand still because you bought an iPad 2?

Pretty much, considering the sense of entitlement that floats around here.

While most people here don't think specs make a difference in the tablet space, that's exactly why PCs eclipsed Macs in sales. They were more capable and less expensive, and ultimately people cared more about their wallets than they did about the user experience. The same will happen here unless Apple competes at all levels. Competitors already have faster processors, more RAM and higher resolution screens. Apple can't sit this one out.

Agreed. This space (post-PC tablets) is so important to Apple, I don't think they will let up the pressure during this stage where market share is being grabbed as fast as you can. Every advantage they create for themselves in 2011-2012 will have an impact for the next half-decade.

 

[peacenfunk]

Dont bother with the iPad3, the iPad4 will be out soon... (That is sarcasm by the way)

Its never sarcasm when you have to point it out. Its more ironic that you did

 

[NebulaClash]

Just to add in contrast... I don't hear a lot of complaining about other manufactures like Samsung who will one-up themselves a few times a year as they crank out new models. Or other manufactures for that matter. Apple is one of the only companies that seems to take the slower more cautious road most of the time. So for them to do two new models of the iPad in one year would not be out of line with industry standards.

I hope that makes sense? LOL!

Makes perfect sense to me. I've often noted that Apple fans whine about new releases, while everyone else in the industry is flooding the market with new model after new model and their fans love it. It's this weird concept that a product is only valid if it's the most recent model; after that it's broken.

 

[Lesser Evets]

2011 is the year of the iPad 2: And? So what?...

iPad 2 is selling too well, no need for iPad 3 yet: OMG, I hope you don't run a business with that sort of logic.

Best post of the year.

 

[tinman0]

Apple doesn't need to release an iPad 3 to maintain their stranglehold on the tablet market. They just need companies like HP to keep introducing tablets that are pieces of crap.

Playing Devil's Advocate a bit, Apple could do well to release iPad 3 in September/October. Very simple reason - Christmas.

A September/October refresh of the iPad, ready for Christmas makes perfect sense, far more sense than a refresh in March after Christmas.

iPad 3 so early, even if its a warm iPad 2G (2GS? 2S?) upgrade would seriously set back all the other tablet makers as well, eg "here's our new Playbook, Touchpad, Galaxy Tab, etc, oh and here's the latest iPad, ready for Christmas"..... which would the average person choose?

===

The other thing to consider is that an iPad 2S (2G??) is round the corner at a small premium to make a 2 iPad range. Again, just in time for Christmas, or maybe lower the iPad 2 price very slightly.

Look at the iPad 1 sales when it was knocking on £280 when the iPad 2 came out. £280 made the iPad 1 extremely attractive. Loads of people snapped them up off the Apple Refurb site. That cannot have gone un-noticed.

===

Tie in the rumour that Apple have asked their component suppliers for a price reduction on iPad 2 components, that would add further weight to the idea of a 2 iPad range, with a small discount on the existing iPad 2.

 

[iLilana]

lol @ new iPads

it still says "new" on ipad 2 on apple website. We won see new ones till may or june.

 

[Andronicus]

"According to the today's report, the new iPad will likely be thinner and lighter..."

I could've told you that

 

[Popeye206]

+1

You are totally spot on. I personally believe there will be an iPad 3 in September/October and just in time for a huge holiday quarter. Apple needs to be constantly blowing people away and performing beyond expectations. They can't do that if they sit on their butts while the rest of the world tries to catch up. Apple has to be far out ahead of the pack.

While most people here don't think specs make a difference in the tablet space, that's exactly why PCs eclipsed Macs in sales. They were more capable and less expensive, and ultimately people cared more about their wallets than they did about the user experience. The same will happen here unless Apple competes at all levels. Competitors already have faster processors, more RAM and higher resolution screens. Apple can't sit this one out.

I sort of disagree on your points about specs. I think Apple has proven that overall, they don't matter. What matters is the overall experience and the overall capabilities. Apple makes the experience so compelling over the competition that they can get away with lessor quality camera's and still be number 1.

It is important that they keep moving and keep improving, but I still say the ace in the hole for Apple is not the hardware but the whole iOS eco system. This is why they are kicking butt. No one can match them.

My prediction for the fall is... iPhone 5, Apple TV 3, new iPod Touch based on iPhone 4, and a HUGE focus on iCloud and Gaming with iOS devices.

Apple will murder the competition with this combo over the holidays. Oh wait... they already do.

"According to the today's report, the new iPad will likely be thinner and lighter..."

I could've told you that

And 15% more Magical.

 

[charlituna]

I thought they were supposed to be ramping up iPad 2 production? Now 3 is being reported to be released in a few months time?

Probably not. The small volume is likely test units. Which they will probably change a couple of times before locking it and sometime around Dec/Jan they will shift lines over to producing the ipad 3 in major bulk for a release around March 1, just like this year. Even if they start production in the fall, they likely won't release until next year but this will be an attempt to ensure they have enough.

I also kept help noting that there's been no mention of the ipod Touch. What if that is what is being released with the phone. Perhaps they are going to shake it up and make it a little larger. Closer to 5" than 3" to separate it from being just a phone that doesn't make calls. So it becomes the midstep. But the sources of the rumors are labeling it as an ipad not an ipod.

Apple has created a solid track record of releasing a new iPhone every year, which they haven't done yet.

Yes but they haven't had a major disaster in the very area that makes a lot of the components they need before. They very well could have planned to release the iphone 5 in July but after the Earthquake they had to push back the time table. They haven't announced anything yet cause they don't know exactly when everything will be fully ready and it's not Apple's style to announce without a firm date. Too much stock market chaos when they delay an announced date and with all the talk that Jobs is about to drop any second they don't need any thing else that will toy with the numbers

 

[Reach9]

iPhone 5, yes.
iPad 3, no. Because..

 

[derek1984]

Look, the bottom line is some people happen to be bitter because they had to go out and get the latest and greatest iPad 2 only to now find out an iPad 3 is on the way. Well that was YOUR choice. My choice was to wait until they made a screen with better resolution because quite frankly, it pales in comparison to the iPhone 4. I showed patience. Now my hard money earned will be spent much more wisely and I will be rewarded. A better quality screen and I will be set for years. I never understood the craze for iPad 2 anyways. Yes, it's a little faster. But that's it. Any astute consumer with a limited budget would've held off anyways.

 

[Popeye206]

I also kept help noting that there's been no mention of the ipod Touch. What if that is what is being released with the phone. Perhaps they are going to shake it up and make it a little larger. Closer to 5" than 3" to separate it from being just a phone that doesn't make calls. So it becomes the midstep. But the sources of the rumors are labeling it as an ipad not an ipod.

iPad Mini

 

[Lennholm]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8G4 Safari/6533.18.5)

So apple will have the three vest tablets on the market in the fall.

Certainly not, nothing bigger than at most 7 inches would fit in a vest pocket

 

[Alphaforcex]

I strongly believe Apple need an iPad update by end of years. If you guys look at Samsung, they have the thinnest tablet right now and the galaxy tab is looking really good. All it's missing is just some apps right now. Consider what will happen when Samsung throws in a 2048x1536 panel to that thing and Android apps start picking up (it's just a matter of time).

I know we keep saying spec dont matter but I guess no one really argue how sharp the display is on the ip4...we all want it. Well, I know I do. My point is, I will seriously consider picking one up if it even when I am so lock into iOS right now.

It might not call iPad 3 though. I think it makes sense to have a real iPad HD and cost 100-200 more.

 

[FoxHoundADAM]

+1

You are totally spot on. I personally believe there will be an iPad 3 in September/October and just in time for a huge holiday quarter. Apple needs to be constantly blowing people away and performing beyond expectations. They can't do that if they sit on their butts while the rest of the world tries to catch up. Apple has to be far out ahead of the pack.

While most people here don't think specs make a difference in the tablet space, that's exactly why PCs eclipsed Macs in sales. They were more capable and less expensive, and ultimately people cared more about their wallets than they did about the user experience. The same will happen here unless Apple competes at all levels. Competitors already have faster processors, more RAM and higher resolution screens. Apple can't sit this one out.

Solid points, but I counter you with the fact that Apple is still sitting on the iPhone 4 which is in a very similar situation as the iPad market. Lots of competition and lots of new products coming out almost monthly. They felt so confident in their position they even moved back the release of their next phone 3 months.

 

[Popeye206]

I strongly believe Apple need an iPad update by end of years. If you guys look at Samsung, they have the thinnest tablet right now and the galaxy tab is looking really good. All it's missing is just some apps right now. Consider what will happen when Samsung throws in a 2048x1536 panel to that thing and Android apps start picking up (it's just a matter of time). .

See... this logic makes no sense to me. I might understand this if you don't have any iOS devices and don't own an iPad, but to switch to Tab because this week it may look a little better... no. Don't get it. Given I have an iPhone and an iPad now with iOS and iCloud coming, I wouldn't even consider it at this point.

Besides... let's look at Tab 1.0 customers... less than one year later... how are they being taken care of by Samsung? I don't think I want to be the next forgotten customer and left behind.

 

[derek1984]

Retina

To me, Retina is a HUGE upgrade. There is nothing more important than the screen. After all, that is what the iPad is. Retina for the iPhone 4 and for the iPad are worthy upgrades and I would feel set for years.

 

[Popeye206]

To me, Retina is a HUGE upgrade. There is nothing more important than the screen. After all, that is what the iPad is. Retina for the iPhone 4 and for the iPad are worthy upgrades and I would feel set for years.

The iPhone 4 would ROCK with a Retnia display!

I think you got your wording messed up?