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iPad 3 with LTE, Quad-Core Processor and Retina Display Set for March Launch
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While the above statement is definitely true, I am also a bit worried about the iPad 3 being thicker.
It's less the problem of thickness per se, since the iPad is a pretty thin device already and a millimeter more or less just isn't a big deal.
It's more the problem that now that Steve is gone, compromises seem to appear that would never have been approved, when Steve was still around.
Steve's decisions may not always have been right, but he had a clear concept and he would never let that concept be watered by what he thought would be an inferior approach. He would rather have pushed back the shipping date until a solution has been found to make the iPad thinner or just as thin with a new screen than opting for the better screen at the expense of making the iPad thicker again - even if it's just one millimeter. The iPad 2 is still a cool device, it's working and selling really well. And even if sales had been dwindling, I don't think Steve would have gone for the thicker design just to push sales and make more money.
My point is that I am worried that Apple products, which have been without compromises for 14 years now, slowly start to evolve into the same crap that other companies are selling, that backsteps are taken and that unfinished stuff is released only to get things out to consumers to make them buy it right away, instead of holding things back until the product is really great - which has been one of Steve's greatest achievements.
Do I make sense?
Probably different devices, because the Verizon LTE and AT&T LTE aren't compatible. I am not sure which one will be world compatible. Other continents will require same technology on different carriers to provide consumers more choice, and easier to switch, improve competition.
Quad core? I believe it.
Retina display? Not a chance. I bet not until iPad 5 or 6. Why now when the competition hasn't closed the gap. Revolutionary leap, when Apple could sell you another 3 years of small evolutionary improvements first?
I will buy one anyhow, my ipad 1 is getting long in the tooth. iOS5 made it somewhat laggy.
Retina display? Not a chance. I bet not until iPad 5 or 6. Why now when the competition hasn't closed the gap. Revolutionary leap, when Apple could sell you another 3 years of small evolutionary improvements first?
I will buy one anyhow, my ipad 1 is getting long in the tooth. iOS5 made it somewhat laggy.
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"when he compentition hasn't closed the gap"? Are you crazy? Allmost all tablets out there are at least 720p HD or above (heck, this year the first Full HD tablets are coming). Apple is seriously lagging behind in the sharpness of the screens.
Hardly. We've got quad core processor equipped tablets out now, and LTE is already being adopted in the Android scene. About the one big advantage Apple has on a purely technical front is the retina display, which Apple will only have a short time exclusive on, since they order their screens from the same manufacturers as everyone else.
I wasn't sure if all the carriers LTE were compatible. One day it would be nice to have everyone on the same page
Oooh, I like the thought of LTE capability! That being said, I have my doubts if that will actually be the case - I'll believe it when I see it. If this rumor ends up being completely accurate though then I might just have to pick up one of these bad boys!
I won't be surprised at all if this comes with LTE.
I'd hazard a guess they sell fewer iPads with cellular capabilities than they do iPhones. Putting LTE in the iPad will give them a test-bed before they start shoving these into their money maker.
I'd hazard a guess they sell fewer iPads with cellular capabilities than they do iPhones. Putting LTE in the iPad will give them a test-bed before they start shoving these into their money maker.
Verizon and AT&T use different bands, but I would be surprised if Apple didn't use a chip that was capable of using both bands. I don't think the technology is that hard, and Apple has good reasons to only want to have a single iPad model with cellular access ... it simplifies their inventory and is also better for customers by allowing them to switch providers.
AnandTech has a good article about what to expect from the A6 processor.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4971/apple-iphone-4s-review-att-verizon/7 (note: numbers in this article are for the iPhone's A5 processor - the A5 processor in the iPad has higher clockspeeds).
It's really about expected that the A6 processor will be produced at a 28nm/32nm line (because Samsung and others are dumping the 45 nm line). This would allow a thinner, smaller processor which generates less heat and uses less energy. If Apple goes for a quad-core processor, it is very well possible it might use less energy than the current A5 processor.
If we look at the architecture, really anything is possible. Apple has never stuck on the same architecture for more than two generations, but it's too soon to get a good pattern. It will be either the Cortex A9 architecture or the Cortex A15 architecture.
CPU clock? No one really knows right now. If the A6 processor indeed turns out to be a quad-core processor, than it's likely it's clocked at 1 GHz for iPad 3 and 800 MHz for iPhone 6. If the A6 processor turns out to be, for example, a dual core cortex A15-processor, than it could stay clocked at 1 GHz (A15 architecture is faster than the A9 architecture at the same clock speed) or it could be higher.
There are really lots of possibilities for the A6 processor. Apple could, however, play it very aggressively. Most companies try to avoid to move to a new process (like from 45 nm to 32 nm) ánd architecture at the same time. Apple, however, has already done so in the past: with the iPhone 3GS they moved from a 90nm process to 65nm process and they went from the ARM11 architecture to the Cortex A8 architecture.
If Apple is going to pull of a similar trick with the A6 processor, than that is great for us: the iPhone 3GS probably wouldn't have gotten iOS 5 if it had the old ARM11 architecture - even at the same clock speed. A new architecture would be very advantageous for us.
GPU wise? No one really knows.
I think that Apple really wanted to put a retina display in last year's iPad 2. If we're looking at the facts, the GPU in the iPad 2 is really powerful and it could have easily run a retina display while keeping the same performance.
The question is if Apple is going to do this again. Apple didn't change the GPU from iPhone 3GS to iPhone 4, yet the iPhone 4 pushes four times as many pixels. So iPad 3 might not become any more powerful, GPU wise, at all.
Obviously, I do hope Apple puts in a much better GPU: this allows for better performance at higher resolution.
Yes ... Apple's lead on the hardware front will not be that big. They might have an advantage with their supply chain efficiencies in pricing however. And ... I think they have a bigger lead on the software side than the hardware side.
While the above statement is definitely true, I am also a bit worried about the iPad 3 being thicker.
It's less the problem of thickness per se, since the iPad is a pretty thin device already and a millimeter more or less just isn't a big deal.
It's more the problem that now that Steve is gone, compromises seem to appear that would never have been approved, when Steve was still around.
Steve's decisions may not always have been right, but he had a clear concept and he would never let that concept be watered by what he thought would be an inferior approach. He would rather have pushed back the shipping date until a solution has been found to make the iPad thinner or just as thin with a new screen than opting for the better screen at the expense of making the iPad thicker again - even if it's just one millimeter. The iPad 2 is still a cool device, it's working and selling really well. And even if sales had been dwindling, I don't think Steve would have gone for the thicker design just to push sales and make more money.
My point is that I am worried that Apple products, which have been without compromises for 14 years now, slowly start to evolve into the same crap that other companies are selling, that backsteps are taken and that unfinished stuff is released only to get things out to consumers to make them buy it right away, instead of holding things back until the product is really great - which has been one of Steve's greatest achievements.
Do I make sense?
A little, but your concerns are premature.
An iPad w/ a Retina Display will certainly be awesome but I'll be even more impressed with a Retina Display-equipped MBA. Just a matter of "when"...
I don't think Apple is ahead with the iPhone, but Apple is easily two years ahead of the competition with the iPad 2, this will put them at 3 years with Retina and a quad core chip.
Android fan here folks!!!
Sign me up for the iPad 3 waiting list. Hopefully we'll get a better rear and front camera though.
Awesome update if true ... I just hope there is more RAM as well
Sounds like a really nice update ... everything that I want! The one thing that is not mentioned that would make it a complete package is doubling the RAM to at least 1GB. My guess is that Apple will definitely need to do so if they have a retina display (more RAM will be necessary to handle the graphics).
I still love my original iPad, but with iOS5, it doesn't have nearly enough RAM which makes it barely usable at times.
Sounds like a really nice update ... everything that I want! The one thing that is not mentioned that would make it a complete package is doubling the RAM to at least 1GB. My guess is that Apple will definitely need to do so if they have a retina display (more RAM will be necessary to handle the graphics).
I still love my original iPad, but with iOS5, it doesn't have nearly enough RAM which makes it barely usable at times.