Retina Display-Equipped iPad 3 to Launch in February?

[MacRumors]

The next iPad will be introduced in February according to a research note issued by Citi analyst Richard Gardner, obtained by Business Insider.

According to "several sources" the next iPad will launch in February, and it will sport a screen with double the resolution of the current model.

Gardner says, "there do not appear to be any significant technical hurdles remaining" to prevent a launch of a high-resolution iPad, despite rumors to the contrary.

Gardner's note echoes prior reports of a mid-Winter launch for the iPad 3.

Some reports had been suggesting that Apple's display suppliers were struggling with mass production of the higher-resolution 2048x1536 displays for the iPad 3, but reports over the past few weeks have indicated that the production is now moving along at Samsung, LG, and Sharp ahead of final iPad 3 assembly scheduled to begin next month at Foxconn.

One issue that has remains unclear is whether the iPad 3 will be thinner or slightly thicker than the iPad 2. Several sources have claimed that the iPad 3 will need to be slightly thicker due to the adoption of a dual light bar system to handle the significant jump in display resolution. But another report from late last month claimed that Apple will be utilizing a new display technology to support the high-resolution without requiring dual light bars, a development that will allow the iPad 3 to be slightly thinner than the current model.

Article Link: Retina Display-Equipped iPad 3 to Launch in February?

 

[mactmaster]

Hope it's sooner rather than later. I want to buy one for my mom, her macbook is on its last legs.

 

[Amazing Iceman]

Best rumor of the month. I really hope it's real...

 

[rmwebs]

Sounds good.

Although it should be noted that it WILL be slower than the iPad 2. It'll also take a fair while (1+ year) for most apps to get retina resolutions too for obvious reasons.

Edit: to the 26 people who down voted this, it will be slower because there is currently no faster CPU on offer to Apple than the existing A5. You're all making an assumption that the A6 will be ready, despite most sources saying it wont. You take an iPad 2 and slap a 'retina' screen on it and its got to do 4x the work...thats fact, not opinion.

 

[Yumunum]

So it won't have 4G, if this is true... Correct? Cuz they don't have the radios out yet

 

[bushido]

damn who wants my iPad 2?

 

[basesloaded190]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_0_1 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9A405 Safari/7534.48.3)

Sounds good.

Although it should be noted that it WILL be slower than the iPad 2. It'll also take a fair while (1+ year) for most apps to get retina resolutions too for obvious reasons.

Both of those "facts" couldn't sound more like the opposite of the truth

 

[smulji]

Sounds good.

Although it should be noted that it WILL be slower than the iPad 2. It'll also take a fair while (1+ year) for most apps to get retina resolutions too for obvious reasons.

How did you jump to the conclusion that iPad 3 will be slower than iPad 2? I'm curious.

Wouldn't this only be the case if the A6 is generally the same architecture as the A5? If it's using a new more modern architecture like that used in Samsung's recently announced Exynos 520 SOC (dual-core Cortex A15 architecture), then iPad 3 should be just as fast if not faster than iPad 2.

 

[Jbrumz85]

I'll get excited when it's announced.

 

[Battlefield Fan]

Please be early to mid February

 

[Mess]

Heres hoping!!

Sounds good.

Although it should be noted that it WILL be slower than the iPad 2. It'll also take a fair while (1+ year) for most apps to get retina resolutions too for obvious reasons.

Slower? What you been smoking? A6 quad core more than likely with retina display. Will be awesome!

And it wont take long for devs to update their apps. Not a year thats for sure!

 

[tranceformav2]

So glad I've been holding out on buying a 2.

Hope this is true cos ME WANT COOKIE!

 

[Akack]

Guess I'll be selling my ipad 2 in early Jan

 

[Caliber26]

These iPad 3 rumors are making me reconsider having one again.

 

[notjustjay]

I really have no problem if it's slightly thicker than an iPad 2, especially if that added thickness can mean longer battery life or better performance.

 

[chalpin]

Double or quadruple?

When Gardner says, the iPad 3 will have "double the resolution" of the iPad 2, doesn't he mean quadruple? I don't think doubling the resolution is as big a problem - quadrupling is a massive difference.

Or have I misunderstood the situation?

 

[Tsunami911]

The real question is...

Will it get 4 cores to drive that fancy new display? I don't think the A5 will cut it.

 

[MacDarcy]

Ain't no way in HELL the iPad 3 is gonna be SLOWER than the iPad 2. Nope.

That ain't gonna happen.

Battery life might take a slight hit because of the power suckin' potential of a 9.7" Retina display...but it won't be slower.

Actually, the battery life should improve, especially if they plan to make the ipad "slightly" thicker.

I would hope along with the Retina Display it gets better battery life, the A6 AND a better camera.

But then...we are all just guessing right?

 

[Bathplug]

And it wont take long for devs to update their apps. Not a year thats for sure!

Skype will take a year to get an update mark my words.

 

[deannnnn]

To quote Seth Meyers from the iPad 2 launch, "just in time to make everyone feel bad about their Christmas present."

 

[coder12]

Cool! I would love this, especially since it is so early in my semester for school

 

[billchase2]

Ah, the upgrade for my iPad 1. Looking forward to it!

 

[MacDarcy]

The A6 and a retina display would be perfect, and really go a long way in making the ipad a viable video/photo editing tool on the road. Me likey.

But will the A6 be ready by February? Wasn't there a rumor that it wouldn't be ready until the summer?

 

[damir00]

Sooner than I would have expected. Nobody else is going to have screens like that for a long time, and they will make even more of a difference at iPad size than they did at iPhone size.

Really looking forward to this, hope it's true!

 

[kiljoy616]

Thicker than the iPad 2 is an oxymoron and Apple will never do that. The same maybe but thicker not going to happen, out in Feb would love if it was true but not going to hold my fingers cross. But if it is I am ready for it. White HD iPad come to daddy.