The iPad 3 (HD)

Apple's invite to the iPad 3 launch event.

Keeping with it's regular release schedule, Apple is going to release the much awaited iPad 3 or iPad HD on March 7 2012. What is it going to offer? Let's take a look at the rumor roundup.



The 2048 x 1536 Retina Display.


Everyone is looking forward to this. Comparisons are telling us that the next iPad will pack as many pixels as a 42-inch HDTV, thrashing any competition in the way. Here is a comparison of how the game Food Run would look on the next iPad. Basically, it's going to be a lot of fun using the next iPad to watch movies, look at pictures and play all those amazing HD games that are going to follow!

The Processor.

Rumors from sources all around the internet point towards two possibilities. A dual core faster A5X processor or a quad core A6. Most of the trustworthy sources are leaning in towards the A5X, reporting that Apple will launch the A6 processor along with the iPhone 5 which is likely to be launched later this year. Though the iPad 2 itself is blazing fast, the iPad 3 might need a bit more processing capability to power the Retina display. Coming to RAM, if we're going to take the retina display rumors seriously, it would make sense that the RAM would finally see and upgrade in the iPad 3. 


Siri.

iOS 6 is still a long way off, but the iPad 3's software warrants a quick mention because it might be the first non-iPhone 4S Apple product to get Siri, as some details in the iOS 5.1 beta reference the iPad in Siri Dictation.

Camera.

iLounge cited several sources saying the iPad 3 will have an HD front-facing camera for HD Facetime. This would make a lot of sense, considering many people use their tablets for video calling, and Facetime wouldn't look so good on that Retina Display without one.

Dimensions.

The iPad 3 is said to be a "little bit" thicker than the iPad 2, probably due to the addition of the Retina Display and maybe the LTE radios. Here is a comparison of the two devices side by side by the folks over at MIC.

Network. 

The Verge is reporting that the next iPad will come in both LTE and 3G flavours, the prior being limited to AT&T and Verizon and the 3G version being the international version as LTE is not yet supported in many, many countries. 

Liveblogs.


As we aren't likely to be invited to Apple's launch event, here are a few liveblogs you can follow to cover the launch of the next big thing, the iPad HD. Tune into these at around 6:00PM GMT to witness the next big thing.


Gizmodo
engadget
The Verge
Slashgear