iPad 3: Rumour Round-Up

The iPad was an instant success. The iPad 2 made a great tablet, even better. But as it edges closer to Apple's upcoming iPad 3 announcement, rumours for the new tablet are becoming more and more.

This hub is aimed at gathering all the rumours and concepts, and briefly summing them all up.

As with every year, Apple will hold a special event to introduce the iPad 3. When is this event? Well, according to rumours it could be any time in this or next month.

1. http://bit.ly/xKNEoF - The first rumour suggests that the iPad 3 will be announced on February 23^rd, to mark the anniversary of the birth of Apple's late co-founder, Steve Jobs.
2. http://dthin.gs/wbnxSs - This rumour claims that 'sources' say the iPad 3 event will be held in the first week of March, in San Francisco.
3. http://bit.ly/wvZBh3 - This rumour believes the iPad 3 will be released close to or on March 29^th, as two French books were discovered on Amazon, tilted 'iPad 3 Pour Les Nuls” and “Auf die Schnelle iPad 3' meaning iPad 3 for Dummies. These books are scheduled to release on March 29^th, and generally, these types of books will be released, hand- in-hand, with the new product.

A new product, a new set of features. The iPad 3 is no exception, and there have been lots of rumours trying to guess what the new iPad will feature.

1. Retina Display - This is probably the most talked about feature of the iPad 3, a retina display screen. Basically, this means there will be twice as many pixels in the screen, producing a more clear, high definition image. It also means the iPad will boast a 2048x1536 resolution.
2. A6 Quad-core Processor - Another big feature of the proposed iPad is that it will have the new A6 quad-core processor. This means that the iPad will run much faster, and have improved graphics.
3. Improved Front and Back Cameras - The iPad 2 cameras are a bit of a let down. Some rumours suggest the the iPad 3 will contain a back camera on par of that of the iPhone 4S, 8 mega pixels. They also suggest that the device will include a Facetime HD camera on the front, which would be a much welcomed addition.
4. Network - It is rumoured the Apple may bring LTE to the iPad 3. This makes sense, to release 4G on the iPad before the iPhone, as the iPad battery can handle the 4G drain, better than the iPhone can.
5. Siri - Apple popular personal assistant, Siri is rumoured to make her way onto the iPad 3. Even if she doesn't show up, the Siri dictation feature could still potentially be made available on the iPad 3.
6. Design - Many rumours claim that the iPad 3 will retain the same design a the iPad 2, however, it may be slightly thicker to accommodate a bigger battery or the retina display.

As well as rumours, there have been a lot of concept designs around of the iPad 3. Here are a few of the best.

This first concepts mixes an iPhone 4 type design with and iPad. It also suggests a much thinner profile and a glass back.

This design shows a smooth rounded edge, and glossy glass effect for the front of the iPad.

This one adds a aluminium strip at the bottom of the iPad. It really changes the overall look of the device.

This design entirely rids the iPad of bezel around the edges. It kind of give the iPad a futuristic feel.