Rumor: Apple to unveil high-end, mid-range third-gen iPads in January

Posted:
in iPad edited January 2014
An unverified report out of the Far East claims that Apple will unveil in January 2012 two new models of the iPad, with one high-end version featuring an 8-megapixel camera and a mid-range model equipped with a 5-megapixel shooter, but the rumor has quickly been dismissed as unlikely.



Taiwan industry publication DigiTimes released on Thursday a pair of unusually specific reports about Apple's plans for the next generation of iPads. However, AppleInsider cannot vouch for the claims and is including them simply for the sake of discussion.



According to one report from the publication, Apple will take the wraps off both a high-end and a mid-range iPad at the MacWorld | iWorld conference on Jan. 26, 2012. Such a move, however, would be highly unlikely, as Apple announced in late 2008 that it would no longer exhibit at the conference after January 2009.



Apple has instead preferred to unveil its first two generations of the iPad at its own media events. The original version of the touchscreen tablet was announced on Jan. 27, 2010, while the iPad 2 was shown off on March 2, 2011.



DigiTimes did reaffirm widespread reports that the next-generation iPad will feature a Retina Display-like screen with a doubled resolution of 2,048 pixels x 1,536 pixels. Sources told the publication that both the rumored mid-range and high-end models would feature QXGA resolution with a dual LED light-bar solution to bolster the brightness of the display.



The report also went on to note that Sharp will be the "major panel supplier" for the display on the third-generation iPad, with Samsung and LG also producing some panels. Samsung is rumored to manufacture quad-core A6 processors, as well as the CMOS image sensor for the mid-range iPad, which sources indicated would sport a 5-megapixel lens. Sony has reportedly been tapped to provide the image sensor for a high-end iPad with an 8-megapixel lens.



Finally, sources said Apple would continue to offer the iPad 2, at a discount, in order to position the device to compete directly with Amazon's $199 Kindle Fire.



A second report from the publication on Thursday claimed the so-called iPad 3 would feature a 14,000mAH battery, a significant boost in capacity from the battery currently used in the iPad 2.



Recent reports have disagreed on Apple's timeframe for the launch of the third-generation iPad. One recent rumor, also out of Asia, claimed Apple would honor late co-founder Steve Jobs by launching the next iPad on his birthday, which falls on Feb. 24. That would fall in line with an analyst report that cited also next February for the launch. For its part, DigiTimes claimed earlier this month that the device will arrive in March or April.



Speculation that Apple will expand the iPad lineup have picked up in recent months. Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster suggested last week that the company will offer a broader range of price points for the next-generation iPad. Another analyst recently claimed the Cupertino, Calif., company may be planning an "iPad 2S" model alongside a full-fledged iPad 3.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 64




    iPad 2 16GB: $399

    iPad 3 16GB: $499

    iPad 3 32GB: $599

    iPad 3 64GB: $699



    There's your low and high end.
  • Reply 2 of 64
    andysolandysol Posts: 2,506member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post






    iPad 2 16GB: $399

    iPad 3 16GB: $499

    iPad 3 32GB: $599

    iPad 3 64GB: $699



    There's your low and high end.



    Lol. No doubt.



    Seriously... A camera to differentiate? Really? Who gives a flying F about a camera (rear facing) on an iPad? TS hit it on the head.
  • Reply 3 of 64
    Meh....
  • Reply 4 of 64
    jd_in_sbjd_in_sb Posts: 1,600member
    "An unverified report out of the Far East claims..."

    Full stop. Next article.
  • Reply 5 of 64
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post






    iPad 2 16GB: $399

    iPad 3 16GB: $499

    iPad 3 32GB: $599

    iPad 3 64GB: $699



    There's your low and high end.



    Sounds reasonable. Part of me wonders why Apple never left the iPad 1 out on the market when the iPad 2 was released. My best guess is that it's similar to the original iPhone; so many improvements were made to make the iPhone 3G, they really didn't want to keep a 1st gen product around.
  • Reply 6 of 64
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post






    iPad 2 16GB: $399

    iPad 3 16GB: $499

    iPad 3 32GB: $599

    iPad 3 64GB: $699



    There's your low and high end.



    Let's not forget the other rumour...

    Quote:

    A second report from the publication on Thursday claimed the so-called iPad 3 would feature a 14,000mAH battery, a significant boost in capacity from the battery currently used in the iPad 2.



    If you are adding 4x the pixels and will need more power to push those pixels you'll need ore mAh to maintain the same battery duration. I don't think 14k mAh makes much sense and there are weight and size issues if you use the same tech, or cost issues if you use a new, denser tech.



    Either way I think if we assume an iPad with an HiDPI display we also have to assume it will have more expensive components and less available components. For this reason I do think the rumour about having two iPads types could be true. Maybe the iPad 3 with 16GB starting at $488 then moving up the latter and then the 64GB iPad variances get the HiDPI display, bigger battery and extra processing/RAM for an additional cost over the $699 model.
  • Reply 7 of 64
    Yup, it's time for Apple to unveil some new models, if only to show the world that they can produce exciting NEW designs in the wake of Jobs' passing, and there's no better place to do it than @ Tim Cook's first big post-Steve event.



    As for the rumor that Apple will sell the current iPad 2 at a price to rival the $199 Kindle Fire.... is that really necessary? It sounds like the Fire sold really well on Cyber Monday, but got pretty scathing reviews ever since, like "The UI sucks. The browser gives me a headache. This thing is slow as hell. My kid keeps buying porn on it.... but it is cheaper than an iPad." Comparing the Fire to an iPad 2 is roughly the equivalent of comparing an EZ Bake Oven to a microwave.... and I think it's safe to say that you can't buy a Microwave at the cost of an EZ Bake Oven. I can understand Apple dropping the price by $150/tier, but I can't see them cutting it from $499 to $199.
  • Reply 8 of 64
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Santoanderson View Post


    Yup, it's time for Apple to unveil some new models, if only to show the world that they can produce exciting NEW designs in the wake of Jobs' passing, and there's no better place to do it than @ Tim Cook's first big post-Steve event.



    It'll be years before we start seeing products come from Apple that Jobs wasn't directly part of. I can't even fathom how many years until we start seeing products that don't have Jobs visions built into them. Perhaps never.
  • Reply 9 of 64
    May Apple should offer an iPad with GSM phone functionality. I would buy it. Kinda tired managing two devices around. Not suggesting putting iPad to your hear. There's bluetooth or speakerphone.
  • Reply 10 of 64
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post


    It'll be years before we start seeing products come from Apple that Jobs wasn't directly part of. I can't even fathom how many years until we start seeing products that don't have Jobs visions built into them. Perhaps never.



    Oh, clearly. I'm sure Steve had notebooks lying around with basic ideas for technologically advanced products that won't be released for decades. I'm just saying that this next event will be Tim Cook's first official introduction to the public after Steve's passing, and he's got to do a lot more than just slightly upgrade last year's product. I can't remember the last time we got a "One more thing." I want Tim to surprise us like Steve did.
  • Reply 11 of 64
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post


    Let's not forget the other rumour...



    If you are adding 4x the pixels and will need more power to push those pixels you'll need ore mAh to maintain the same battery duration. I don't think 14k mAh makes much sense and there are weight and size issues if you use the same tech, or cost issues if you use a new, denser tech.



    Either way I think if we assume an iPad with an HiDPI display we also have to assume it will have more expensive components and less available components. For this reason I do think the rumour about having two iPads types could be true. Maybe the iPad 3 with 16GB starting at $488 then moving up the latter and then the 64GB iPad variances get the HiDPI display, bigger battery and extra processing/RAM for an additional cost over the $699 model.



    The iPhone 4 did not have a better GPU or significantly larger battery compared to the 3GS, and it quadrupled the pixels. Things don't work as simply as you might think.
  • Reply 12 of 64
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by dagamer34 View Post


    The iPhone 4 did not have a better GPU or significantly larger battery compared to the 3GS, and it quadrupled the pixels.



    1) The SoC/PoP was better because it was idealized because it was the new Apple A4 chip. It also doubled the RAM over the previous iPhone.
    iPhone 3GS

    CPU = Samsung S5PC100 ARM Cortex-A8

    GPU = PowerVR SGX535

    RAM = 256 MB eDRAM



    iPhone 4

    CPU = Apple A4 (ARM Cortex-A8)

    GPU = Apple A4 (PowerVR SGX 535)

    RAM = 512 MB eDRAM
    On top of that we already had months of the iPad running at 1024x768 to use as a gauge when the iPhone 4 with Retina Display came out. Why is that important? Because the iPad pushes more pixels to the same HW except with less RAM but with a slightly faster CPU clock speed.



    Note the iPad is already higher than the iPhone 4 and you suggest doubling it again to 2048x1536 to yield 3,145,728 pixels. That a huge jump in the number of pixels and you say that the HW won't be negatively affected because you didn't notice any from the 3GS to the iPhone 4 isn't a good argument.
    iPhone 3GS = 153,600 pixels

    iPhone 4 = 614,400 pixels.

    iPad = 786,432 pixels

    iPad 3 = 3,145,728 pixels
    You see the difference? This is why I have reservations about releasing such a display unless they have resolved other issues that would mainly affect cost, performance, and power use.



    Quote:

    Things don't work as simply as you might think.



    That's the point as I've been trying to make.
  • Reply 13 of 64
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SWR View Post


    May Apple should offer an iPad with GSM phone functionality. I would buy it. Kinda tired managing two devices around. Not suggesting putting iPad to your hear. There's bluetooth or speakerphone.



    There's an app for that. :-)
  • Reply 14 of 64
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post


    1)
    iPhone 3GS = 153,600 pixels

    iPhone 4 = 614,400 pixels.

    iPad = 786,432 pixels

    iPad 3 = 3,145,728 pixels
    You see the difference? This is why I have reservations about releasing such a display unless they have resolved other issues that would mainly affect cost, performance, and power use.



    There is this thing called Moore's Law. Your list above kind of shows this in academic fashion.



    I agree that I still have my doubts about a better display, but I actually think it could happen with iPad 3. The technology is out there and if Apple doesn't lead, it will follow.
  • Reply 15 of 64
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Santoanderson View Post


    Oh, clearly. I'm sure Steve had notebooks lying around with basic ideas for technologically advanced products that won't be released for decades. I'm just saying that this next event will be Tim Cook's first official introduction to the public after Steve's passing, and he's got to do a lot more than just slightly upgrade last year's product. I can't remember the last time we got a "One more thing." I want Tim to surprise us like Steve did.



    I hope he makes it his own this next time. The event held the before Steve's death was not the best presentation. A part of me says that it's business and you should be giving a great performance every time but the other realizes that it may not always be possible.
  • Reply 16 of 64
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Vadania View Post


    There is this thing called Moore's Law. Your list above kind of shows this in academic fashion.



    I agree that I still have my doubts about a better display, but I actually think it could happen with iPad 3. The technology is out there and if Apple doesn't lead, it will follow.



    I think Apple can get quad-core Cortex-A9s if needed.

    I know Apple can get much better ImgTech GPUs that no one else has access to if needed.

    I know that getting Retina Display on the iPad would set it for iPod-like domination.

    I know that Apple has a great chance of sourcing the components in ways no one else can.



    I don't know if the processing will be enough.

    I don't know if they will be able to source enough good panels.

    I don't know if there is still a backlight issue.

    I don't know by how much this will affect the battery life.

    I don't know if they can use denser battery tech.

    I don't know how much they are willing to make the device heavier and thicker for the larger battery and potentially a larger display backlight.



    It's not good when you have this many unknowns. Some of these can be traded off and don't have to best the previous year's model to be eligible for sale, but they can't less the user experience as a whole otherwise the effort becomes a fail.
  • Reply 17 of 64
    one big improvement would be to get rid of the dongles. I hope that Apple finally see's the light & includes a Mini HDMI slot, Micro SD Slot & some kick ass speakers. Anything less & they'll be short changing their customers. If Ipad 3 doesn't include at least an SD slot of some sort I'm going to android.

    ~Food For thought~
  • Reply 18 of 64
    DigiTimes must be making a solid business by supplying (perhaps inadvertently) click-bait to AI.
  • Reply 19 of 64
    tylerk36tylerk36 Posts: 1,037member
    Apple confirmed today that they will indeed release a new version of the popular iPad. The new model will be called iPad 3.7 and will fashion a 90 megapixel camera. Its sad to report that the iPad 3.7 will have to be plugged in to a car battery to use the camera. Tim Cook had been quoted as saying ".................."
  • Reply 20 of 64
    hill60hill60 Posts: 6,992member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Lancelot9201 View Post


    one big improvement would be to get rid of the dongles. I hope that Apple finally see's the light & includes a Mini HDMI slot, Micro SD Slot & some kick ass speakers. Anything less & they'll be short changing their customers. If Ipad 3 doesn't include at least an SD slot of some sort I'm going to android.

    ~Food For thought~



    Of you go then, one's stopping you, don't forget the "full" Internet with Adobe Flash.



    The Galaxy Tab 10.1 is a nice option, from a short distance you can fool people into thinking it's an iPad.
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