Rumor: Display suppliers shipping 3M iPad 3 panels for assembly in Jan. 2012
Samsung, LG Display and Sharp have begun shipping high-resolution displays for Apple's next generation iPad as Foxconn prepares to begin assembly in January 2012, a new report claims.
The suppliers reportedly shipped a total of one million panels in October and will ship two million more this month, industry sources told DigiTimes on Friday.
Sources also said touch module suppliers will begin shipping components in mid-November to December with combined shipments of one million units a month from Wintek and TPK Holding. They claimed Apple manufacturer Foxconn is likely to start assembling the third-generation iPad in January of next year.
An earlier report from the publication claimed Apple planned to build two million next-generation iPad units by the end of this year.
The iPad 3 display has been widely rumored to boast a doubled resolution of 2,048 x 1,536 pixels. Retina Display-like pixel density would likely accelerate adoption of Apple's touchscreen tablet in the medical and aviation industries.
But, scattered reports out of Apple's supply chain suggest that producing the displays at a low cost and high volume has proved difficult for the iPad maker's partners. The increased resolution has also reportedly introduced new technical issues, such as whether to add a second LED light bar to the device.
Apple's next-generation iPad is expected to sport a quad-core A6 CPU and is rumored to include a smaller dock connector and a thinner, lighter battery.
Friday's report also noted that suppliers have sent Apple samples of a 7.85-inch iPad panel, but it was unable to verify whether Apple had decided to go with the smaller form factor. Rumors of a forthcoming 7-inch iPad picked up steam last month, despite the fact that late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs disparaged the size as being too small.
The suppliers reportedly shipped a total of one million panels in October and will ship two million more this month, industry sources told DigiTimes on Friday.
Sources also said touch module suppliers will begin shipping components in mid-November to December with combined shipments of one million units a month from Wintek and TPK Holding. They claimed Apple manufacturer Foxconn is likely to start assembling the third-generation iPad in January of next year.
An earlier report from the publication claimed Apple planned to build two million next-generation iPad units by the end of this year.
The iPad 3 display has been widely rumored to boast a doubled resolution of 2,048 x 1,536 pixels. Retina Display-like pixel density would likely accelerate adoption of Apple's touchscreen tablet in the medical and aviation industries.
But, scattered reports out of Apple's supply chain suggest that producing the displays at a low cost and high volume has proved difficult for the iPad maker's partners. The increased resolution has also reportedly introduced new technical issues, such as whether to add a second LED light bar to the device.
Apple's next-generation iPad is expected to sport a quad-core A6 CPU and is rumored to include a smaller dock connector and a thinner, lighter battery.
Friday's report also noted that suppliers have sent Apple samples of a 7.85-inch iPad panel, but it was unable to verify whether Apple had decided to go with the smaller form factor. Rumors of a forthcoming 7-inch iPad picked up steam last month, despite the fact that late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs disparaged the size as being too small.
Comments
Same rumor, different day. Repeating it a hundred times doesn't make it more true, am I right, website-that-repeatedly-claimed-Apple-would-release-an-iPhone-5-with-a-bigger-screen-and-aluminum-back?
Repeating it 100 times doesn't make it true, it just makes you "right" when it finally happens and you go, "See, see! We said this three years ago!"
Like the New York Times and the Verizon iPhone.
I don't know if that means a Retina Display, an A6, something else ... all of the above. I have no idea. But I do think it will be a real step up from the iPad2.
Then again, my ability to predict these things sucks. So ...
o IR emitter for use as remote for your A/V gear and other IR clients
o Twice as much actual memory internally
o Models from 32GB (base) to 256 GB
o Inductive charging via supplied mat -- no more cables
o Quad core CPU
o Memory slot (not CF, though... too large)
o Micro-USB connection
o Finally rid of that ridiculous bezel, now has proper fold-out grip assembly on rear
o contains SDR radio for continuous reception from .005 KHz to 30.000 MHz
o FM broadcast tuner
o TV tuner
o Folders that nest as deep as you like
o Near Field electronics for use in swiping at point of sale terminals
o Many more bluetooth profiles
o Will actually do wireless sync (you won't have to plug it in or run iTunes!)
o Now with full filesystem access so really powerful apps like those on OSX can be written for it
o Settings switch to allow apps from outside the app store to be installed, like Android has
o Docks on side AND bottom for drop-in keyboard, charging and audio dock capability
o adds standard 1/4 inch jack and high-quality preamp for guitar, bass, etc.
o only $99.95 !!!
o Supplied with extremely cute kitten and bag of rainbow condoms (not to be used together)
--- LOL
Ok, here's what we're actually going to get:
o Actual 720p resolution within 4x3 frame. So instead of 1024w rez, we get 1280w rez.
o Dual core processor
o Same GPU (it just went 9x faster with uPad 2, that'll do)
o Even more lock-down for apps and content (it'll be called a "feature")
o ...and a price increase
o Actual 720p resolution within 4x3 frame. So instead of 1024w rez, we get 1280w rez.
? 2048x1536?
Dual core processor
Depends on what the A6 is based on.
Same GPU (it just went 9x faster with uPad 2, that'll do)
As it's not a separate unit, it will change if the processor changes.
Even more lock-down for apps and content (it'll be called a "feature")
Mind explaining what you mean by "lock down"?
...and a price increase
16GB iPad 2: $399
16GB iPad 3: $499
32GB iPad 3: $599
64GB iPad 3: $699
And then a single model that can handle all three 3G players at the appropriate prices.
Definitely make the iPad thinner. I can still sort of see the iPad 2 edge-on, in the right light.
Indeed. I won't be buying one to replace my first gen until it's thin enough to ignore electromagnetism and slip through the spaces between the molecules in my hand.
I really hope Apple decides to add a 7" iPad. Remember, Apple had many different iPod models to fit the various needs of people who listen to music and they dominated. Same applies here. 7" the let and a 6" Pearl e-ink reader.
I really don't see that happening.
Ever.
…7" iPad…
Mmm.*
Apple should build a 7" tablet to fight the Kindle Fire and B&N Nook and build a 6" Pearl e-ink e-reader…
The last thing Apple should be doing is legitimizing those mutant abominations. It's like a homo sapiens and a homo floresienses mating to produce a middle-sized offspring.
…while telling the public they are serious about supporting readers. Books are a weak link in the iTunes store.
They are. It's the book companies that don't care about readers. They'll come around, just like the music industry was forced to do.
*Not to be construed as a plug for said site. It was the first thing that came up in a search.
It will also outsell all other tablets put together oh, and me and my dog will love ours cuz AngryBirds never looked so good!
Apple should just take their time and get it right. Apple doesn't need to rush things out the door prematurely like everybody else does, because the results are often complete fucking garbage.
I do know one thing for sure, I'm not going to bother to stand in any line for the iPad 3, like I did for the iPad 2. I'll just order online, and I'll get it whenever I get it. I'm not going to sweat it.
The iPad 3 will be out when the iPad 3 is out, and not a second before.
Yes, but AppleInsider's got you calling it the "iPad 3". They trained you well. Be sure to express disappointment when Apple calls it something else.
Yes, but AppleInsider's got you calling it the "iPad 3". They trained you well. Be sure to express disappointment when Apple calls it something else.
As long as the next iPad leaves people amazed, then who cares what they call it?
I have to admit though, I've never given any thought to the name. It seems logical that it will be called iPad 3. Do you have any reason why it wouldn't?
Is Apple going to call it an iPad Retina? An iPad 2 +? An iPad 3S (for Siri)?
Sometimes the simplest and most logical naming conventions are the best ones, and iPad 3 sounds pretty logical to me. Either way, I'll be getting one. I don't care if they call it the iPad Lame, where can I preorder?
And then a single model that can handle all three 3G players at the appropriate prices.
This to me is the one most likely feature to be in the next iPad. It also is the most significant change, from a business standpoint.
Apple will be able to make just two versions of the next iPad--WiFi and WiFi+3G--and benefit from that efficiency.
The iPad 3 will be out when the iPad 3 is out, and not a second before. That will most likely be around 12 months after the second iPad got released, give or take a few months. The iPad 2 was great when it came out, and it's still great and kicking every other tablet's butt today. Nothing even comes close.
Apple should just take their time and get it right. Apple doesn't need to rush things out the door prematurely like everybody else does, because the results are often complete fucking garbage.
Well that would put this at the feb/march timeframe of 2012, right on schedule. And I don't believe there's any indication they've been rushing this? Getting a Retina display in an ipad has been going on for at least 1-2 years and possibly longer, you must know this because we've been seeing the same rumors since *before* the ipad 2 shipped.
This time 1 year ago, the ipad2 wasn't even out yet, so nobody had a solid clue about what it would be, and there were rumors of some kind of "ipad2 HD or ipad 3 also in the works" and Apple was aggressively pursuing that Retina display, trying to get yields in line and costs under control. It really sounds to me like all the new technologies we'll see in the ipad 3 have been the products of slow, steady and careful development.
However I'm trying to wrap my brain around the exact importance of a 10" Retina display and why it's so valuable. Yes, you can say your screen resolution and quality surpass all your competitors, that's a decent selling point. Yes, you can further penetrate into specialty niche fields like medicine and aviation. All good, fine. I'm missing something I think, I think we all are. Apple has been pushing this hard for a while now. AFAIK, nobody else is pursuing this or even trying to. Ask your average computer expert, they'd say it's somewhere between 'excessive overkill' and 'probably not possible'. So why pursue it so hard? There is extreme difficulty in making a display like this a reality. There must be another purpose, some other app use or killer function that allows for that leapfrogging over what the ipad 2 can do. I just think there has to be more to the purpose of such a display and all the difficulty that goes into producing it beyond just "higher quality and doctors like it more". What's the other selling point?
Factor in Siri. Siri makes displays less important actually. When you can have a natural conversation with your computer to accomplish tasks that traditionally require an awkward interface and a display, you don't really need visual output for alot of things. Headless computers that are voice only become more feasible. The next ipad will almost certainly have Siri built in. So if you're designing the ipad 3 and you know it will have Siri and a Retina display, is there some killer feature you could do here that wasn't possible before? Instead of making the display less important, somehow integrate Siri to amp up its value? There could be a significant Siri update on the way, something to specifically work with a 10" Retina.
While they could just throw this stuff in a pile and see what sticks/sells, it would be much smarter of them to figure out how to integrate this stuff together to form some new killer app. A highly compelling reason to buy the ipad 3 over the ipad 2, something that locks in their dominance and basically makes it impossible for competitors to compete.
Apple's next-generation iPad is ... rumored to include a smaller dock connector ....
I expect any redesigned iOS dock connector to support Thunderbolt.
And then in 2012 (March?) keep the 16GB iPad 2 around, and sell the iPad 3 in 32 GB and 64 GB options at $599 & $699. The 32 GB iPad 3 would be the best seller of the pack, but people who only have $399 to spend could still buy an iPad.