Three alleged 'iPad 3' parts assembled, including possible Retina Display
Three parts claimed to be from Apple's forthcoming third-generation iPad have been assembled to confirm that they do, in fact, properly connect to one another.
An LCD panel from Sharp, a back plate with an Apple logo, and a 30-pin dock connector all claimed to be from Apple's so-called "iPad 3" were obtained by iLab Factory. When all three were placed together, the site found that they were a match, suggesting the components are from a prototype build of the next iPad.
The site noted that the backplate of the iPad 3 is slightly thicker, at just more than a millimeter. But aside from that, it is the same size, allowing it to fit a 9.7-inch display just like iPad 2.
The rear panel also has a different screw alignment, as was previously spotted in another component. Those screws line up perfectly with the Sharp LCD display obtained by the site, one that could be the new high-resolution Retina Display expected to be featured on the next iPad.
For the final piece of the puzzle, the new dock connector believed to be for the next iPad was placed onto the back panel, and the site found that the part connected just right with the screw holes on the back panel.
Finally, the site also noted that the iPad 3 rear casing has a different hole for a camera from the current iPad 2 rear panel. The size of the two holes is said to be about the same, but on the alleged iPad prototype part, the camera mount is different on the back side.
The components support previous rumors that have suggested that the next iPad will feature an external design largely similar to the currently available iPad 2. A recent report suggested the defining feature of the next iPad will be a "truly amazing" screen.
The Sharp panel featured among the assembled components was already pictured in a separate story last week. It was said to be a QXGA 9.7-inch display with three flat cables that connect to the base of the LCD.
The screen is believed to feature a high-resolution 2,048-by-1,536 display, resulting in a pixel density of about 260-pixels-per-inch. The current iPad 2 and first-generation iPad have a resolution of 1,024-by-768 pixels, which amounts to a density of 132 pixels-per-inch.
[ View article on AppleInsider ]
Comments
The pull-down notification system was a nice step in the right direction, but I'd also like a more interactive lock screen with weather/customizable widgets, etc. Some of things that Android does like live news feeds and email feeds directly on the homescreen would be a nice touch.
At one point the rumour was that Apple was considering both the IGZO and conventional technology using an additional backlight. Ludicrous. The two technologies would have required rather different internal designs and there is no way that Apple would have allowed this process to force them to be designing two iPads at the same time.
The next iPad has to be lighter than the iPad 2 and preferably with even better battery life. This is how it would have been if Steve Jobs were still alive. He never would have signed off on an iPad 3 that represented a downgrade in terms of weight and battery life. Jobs would have insisted that upping the screen resolution would wait until Apple could get it right and I have no reason to imagine that the current management team would do it any other way.
One more thing. While I could easily imagine that Apple might just continue selling the iPad 2 for a while at a discounted price, something like $399, I don't think there is an appetite for moving off of the price point of the current design. In other words, the higher-resolution screen only makes it into the iPad if Apple can deliver that screen for a starting price of around $500. That's the sweet spot in terms of pricing and one of the keys to the iPad's amazing success.
The iPad will slot into the $500-$800 price range and the higher pricing will be for the laptops.
WIth this huge increase in resolution, can we finally have a makeover of the core iOS UI? It just seems like the grid of icons is wasted on such high resolution displays. This isn't 2007 anymore.
The pull-down notification system was a nice step in the right direction, but I'd also like a more interactive lock screen with weather/customizable widgets, etc. Some of things that Android does like live news feeds and email feeds directly on the homescreen would be a nice touch.
I agree.
I'd like to see (eventually) Siri voice integration not only for the core iOS apps, but also the added functionality of finding, and then launching, third-party apps.
I find myself endlessly swiping through homescreen pages and the plethora of app badges only to give up.... and then Spotlight searching.
Of course the backplate isn't going to change dramatically. The design of the iPad is defined by its usage as a "pad".
I had hoped the next cellular iPad would feature an antenna behind the Apple logo so that the existing antenna stripe could be removed.
WIth this huge increase in resolution, can we finally have a makeover of the core iOS UI? It just seems like the grid of icons is wasted on such high resolution displays. This isn't 2007 anymore.
The pull-down notification system was a nice step in the right direction, but I'd also like a more interactive lock screen with weather/customizable widgets, etc. Some of things that Android does like live news feeds and email feeds directly on the homescreen would be a nice touch.
iOS 6
Some of things that Android does like live news feeds and email feeds directly on the homescreen would be a nice touch.
new emails you can already see on lock screen if you activate it in the notifications in iOS 5 but you can't see the whole email-box at the home-screen which i feel is better… but i would like the news feeds on the home-screen for sure…
For the final piece of the puzzle, the new dock connector believed to be for the next iPad was placed onto the back panel, and the site found that the part connected just right with the screw holes on the back panel.
New dock connector? All new accessories? This could get expensive.
How is the dock connector new? What are the differences?
The next iPad has to be lighter than the iPad 2 and preferably with even better battery life. This is how it would have been if Steve Jobs were still alive. He never would have signed off on an iPad 3 that represented a downgrade in terms of weight and battery life.
The iPhone 4 was slightly heavier than the iPhone 3GS and the iPhone 4S is slightly heavier than the iPhone 4 with worse battery life.
4 different resolutions (3GS, 4/4S, iPad/iPad 3)? Sounds like fragmentation to me......<ducks>
It would be a second resolution, not a third resolution. Quadrupling would also make scaling easy, the same as it was on the iPhone.
WIth this huge increase in resolution, can we finally have a makeover of the core iOS UI? It just seems like the grid of icons is wasted on such high resolution displays. This isn't 2007 anymore.
The pull-down notification system was a nice step in the right direction, but I'd also like a more interactive lock screen with weather/customizable widgets, etc. Some of things that Android does like live news feeds and email feeds directly on the homescreen would be a nice touch.
I agree with you on that but I know Apple is always trying to make it simple for regular folks but they should at least give the option to do it for us more tech savy people.. I always wanted the funtion of resizing my App icons to make them bigger...
WIth this huge increase in resolution, can we finally have a makeover of the core iOS UI? It just seems like the grid of icons is wasted on such high resolution displays. This isn't 2007 anymore.
The pull-down notification system was a nice step in the right direction, but I'd also like a more interactive lock screen with weather/customizable widgets, etc. Some of things that Android does like live news feeds and email feeds directly on the homescreen would be a nice touch.
I agree.
I'd like to see (eventually) Siri voice integration not only for the core iOS apps, but also the added functionality of finding, and then launching, third-party apps.
I find myself endlessly swiping through homescreen pages and the plethora of app badges only to give up.... and then Spotlight searching.
I don't see the need or desire on Apple's part to change the interface. They just introduced this exact look to Mac OS X. They are not going to go and change it again. It is the simplest way to present it. Some of the visual representations some of the Android UIs do is just hiding that it is doing the same thing as iOS. One continuous scroll, with or without "seeing" them scroll into the main area (a la Star Wars Crawl, etc)? Just a different way of presenting the same exact information.
The iPhone 4 was slightly heavier than the iPhone 3GS and the iPhone 4S is slightly heavier than the iPhone 4 with worse battery life.
Different situation in that weight is so low on the phone, even within the variations that you note, that it's simply not a factor. As for battery life, we're talking insignificant differences between the 4 and the 4S. In some categories, the 4S has better battery life than the 4. I mean a 10th of an ounce is such a miniscule amount that I doubt any mere mortal would notice.
The iPad is a different matter because the iPad 1 was too heavy for a tablet, the iPad 2 is better but still too heavy. There needs to be a further weight reduction in order for the iPad to be where it should be for extended use. To revert from let's say the weight of the iPad 2 to that of the iPad 1, really, would feel like a regression. If we're talking immaterial weight differences, like those involved in comparing the 4S and 4, well, that's another matter. That sort of variation in weight has no impact on the user experience. Not so with a device like the iPad, unless the weight difference is exceedingly small.
If Apple had had to resort to using current LCD tech with two backlights rather than just one, the additional weight of the second backlight and that of a heavier battery to compensate for the additional power drain, are not design compromises that I see Apple embracing.
Could be wrong, but it does seem to me that this is not a route Apple would likely take.
as long as they continue to support the iPhone 3Gs and the original iPad, none of this stuff matters.
higher resolution and faster CPU.....big whoop. the developers still can't make use of the technology unless they are willing to shut out the majority of the market.
as long as they continue to support the iPhone 3Gs and the original iPad, none of this stuff matters.
The 3GS is their WORST-selling phone. It sells single digits of the iPhone market. And it STILL sells better than ANY device made by ANYONE else. It'll be killed off this year. So, what, Apple is dead after that? :roll eyes:
higher resolution and faster CPU.....big whoop. the developers still can't make use of the technology unless they are willing to shut out the majority of the market.
What the heck does this mean? More 'walled garden is a failure' crap?
WIth this huge increase in resolution, can we finally have a makeover of the core iOS UI? It just seems like the grid of icons is wasted on such high resolution displays. This isn't 2007 anymore.
The pull-down notification system was a nice step in the right direction, but I'd also like a more interactive lock screen with weather/customizable widgets, etc. Some of things that Android does like live news feeds and email feeds directly on the homescreen would be a nice touch.
No. Unless you want Apple to query the UI first and then load a completely unique UI for the iPad 3 instead of the ubiquitous UI across the iPad, iPad 2, iPhone 3.x, iPhone 4.x; and if that is the case I say again, No.
It's a waste of time and resources when there is much more Apple can focus on getting right before making a few people happy the grid has changed.
You're never going to get a customizable UI to fit your tinkering desires. Go use Android.
these upgrades that Apple makes are always a joke IMHO.
as long as they continue to support the iPhone 3Gs and the original iPad, none of this stuff matters.
higher resolution and faster CPU.....big whoop. the developers still can't make use of the technology unless they are willing to shut out the majority of the market.
Wake up. The majority of the market where developers actually make money is iOS. They will most certainly be using the strengths of the CPU cores and GPU cores in iPad 3.
Three parts claimed to be from Apple's forthcoming third-generation iPad have been assembled to confirm that they do, in fact, properly connect to one another.
I, for one, am happy that a third party is double-checking that all the pieces are from the same product. I can't tell you how many times I have gotten an iPad with an iPhone screen...