Surprise, surprise!
Rumour has it that Apple has a ‘surprise' lined up for the autumn and that it will be the release of the iPad 3.
While Apple products are usually hyped up, it may be surprising that rumours have surfaced about its version 3 tablet, even before the existence and launch date of version 2 is confirmed.
However, multiple sources have tipped the iPad 3 for an Autumn launch, which providing the iPad 2 hits the shops in April as it is predicted to, will mean Apple's 2nd generation iPad could be ‘old' in around 6 months!
Commenting on the launch of HP's Touchpad, which is due to launch in summer with superior spec to Apple's fabled iPad 2, John Gruber of The Daring Fireball, wrote: "Summer feels like a long time away. If my theory is right, they're not only going to be months behind the iPad 2, but if they slip until late summer, they might bump up against the release of the iPad ".
The casual mention of Apple's third generation slate implies it is scheduled to launch in early autumn and Tech Crunch has reported that it head from a ‘very good source' that Apple is planning a ‘big fall surprise'.
The site supposes that as iPod and iTunes refreshes are not as exciting as they were, the big news could be about Apple TV, iTunes in the cloud or a touchscreen Mac, but then added that it has heard that it is actually about the iPad 3.
Tech Crunch said: "We don't have any more concrete information beyond that. But, as of right now, the plan is apparently to release one iteration of the iPad in the next few weeks. And then blow the doors open with another new version in the fall."
Apple has already come under fire from critics as to why a camera (which is rumoured to feature in the iPad2) was not included in the original tablet offering. While the company has always refreshed its products relatively regularly, if the rumour proves true the iPad 2 will be ‘old' incredibly quickly and even if the rumour isn't true...won't it put fanboys off investing in the second generation product if a vastly superior offering is just around the corner?
It has been rumoured that the iPad 2 will be thinner, faster with more RAM and sport a camera, but crucially not a better resolution screen. It seems reasonable to speculate that the iPad 3 will feature a retina-like display or perhaps even come in a different size- despite the fact that Steve Jobs has slammed smaller tablets in the past.
If Apple is planning another refresh of the iPad in 2011, it would seem to be aware that companies like HP are aggressively trying to grab a chuck of the lucrative tablet market so it better not relax just yet- despite having around 95 percent of the current tablet market.
