New Report Claims Third Generation iPad To Arrive In Four Months

Though we're not looking to lumber you with every iPad 3 rumor that hits the Web, a recent report that's circulating online notes that parts for Apple's third generation tablet are reaching OEM contractors, suggesting that we'll see the device launch in three to four months. The report comes from DigitTimes (and reached us via 9to5Mac). It notes:

The next generation iPads are expected to be available in the next 3-4 months as makers in the supply chain have started delivering parts and components for the new tablets to OEM contractors while reducing those prepared for iPad 2, according to sources in the supply chain.

The suggested date would place the iPad 3's launch at some point in March or April. Two years ago, Apple released the original iPad in April. A year later, the second generation iPad debuted a month earlier, in March. Clearly, stating in December that the iPad 3 will launch in "three to four months" isn't an outlandish claim to make - this date, which is now juxtaposed with the iPhone's fall launch - appears to be something Apple is going to try its hardest to stick to. If the report is to be believed, in the first quarter of next year production of the iPad 2 will decrease, "paving the way for the launch of the new iPads," DigiTimes' source explained. The website added:

Meanwhile, Foxconn Electronics will begin to produce the next-generation iPads in January and to ramp up the production volume starting February, according to a Chinese-language Commercial Times report, which quoted Kevin Chang, an analyst of Citigroup Global Markets, as indicating.

However, we should note that in the past, DigiTimes hasn't always hit the bullseye with its oft-published iOS rumors. For some time now, we've been hearing that Apple is and has been investigating a Retina display for the third generation iPad. Already, the iPad's display is high definition (it has been since the original tablet). However, because of its size (9.7 inches), it is possible to see individual pixels with the human eye, unlike the screens of Apple's fourth and fifth generation iPhone and iPod touch devices. Earlier this year, we heard that that iPad 3 could boast a near-Retina resolution of 2048×1536. This would give a DPI of 260, as opposed to the golden 300 DPI Apple claims to be Retina standard. Furthermore, we're expecting Apple to introduce a new processor with the iPad 3 - likely the theoretical Apple A6. In the past, new processors have always debuted with the iPad, and have then appeared in the company's iPhone (this began with the Apple A4). For now, we'll have to hold our breath and hope that the iPad 3 is something worth getting excited about. Let us know your hopes and expectations in the comments below.

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