With only two days left until Apple’s big announcement, I thought I’d break down what we’re expecting to be announced in regard to the iPad 2S or iPad 3 – and what iPad 3 accessories we’ve got on hand to match.
Display
The iPad 3’s screen is fairly well understood at this point and has been confirmed from a number of angles. We’re expecting that it’ll ship at that cracking 2048 x 1536 resolution (quadruple the pixels of the iPad 2) but the same diagonal size at 9.7″. If you’re worried about scratching that high resolution Retina Display, then you might want to grab an iPad 3 screen protector.
CPU & Graphics
This is an area where there are two major schools of thought – it’s between a dual-core ARM A5X and the quad-core ARM A6. Either way, expected a faster processor and even better graphical abilities.
Camera
The iPad 3 is rumoured to include an improved camera, specifically the 8 megapixel backlit-illuminated sensor and f/2.2 optics of the iPhone 4S. The front-facer will also likely be upgraded to HD resolutions, in order to work better with FaceTime.
Chassis
The iPad 3 shells that have been making the rounds point to a thicker iPad 3 – 0.81 mm thicker, to be exact. That’d still keep the iPad 3 south of that critical 1 cm thick mark. The iPad 3 case also includes more strongly tapered edges, which means you’ll need to pick up a new iPad 3 cover for everything to fit properly.
Connectivity
Rumours have been flying around on this one for ages, and we’re still not closer to the truth on this one. The iPad 3 may come with LTE, or it may not. It’d be a boon to US customers (and those in some European countries, like Germany) but won’t elicit excitement from UK users, as we’re not due to get an LTE network until 2015. The iPad has also been rumoured to support a new Apple connector, ditching the 30 pin for something a little bit more space-efficient. Whichever way it goes, we’ll be ready with iPad 3 chargers and iPad 3 car chargers.
Models
There are two main names expected for the next generation iPad: the iPad 2S and the iPad 3, both of which follow Apple’s iPhone naming conventions. In my own opinion this seems more of a major release, so I’m expecting the iPad 3, but the iPad 2S wouldn’t be unbelievable. It’s also possible that two models will be released – a low cost reworking of the iPad 2 with limited storage called the iPad 2S and the new shiny iPad 3.* In that case, we should have iPad 2S accessories (including iPad 2S cases and iPad 2S screen protectors) in addition to our iPad 3 ranges.
Conclusion
So there you have it – a full breakdown of the expected features of the iPad 3. I’ll be covering the launch on Wednesday, and I encourage you to tune in to the Mobile Fun blog or your favourite gadget news site to hear the news as it’s released. Any questions? Fling ’em in the comments below.
*We’re also hearing that a new Apple TV might be announced, so the media event could be quite exciting.