iPad 3

New Improved iPad May Be Launched On March 7

Apple may be planning to launch a new and improved version of its iPad tablet within weeks, according to industry insiders.

The new device, dubbed the 'iPad 3', will have a clearer screen, faster processor, more memory and better internet connectivity than the iPad 2.

The 2048x1536 pixel display - called 'Retina' as the pixel density makes it impossible for the naked eye to distinguish between individual pixels and gives it a sharper look - will be twice the resolution of its predecessor.

It is rumoured to also have double the memory at 128GB.

The Apple logo is seen inside a New York store

Although it will be a similar size to the iPad 2, it will contain an A6 quad-core chip allowing it to run much faster than the A5 dual-core processor in the current version.

The new iPad is also expected to be able to run on the speedier fourth-generation (4G) network.

4G is the next step up from 3G in mobile internet connectivity - offering at least 100 mega-bits per second (Mbps) of information to be transferred as opposed to 3G which can be as slow as 3.84 Mbps.

However, this may not be a big selling point most of Apple's markets.

In the UK, the technology is still at the testing stage, with the communications watchdog planning to begin *******ing off the mobile spectrum to network providers at the end of 2012.

Several sources, including the technology sites AllThingsD and iMore, have said the launch date is set for March 7, and the Yerba Buena Center in San Francisco where Apple's late founder Steve Jobs unveiled the iPad 2 last March is free on the day.

Apple has not confirmed any details, holding true to its policy to "refuse to comment on rumours or speculation", but its stock jumped above the $500 (£319) mark on Monday.

Meanwhile, the company may face an export ban on iPads from one of its main production bases after a Chinese firm has claimed that it owns the trademark on the device.

Shenzhen-based Proview Technology has petitioned Chinese customs to prevent Apple's iPads from leaving the country.

Although the customs department has not replied, officials from the Administration of Industry and Commerce in the northern city of Shijiazhuang have begun confiscating iPads from retail stores as a result of the lawsuit.

Apple insists it bought the worldwide rights to the trademark in 10 different countries several years ago and plans to fight back.

A Chinese court will make the final decision on February 29.

Expectations For The Apple iPad 3

:: Launch March 7

:: Quad-core A6 processor

:: 128GB memory

:: 2048x1536 pixel 'Retina' display

Interesting! I thought I read somewhere last year that it might be carbon fibre so it would be light as a feather. Not sure though.

I am still after a 2 but the 3 should force the 2 down, I hope.

Games console manufactures manage to produce a product with a bit of longevity. Granted after a few years they improve them and make them look a little better smaller and faster. Money is spent keeping the device secure and producing software for the device. Apple however bring a product out every year with a number on it 2,3,4s etc and people lap them up. It would be nice to see investment in an apple product and not have it superseeded in a years time. If Sony or Xbox did that no one in there right mind would constantly buy the latest console. Seems to me Apple is bound by a different set of rules that most blindly follow.

Make it cheaper or at least the equivanlent price and not the £100 pounds more than everywhere else (see apple USA conver then look at UK). I cant see Ipad2 being any cheaper after march.

Maybe I'm too jaded and like to browse the web without having to have an App for it(flash is not the enemy). Oh and not forgetting that Apple also filter the Apps out not in a good way either.