iPad 3 Launched Before Christmas?
According to research firm CLSA, the iPad 3 will be released before Christmas, and will be compatible with LTE, the 4G technology currently rolled out by Verizon, AT&T and a slew of other wireless providers. The device is also expected to come with a better (retina?) display.
While as usual, this kind of prediction should be taken with a grain of salt, we will most likely learn more during WWDC 2011, scheduled to start next Monday. While the focus of Steve Jobs’s keynote will be iCloud, he might also offer a preview of what the iPad 3 could offer.
While most vendors appear fixated on matching the specs and features of iPad 2, our checks suggest Apple will release iPad 3 in time for the holiday season, sporting a better display and LTE capabilities.
Note that according to CLSA, an LTE iPhone is not scheduled before 2011. If the rumor proves to be true, it would confirm the prediction from Daring Fireball and TechCrunch, which reported in February that the device might be released as early as the third quarter of this year.
The early launch could be motivated by the slew of “iPad killers” currently in the works. While the iPad 2 is powerful enough to compete with the upcoming wave of new tablets, it soon will not have the edge performance wise. The addition of LTE support to the device would help Apple stay ahead of its competitors.
[parts via wsj]