iPad 3

iPad 3 will be quad-core; support 4G mobile

Apple’s new iPad is expected to launch in March, and will feature a heavily updated processor, high res screen and 4G mobile network capability.


Apple's manufacturing partner in Asia, Foxconn, is ramping up production of the iPad 3, with an aim to reach optimum production levels in February for the device's release in March, says Bloomberg.

It will be a 10-inch tablet, running a quad-core processor and with a screen four times the resolution of the iPad 2.

The system's quad core processor architecture will give it a leg up on competitors, most of which are running single core or dual core processors. Acer, ASUS and Nvidia did unveil early tablets running quad cores ARM based processors at CES 2012. Intel's quad core Atom processor for tablets is not due until 2013.

The iPad 3 will not have a newer version of the iPhone 4S' controversial Retina Display. Before his death, Steve Jobs described the Retina Display as the point where the pixels on a screen become indiscernible to the human eye, 300ppi. Critics have maintained that this is false advertising.

The new iPad 3 display will be 2048x1536 - better than 1080P full HD, the highest resolution screen on HDTVs. Producing these pixel dense screens is extremely difficult, especially without economies of scale - and as Arstechnica reported late last year, may have been causing the device's delay.

The other key feature will be of less importance for UK users, and that is full 4G LTE mobile network support. 4G basically gives users fixed line broadband speeds over cell phone networks. While the technology is already in usage in South Korea, the US and Germany, the UK will not see any 4G coverage until 2013 at the earliest.

Apple still remains dominant in the tablet market it created, selling 40 million iPads, and earning revenues of $25.3bn (£16.5bn). This accounts for 60% of the market, with the next competitor, Android at 40%, according to IDG.

This will be the first major product to be released since Steve Jobs' death, and pressure will be on new $400m man Tim Cook to create the same kind of hype Steve Jobs' famously did previously.


more @ http://desktops.cbronline.com/news/ipad-3-will-be-quad-core-support-4g-mobile-160112