Apple Set To Launch iPad 3 Next Week: What You Can Expect & What We Would Like To See

Its official, Apple Inc is launching its next coolest thing on March 7, 2012 (mid next week) in San Francisco and in all probability it will takes the cover off its next generation Tablet or the iPad 3 (could also be named iPad 2S) at the event. The company has already sent out invites for the event that has a screenshot of the iPad screen with a caption that reads "We have something you really have to see. And touch."

Apple has been the market leader in the Tablet market ever since the company launched its first iPad almost two years ago. But in the recent times it has been facing competition from Samsung and other small players that have entered the Tablet market. The company's last Tablet launch in the form of the iPad 2 happened almost a year ago (it was launched on 2nd of March last year) and hence it is high time they launched a new Tablet.

As always, the media is buzzing with rumours about the new Tablet's look and specifications so we are bringing in some notes out from the cacophony on what you can expect from the iPad 3.

Thinner

First things first, even though people are saying that the new Tablet will be lighter and slimmer than the iPad 2, it can actually be a little fatter. But when we say fat, we mean it in a very good way. Read further to know more.

Retina display

The new iPad could have a retina display like the one in the iPhone 4S, which means users will get better and crispier pictures, videos and text and a much better pixel resolution.

Quad core processor and more storage

The new Tablet should be powered by Apple's A6 processor that will most likely be a Quad-core processor. And this makes sense too since most of its competitors (like Samsung, Asus etc) have either launched a Quad-core Tablet or they are in the process of launching one and will most definitely launch them by Q2, 2012.

Also, iPad 3 could support even more storage. As of now, 16, 32 and 64GB and the only available models; a 128GB model can also be introduced with the new Tablet.

Now you understand why the new device could be thicker, or as we like to call it, a little fatter than the iPad 2.

Siri

The new Tablet should also have Siri, the intelligent personal assistant (that works as an app for Apple's iOS) that Apple fan boys have fallen in love with. Although we don't know if intelligent is the right word to use, just look at some of Siri's answers-

If you look closely at the screenshot of the iPad on the invitation, you will notice that the 'home button' is missing from it. This could very well mean that the new iPad will be button free and will instead provide a 100 percent touch experience.

4G & NFC

There are chances that the new device will see the debut of LTE (Long Term Evolution) or 4G. This basically means much faster internet and browsing speed that what is currently available on 3G(which is what available in India for now but with big business groups eyeing the next generation, we could well use that locally soon). There are also chances that Apple will enable Near Field Communication or NFC in the iPad 3 (this will also be enabled in the iPhone 5 when it is eventually launched this year).

Better camera and bigger battery

The iPad will definitely come with a better rear camera, most probably an 8MP camera with flash that can also record high definition (HD) videos (similar to the camera in the iPhone 4S). The device will also sport a bigger battery which will be a must considering the higher screen resolution and the fact that it can be a 4G device.

One model or two

There are chances that Apple will introduce not one but two new models at the event. This is because even though it enjoys the lion's share in the high price range segment of Tablets, the mid price range segment and the low-cost segment is dominated by Samsung's Tablets and Amazon's Kindle Fire among others. Hence, the company could launch a new 10 inch iPad 3 at the regular iPad prices and a cheaper 7 inch model to fit most people's pocket.

Price

The price of an iPad 2 starts from $499 (for 16GB Wi-Fi model) and goes up to $829 (for the 64GB Wi-Fi+3G model). Ideally, the new Tablet should cost around $50 more than the current rates so the base model could be around $549 and the upper end version could touch $900. But we would expect (and hope) if Apple decides to launch two Tablets, the cheaper one should definitely be priced under $300.

What we would like to see

Although everything that we have mentioned above will make the iPad 3 an amazing Tablet in itself, some other cool addition in the Tablet could be gesture controls- allowing browsing through media via hand gestures; a stylus- for handwritten notes and drawing (we loved the one in Samsung's Galaxy Note); and more colours- black and white are cool, but why not add some colour to the mix.

We will update you with the exact details of the new Tablet once it is launched, so keep track of this space. But just a suggestion to all the iPad 2 owners- this week could be the best time to get rid of your iPad's since once the new Tablet arrives, your Tablets will be both outdated and under-priced.