iPad 3 with Retina display Has Entered Production for 2012 Release

The rumor mill of the much anticipated iPad 3 has started to roll again and it getting clearer and clearer especially because of the fact that the month of March nears us. And now, based on a recently published report, the Cupertino, California-based Apple has started the production of the third generation iPad that is geared with much improved display – the much wanted Retina Display.

The mass production of the 9.7 inch tablet PC with approximately 2048×1536 displays is not an easy task. And in order to ensure that the company will meet the high market demand, Apple has contracted three display manufacturers, namely Samsung, Sharp, and LGD. And if everything goes according to the company’s plan, Apple may announce the iPad 3 to the general public in March next year and could hit the store shelves in early or mid April.

CNET have said regarding the new and upcoming iPad 3:
It’s happening–QXGA, 2048×1536. Panel production has started [for the next-generation iPad]. There’s three suppliers,” Richard Shim, an analyst at DisplaySearch, said in an interview today. Shim confirmed other reports that cite three companies, Samsung, Sharp, and LGD.

DigiTimes have said regarding the new iPAd 3codenamed J1 and J2:
Since Apple demands that the new iPad model will need to be thinner than the iPad 2, while raising the machine’s screen resolution to 2048 by 1536, upstream component makers have been working aggressively to adjust the device’s LED and panel module designs to satisfy these demands, but the work has affected the launch schedule of the new tablet PC. Apple is currently giving two tablet PC projects codenamed J1 and J2 to its upstream partners for development. The sources revealed that the major differences of the new tablet PCs compared to the previous model are their size, specifications and technologies. Since the new tablet PCs have a higher resolution, Apple has demanded the design of the light source to be changed from a single LED light bar to two LED light bars on the left and right sides of the machine, but since the method of adopting two LED light bars has created difficulty in shrinking the machine’s thickness, some vendors have come out with designs that only adopt one light bar, but are packing two LED chips into one package. The sources pointed out that the J2 project seems to be an upgrade version of the J1 and although Apple has not yet decided which project will be used for the final launch, Apple is likely to make the final decision based on its needs. As for the upstream side, the component suppliers have already conducted pilot production and prepared for mass production.

Aside from this, DigiTimes have also reported that the rumored iPad 3 with Retina Display is requiring a second light bar. And because of the additional component, according to iLounge report, the new iPad 3 would end up being 0.7mm thicker than the iPad 2 in order to packed the dual light bar system to support the higher-resolution display. We are also hearing some reports that the next gen iPad will also be geared with A6 chip – a much improved version of the A5 dual core chip that utilized on the iPad 2 and iPhone 4S.

iPad 3 Coming in 2012 Equipt With Retina Display ?

New 7.85 Inch iPad To Hit Shops In 2012

According to reports, Apple is preparing a 7.85 inch iPad for launch in late 2012 to cash in on the markets demands for smaller tablets. DigiTimes is where this report comes from and they are citing that source in the supply chain claim that Apple is looking to launch a smaller iPad that will be released next year.

Here’s an extract from the report:

Apple is likely to launch a 7.85-inch iPad prior to the fourth quarter of 2012 in addition to a new iPad scheduled to be released at the end of the first quarter, according to sources in the supply chain. The first point in the report about a smaller iPad has to be discussed.

Here is what Steve Jobs said in October 2010:

“7-inch tablets are tweeners: too big to compete with a smartphone and too small to compete with the iPad,” said Jobs, adding that competing manufacturers were struggling to meet the price point of the iPad, which starts at $500.

“These are among the reasons that the current crop of 7-inch tablets are going to be DOA — dead on arrival,” Jobs said.

What this leads to is a question as to whether Tim Cook will go against Steve Jobs. This is highly unlikely as Steve Jobs’ beliefs in design are the same as his entire company’s beliefs in design. The Apple designers did their homework on tablet display sizes and decided on a 9.7” display back in 2010 and it is highly unlikely that they will change this just to meet market demand.

The claim that two iPads will be released in 2012 is also highly unlikely. The iPad sells really well based on the experience it offers not on the specifications it has under the hood. We really don’t believe that Apple will introduce an iPad with a smaller display but as with all rumors and stories that appear there is no evidence until an official statement is released from Apple.

Sources: Apple To Launch 7.85-inch iPad in 2012:

Retina Display will allow the iPad 3 to invade “mission critical” professions

Adoption of the iPad and iPad 2 by businesses has been well documented, but the expected bump in screen resolution on the iPad 3 will allow the device to be used in professional settings that demand a higher level of visual precision.

A higher resolution display would likely find rapid adoption amongst medical imaging professionals as well. Radiologists are currently allowed to use the iPad as a mobile diagnoses platform, but not as a replacement for full workstations. Higher resolution displays should expand the scenarios in which an iPad 3 could be used as the primary tool for making diagnoses.

Apple is expected to be first to a tablet to market with a Retina Display-type pixel density. By providing higher resolution imaging to professionals in medical, aviation, and other fields Apple could bolster its commanding lead in several business markets. It appears that Apple has been planning to adopt high-resolution displays since early 2011, but has had problems getting them built in sufficient quantities.

More information's:
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/11/11/08/retina_display_for_ipad_3_would_enable_precision_required_for_pilots_doctors.html

New Apple iPad 3: