According to a new report out of the Wall Street Journal, it might be an iPad 3-less holiday season, as Apple is preparing its newest iPad for an “early 2012” release, according to the Journal’s unnamed “people familiar with the situation.”
The iPad 3 has long been rumored to have a 2048-by-1536 pixel display, up from the 1024-by-768 pixel display of the iPad 2, and the Wall Street Journal reports this will be the case, while also offering other details on the next-generation tablet.
The iPad 3 had previously been expected to have a fall or winter 2011 release, as MacRumors notes, perhaps alongside the hotly-anticipated iPhone 5. Yet according to Digitimes, due to various problems in the supply chain, the release could be pushed back to after the new year. Digitimes reported earlier this month that Apple may have encountered problems with LG Display screens used for the tablet and been forced secure a different manufacturer, pushing back the launch date for the iPad 3.
The rumor is worth noting as the Journal has a strong track record when it comes to predicting upcoming Apple launches. They correctly predicted that Verizon would be getting iPhones 4 months before the official announcement, and they nailed several features of the iPad 2 before its release. Whoever they’re talking to at Apple, the Journal’s sources have often been correct.
The tablet market just got a little less crowded, of course, after HP killed its Touchpad line and announced it would shut down tablet production altogether. But rivals aren’t giving up without a fight and there have been rumors that like Amazon may be gunning to produce its own answer to the iPad.
[HP]
