Apple iPad 3 Rumours: from Feasible to Far-fetched

One screen size or two?

Another widespread rumour has been that the next iPad would be offered in not just one screen size, but possibly two sizes with the current 9.7-inch (24.63-centimetre) being complemented by a new, smaller model. That smaller iPad has been rumoured to have a screen of a few different sizes, but a persistent rumor is that 7 inches (17.78 centimetres) would be the choice.

This is an idea that has also been shot down by a number of analysts and tech pundits and the late Steve Jobs shot down the idea of a 7-inch iPad as well, stating that, at that size, "the screen is too small to express the software", as reported by the website AppleInsider.

Quad-core A6 processor

The first-generation iPad ran on Apple's 1-gigahertz, single-core A4 processor. The second-generation iPad ran on a 1-gigahertz, dual-core A5 processor. The iPad 3 is rumoured to included a new CPU that is expected to be called the A6.

What the A6 chip's clock speed and core count could be depends on what piece of speculation you're reading, but most reports point to the A6 as being a quad-core processor.

The A4 and A5 were built by Samsung and that isn't expected to change (despite Apple and Samsung's ongoing patent battle), though there are reports that A6 production might take place in Austin, Texas.

4G LTE

The first two iPads were either available in Wi-Fi only or Wi-Fi and 3G models. So far, each of the five generations of iPhones produced by Apple have all been 3G phones as well. But much of the mobile world is moving over to 4G networks.

US telco Verizon's 4G LTE network has been up and running for about a year. AT&T, another US telco, is just getting started with its 4G LTE network and Sprint's network is under development with T-Mobile's 4G LTE service in planning stages. Australian telco Telstra has been using LTE in capital cities and at airports around Australia since about September 2011.

In the US, the iPad 2 is currently only available in its 3G variation with AT&T and Verizon service. Rumours as to a Sprint-compatible iPad are circulating, as are rumours that the iPad 3 will connect to 4G LTE networks.