Apple iPad 3 Rumours: from Feasible to Far-fetched

The tech news website CNET has reported that the iPad 3 might make use of Qualcomm's LTE Gobi 4000 chip and as noted by Wired in an iPad rumour roundup of its own, Qualcomm 3G chips are used in Apple's iPhones.

Release date

So, when will the iPad 3 (or whatever the next iPad will be called) actually make its debut and arrive in stores? That, like everything else, is up for debate.

Apple, so far, hasn't said anything about the next iPad, but usually the Cupertino, Calif.-based tech giant releases its products on something resembling an annual cycle. The first-generation iPad arrived in US stores on April 3, 2010. The iPad 2 hit US stores on March 11, 2011, not quite a year later.

Going off of the release dates of the iPad 1 and 2, a good guess might be that the iPad 3 could arrive in this year in March or April. However, Apple runs on its own schedule, as evidenced by the iPhone 4S going on sale October 14, 2011, when the iPhone 4 first hit US stores on June 24, 2010.

The most recent rumour, originating with the often-inaccurate DigiTimes, was that the iPad 3 will arrive earlier than the first two iPads and have a January 2012 release date - a rumour that, while popular among tech writers, was shot down by the Apple-centric website the Loop. The DigiTimes had also previously reported rumours stating that the iPad 3 could arrive in March or April - conflicting its own reporting.

As noted by AppleInsider and an assessment of recent rumors by the Washington Post, there is also speculation that the iPad 3 could make its debut on February 24, which would be Steve Jobs' birthday.

Of all the rumours that have made their way around the web, the iPad 3 launching on Jobs' birthday as some sort of tribute to the deceased Apple leader seems to me to be the most far-fetched.

What do you think? Any of these rumours seem off-base or accurate by your guess? What rumours not listed above have you seen out there? Are there any features you may or may not have seen rumored that you'd like to see in a production iPad.