iPad 3 Release Date

Speculation is rife that Apple is going to unveil iPad 3 at a media event on March 7.  Recent evidence might just support this claim. According to Apple Pro, Foxconn might have already started shipping iPad 3′s to U.S. As per the shipping manifests uncovered, several shipments are being done from Chengdu International airport in China. This is the closest airport to Foxconn’s iPad factory and as per the paperwork, the cargo deliveries are bound for Chicago, New York and Los Angeles airports.

Analysts have got the documents cross-checked by a native speaker. Though the documents make no mention of iPad 3 or Foxconn, they detail many shipments from 26^th February until 9^th March and have specific instructions to keep the stock under highest security during transit. According to them, the owner has extreme requirements and does not want cargo to be on the airport ramp for too long. Sounds definitely Apple-like requirements!

Another simultaneous development adds more credibility to this rumor. On Sunday, Best Buy announced a discount of $50 on all models of iPad 2. No surprises in connecting the dots that this move is to clear the iPad 2 inventories before the grand release of iPad 3. If these shipment dates are indeed related to Apple and iPad 3 is unveiled on March 7^th, then iPad 3 might be available in stores almost immediately.

The buzz is getting louder as we approach the iPad 3 release date. But still we are not sure of iPad 3’s final configuration and Apple, as always, is playing it’s cards close to the chest. Earlier we reported about the possible debut of an A6 quad-core process in iPad 3 and the related evidence found in iOS 5.1 beta update. It seems there is a twist in the tale.

A photo on the Chinese site WeiPhone claims to show iPad 3’s logic board featuring an A5X SOC (system on a chip). A4 processor initially appeared on the original iPad and iPhone 4. It was followed by the dual-core A5 processor chip in iPad 2. A6 seemed to be the logical continuation. But A5X would also fit in with Apple’s strategy of incrementally upgrading a product. iPhone 3G to 3GS and iPhone 4 to iPhone 4S are the previous precedents.

As some analysts believe that A5X is a revamped dual-core processor, there is a also a rumor doing the rounds that Apple might be working on both dual and quad-core chips for the coming iPad 3. Apple might be testing both the chips before zeroing on the best one. It is possible that Apple might use the A5X chip for the 8-inch iPad mini and A6 quad-core chip for the full-fledged iPad 3. Do you think Apple wants to give two tiers of processors and thus more choice to users in finalizing their iPad 3? We have to wait till March 7^th to get the final word on this.

Looks like LTE (Long Term Evolution) or 4G is going to debut on iPad 3 for sure. According to sources from Wall Street Journal, AT&T and Verizon Wireless will sell an iPad 3 that works with their 4G wireless networks. Verizon and AT&T are the only two carriers in U.S that offer LTE and they are wanting to make the most of the iPad 3 market to reap the dividends of their huge investments.

AT&T and Verizon are the same operators that currently sell the iPad 2 and these iPad2’s are built on different hardware setups due to differences in their networks. No information is yet available if the iPad3 will be like this or if Apple comes up with a single configuration that will work on both networks. Though these carriers have sold many LTE enabled smart phones, battery issues bogged them from wide spread usage. According to our previous post, this is the very reason that Apple wants to test LTE first on an iPad rather than on an iPhone. The two carriers are hoping that existing subscribers will upgrade to more profitable contracts. LTE will also help the carriers handle data traffic in an efficient way without consuming much of their spectrum.

While iPad 3 4G will test the robustness of these carriers, it is a win-win scenario for Apple too. Apple needs the speed of LTE networks to roll out their 1080 pixel video calling. Also when iPad3 is going to double the resolution it needs a larger bandwidth pipe. Faster networks can further drive the development of hosted apps. A LTE enabled iPad 3 might come at a price as Apple always charged $130 more for these iPads compared with a Wi-Fi only model. But if LTE enabled iPad 3 generates rich, varied hosted apps it might make way for a LTE enabled iPhone 5.

According to the latest rumor mill, iPad 3 might be boasting an 8-megapixel camera. Taiwanese website Apple Daily showed pictures of the backside of the iPad3, consisting of the Apple logo, antenna and camera. As per the report, iPad 3’s camera will make a significant jump in specs, offering eight times the existing 1-megapixel camera which comes with the iPad 2. The original iPad didn’t even feature a camera. In the images shown, the camera lens of the supposed iPad3 device looks larger than the one on the iPad 2.

Also from the images we can notice that the iPad 3’s rear panel appears to taper to its edges more gradually and its camera almost sits on the taper itself. This taper can make the iPad3 slightly thicker and analyst view this thickness is to accommodate the high-resolution retina display. If this 8-mega pixel rumor is true, iPad 3’s camera matches that of the iPhone 4S. Utility of a high-end camera’s like this on a tablet is being debated as tablet owners are not comfortable in using these devices for photography. In many cases it is cumbersome and even embarrassing too.

An obvious advantage for Apple in going with 8-mega pixel camera on iPad3 is component sharing. It can use the same CMOS sensor assembly and thus reduce the number of parts to order. It might very well bargain a better deal with suppliers by taking advantage of volumes. Another argument doing the rounds is that if Apple is thinking to position this 8-megapixel camera in the context of high-resolution pictures of documents? If indeed iPad3 comes with this camera, we need to wait for the apps Apple use to showcase this feature to understand its true context.

Owning an iPad is always a matter of status and a recent survey by folks from NPD Group validates this. According to this survey a significant percentage of iPad owners are old and wealthy. These wealthy users of iPad might not think twice in lapping up the next-generation iPad3 even if it means forking out a few hundred dollars more. According to the survey more than 40 percent of iPad owners had a household income of $100K or more. This figure is just 26 percent for non-iPad owners.

But as tablet penetration is increasing gradually, the demographics of tablet users are also changing. Recent tablet owners are younger and make less money. 50 percent of buyers at the end of 2011 are more likely to have an income under $45K and 33 percent of buyers are more like to be below 34 years of age. Tablets like Amazon Kindle Fire are definitely behind this change.

Another interesting finding of the survey is that irrespective of age and income many tablet buyers still think that ‘PC is not dead’. Only a meager 10% of tablet owners feel that they don’t need a PC notebook. Even non-tablet users feel the same, 26 percent of them are more likely to buy a notebook compared to just 18 percent who want to purchase a tablet. According to Stephen Baker, VP of NPD, tablet usage is still evolving and many users, being conservative are hedging their bets by planning to have an array of products to have maximum flexibility. It would be interesting to see how Apple and Microsoft adjust their strategies to these changing demographics. Do you think that Apple deserves the premium charged for its tablets? Can iPad usage generate more income for the buyer and turn into a virtuous cycle? Food for thought for another survey!

Apple’s Q1 results were historic and the company became the number one PC vendor in the world. It comfortably beats the runner-up in every aspect. All these encouraging events are setting the stage for a grand release of iPad3. But a recent development can throw a spanner in the works. A last minute trade dispute between Apple and a company named Proview could delay the release of iPad 3.

Proview Technology is a cash-strapped Chinese company that is fighting a legal battle over the iPad name. The company claims ownership of the trademark in China and it recently asked Chinese customs bureau to stop imports and exports of iPad. According to Apple, the company has already acquired Proview’s rights to the iPad trademark in 10 countries including China.

Analysts believe that this legal battle is Proview’s last minute effort to extract maximum compensation from Apple. It is demanding $1.6 billion compensation. Apple could get stuck between a rock and a hard place. It cannot afford to leave Chinese market which is the next biggest market after U.S. A last minute change of the tablet name is also out of the equation as all the prefixes of ‘Pad’ from A to Z are already registered. The next hearing is scheduled for February 29^th and Apple might be hoping to get rid of this final hurdle. Any unfavorable ruling might just delay the launch of iPad3.

As the whole world is getting ready for iPad3’s release, it seems Apple is quietly working on its next product. According to some Asian supplier’s, Apple is working on a new device of size around 8-inches. No prizes in guessing that this move is to blunt the competition arising from Amazon’s Kindle Fire. Availability of choice in choosing device size is one item that was on top of the wish lists of iPad users.

As per reports, Apple is qualifying suppliers for these new devices and is working with Taiwan based AU Optronics & South Korea’s LG. These devices are supposed to come with resolution similar to iPad 2 – ie. 1024×768. The new designs are only in the testing phase and nothing concrete about future plans though. But a move like this definitely fits the bill allowing Apple to have best of both worlds – targeting both high-end consumer with configuration like iPad3 and not so high-end consumers with a iPad Mini like device. Apple followed similar strategy in its iPod product line where it catered to a number of shapes and sizes.

Not just Kindle Fire, even Samsung’s Galaxy Note comes in small size at 5.3 inches and is doing well. This clearly shows that there is market at this Form Factor also. Samsung’s Galaxy tab comes in three different sizes and maybe it’s time Apple gives its tablet users also the choice in device size.

Apple is not just a market leader in terms of tablet sales, but is also sitting comfortably on top of the perch in terms of user satisfaction. A recent survey conducted by ChangeWave confirms this. As part of their research, ChangeWave gave Kindle Fire owners a questionnaire regarding their overall satisfaction and likes and dislikes about the device. Out of a sample size of 254, 54% of Kindle users are Very Satisfied and 38% are Somewhat Satisfied.

While the Kindle satisfaction numbers are a tad better than the rest of the tablets combined (which stands at 49% users being Very Satisfied), they are considerably lower than the iPad satisfaction numbers. Around 74% of iPad users are Very Satisfied according to a survey conducted by ChangeWave in November 2011. 20% difference in satisfaction rating – Apple is continuing to beat the runner-up by a large margin in this category also.

Results of major likes and dislikes of Kindle Fire users should be food for thought for the executives of both Apple and Amazon. 59% of the respondents like the Kindle Fire’s price. Can we hope this will convince Apple to continue iPad2 with a discount after the release of iPad3? 31% of respondents are happy with Kindle Fire’s color screen. Key dislikes among Fire users include absence of volume adjusting button, lack of camera and short battery life. Unavailability of apps and missing 3G/4G connectivity also top the list. Surprisingly only 10% are unhappy with screen size. Does this mean there is definitely a market for tablets at this form factor also? We hope Amazon will try to address these issues in future to continue the momentum generated by Kindle Fire’s sales. Simultaneously it should start focusing on improving the user experience and build efforts on eco-system of apps.

As we are nearing the iPad 3’s release date, more good news keeps flowing for Apple and particularly for its shareholders. Apple’s 2012 Q1 earnings have beaten everybody’s expectations. Apple reported the largest ever quarterly revenue in its history. Mac sales are up by 26 percent year-on-year. Non-Apple PC sales were down by 9.2 percent in U.S over the same period. Thus as we predicted earlier, Apple exceeded Hewlett Packard’s sales and became World’s Number 1 PC Vendor. The numbers are staggering – iPad sales are 111 percent up over the previous year and reached 15.43 million in the quarter. 37.04 million iPhones were sold which is 128 percent increase year-on-year.

According to Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook, iPhone 4S demand was so huge that it was short of supply throughout the quarter. When questioned about tablet competition referring to Kindle Fire, Cook exuded confidence in the ecosystem of the iPad and iPad apps. He made no bones about his feeling towards devices like eReaders. Cook feels these are single-feature devices and people will not settle for them. He also believes that in future tablets will surpass PC’s in numbers.

Apple is now sitting with a pile of cash on hand. It is having a record $98 billion and many analysts were curious to know about Apple’s plans for deploying this cash. Analysts believe that Apple is going to announce some deals soon on smart television and in the content area. But in the meanwhile the quarter results have reaffirmed that iPad rules the roost in the tablet market and Kindle Fire is far away from making any dent on iPad. Do you think that iPad 3’s release might just settle the question once for all?

The web is already buzzing with iPad3 rumor mills starting from its retina display-like high resolution, A6 quad-core processor, and support for 4G LTE networks. In addition to these what if Apple surprises us with a host of other killer features. Below are some of the items that are on top of the wish lists of iPad users.

1. Different form factor – Apple is known for its historical stand against 7-inch like devices. But there were rumors of an iPad mini. It would be good if Apple gives a choice to its customers in choosing their device size.

2. Siri on iPad 3 – Imagine dictating Siri to send a mail for you! Siri on iPad 3 can attract enterprise customers. Recently 9to5mac found some references of ‘Siri Dictation’ in the iOS 5.1 Beta update. A new section labeled ‘About Privacy and Dictation’ in the keyboard menu raises further hopes on Siri featuring in iPad3.

3. Cut the Glare – Apple should take a cue from Amazon Kindle and work on eliminating the glare which will further improve the user experience.

4. Take the gaming to the next level – How about having 3D support and Vibration effects? That would enhance the gaming experience on an iPad. App developers can leverage the power of A6 quad-core processor to develop gaming space further.

5. Payment solutions using near field communications – Here, Google is ahead of Apple as it already launched Google Wallet service. But again this is more of a smart-phone feature, but good to have on a tablet also.

6. Battery: Apple should continue to improve the battery life as tablets are portable devices and people cannot charge them frequently, particularly during travel. Apple should even consider options of wireless charging of tablets.

Considering Apple’s legacy, it is not too much to expect, as Apple keeps surprising the consumers and the market with their avant-garde features and ideas.