iPad 3 or iPad 2S?

I've heard that Apple might be refreshing the iPad sooner than last time around in order to bring them into line with the rest of the iOS line of products.

Firstly, do people think this is actually going to happen; and secondly, if they do refresh it, do you think it'll be marketed as a completely new device, or an update of the current iPad?

Apple already said there wouldn't be any new iPads this year.

Oh, really? I missed that announcement. Fair enough...

Still, the general question stands, does anyone think the iPads will just go up in version one at a time, or might Apple introduce incremental iterations?

I mean, it's hard to see how the iPad could get much better a mere year from now - it couldn't get much thinner and, given Moore's Law, I doubt ARM will be able to create a significantly faster "A6" processor in merely a year... The only thing I could see them updating significantly is the display to retina-class...

It is actually Apple that designs the chips; ARM just makes them to Apple's spec.

Two things (and as far as I can tell, pretty much ONLY two things) that Apple could do to the present iPad to make it even better:

1. Improve the quality of the cameras.
2. Make Facetime for Windows so that they can get in on that action.

I don't foresee any new hardware before next April, but there WILL be a significant update to iOS later this year (perhaps soon -- I'm thinking late summer).

iHarrison said:

Oh, really? I missed that announcement. Fair enough...

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Yes, Tim Cook stated that during one of Apple's investor conference calls a few months ago.

chas_m said:

It is actually Apple that designs the chips; ARM just makes them to Apple's spec.

Two things (and as far as I can tell, pretty much ONLY two things) that Apple could do to the present iPad to make it even better:

1. Improve the quality of the cameras.
2. Make Facetime for Windows so that they can get in on that action.

I don't foresee any new hardware before next April, but there WILL be a significant update to iOS later this year (perhaps soon -- I'm thinking late summer).

Click to expand...

I would like to see a retina display like the iPhone 4

bentharbour said:

I would like to see a retina display like the iPhone 4

Click to expand...

That would raise the price to at least double the current levels, so I don't really see that happening anytime soon. That would also mandate that EVERY app for the iPad be re-written for 4x greater resolution, again a serious obstacle without lots of advance warning for devs.

You'd really need a price breakthrough on a really RELIABLE high-rez screen plus lots of advance notice for that to happen. Not saying it couldn't, but I don't see it in the next year or two.