Apple's 'iPad 3' rumored to have Siri, dual-core A5X chip, 1080p camera

[vansmith]

People tend to overlook power demands when discussing mixing things like cores and processors and high resolution screens.

Although I agree that tablets don't need immense amounts of power, this "full power & no battery life"/"moderated power & respectable battery life" dichotomy you've established is false. Take, as an example, the Transformer Prime: it gets the same battery life that the iPad 2 gets but it has a quad core Tegra 3 processor, an excellent display and it's thinner (see this review for example). It is possible to have both (even if you don't need it).

 

[cwa107]

Exactly. These are not desktops. They are not even laptops. They are portable tablets. If you want the kind of processing power afforded by such things, you should currently be looking at a Macbook air, not an Ipad. Eventually, technology will allow tablets to become much more sophisticated. However, power is the biggest issue in such devices. You don't want a tablet with a battery that weighs down the system or makes it bulky. A battery is one of the biggest weight and space hogs in such systems.

When I read all the articles containing rumored upgrades to the Ipad, that is always my first thought--where the heck is the power going to come from? It's going to be another one or two iterations before battery technology allows you to put all this stuff people want into a thin and compact tablet device and end up with something that doesn't drain within the hour. People tend to overlook power demands when discussing mixing things like cores and processors and high resolution screens. It's not one component that's the problem, its integrating it all into a useable package with decent battery life. Apple is good but they cannot get around the laws of physics. There is currently no battery in existence that can fit inside an ipad, keep weight in check, power all the stuff people want and return any practical battery life.

It's a tradeoff and Apple is going to put out the one or two new features that most people want, just like they always do and just like any other manfuacturer does. The number one thing people likely want to see most, and the thing that will draw in new customers and get upgrades, is a higher res screen. An A5 processor will likely be used in conjunction with the new display. 4G and all that other stuff will come later--4G is too power intensive and would compete too heavily with the power demands of a high res screen and new processor.

I couldn't agree more. Very well said.

I would expect to see a higher res screen and Siri capability, but that's about it. I'm hopeful that Siri is able to do more comprehensive dictation as alternative input is very important on the iPad, where the keyboard is a real pain to use.

 

[cwa107]

Although I agree that tablets don't need immense amounts of power, this "full power & no battery life"/"moderated power & respectable battery life" dichotomy you've established is false. Take, as an example, the Transformer Prime: it gets the same battery life that the iPad 2 gets but it has a quad core Tegra 3 processor, an excellent display and it's thinner (see this review for example). It is possible to have both (even if you don't need it).

I'll believe their battery claims when I see an Android device actually do it. It's trivial to get an iPad to run for 8-10 hours. With Android's completely unfettered (and uncontrollable) multitasking, I have a hard time believing any Android device can compete in that regard with an iOS equivalent. That is, unless, you religiously kill tasks as you go.

 

[iggibar]

Although I agree that tablets don't need immense amounts of power, this "full power & no battery life"/"moderated power & respectable battery life" dichotomy you've established is false. Take, as an example, the Transformer Prime: it gets the same battery life that the iPad 2 gets but it has a quad core Tegra 3 processor, an excellent display and it's thinner (see this review for example). It is possible to have both (even if you don't need it).

agreed.

 

[iggibar]

There is currently no battery in existence that can fit inside an ipad, keep weight in check, power all the stuff people want and return any practical battery life.

Stated as a fact, but is merely an opinion.

 

[vansmith]

I'll believe their battery claims when I see an Android device actually do it. It's trivial to get an iPad to run for 8-10 hours. With Android's completely unfettered (and uncontrollable) multitasking, I have a hard time believing any Android device can compete in that regard with an iOS equivalent. That is, unless, you religiously kill tasks as you go.

Considerable experience with both has led me to believe that they both do well and not so well depending on the day and I'm content with how each manages power. I also don't want to turn this into yet another Android v. iOS debate.

 

[cwa107]

Considerable experience with both has led me to believe the contrary (my Android tablet can chug along for a good amount of time and my iPod Touch runs through the battery faster than I wish it would) but I'm content with both. I also don't want to turn this into yet another Android v. iOS debate.

Then Android has come a long way in a short amount of time, or the phones and tablets I've played with are just poorly designed.

 

[Skierxman]

Shifting from the specs for a moment. One thing that is always overlooked when discussing the hype and rumors surrounding upgrades is the simple fact that Apple is running a business and they do not want to put all their eggs in one basket.

Like any manufactuer, Apple wants repeat business. They not only want new buyers, they rely heavily on existing customers to upgrade their device, preferably at each iteration of the product. You cannot do this if you fill an upgrade to the brim with all of the features that are in demand. IMO, even if it were possible, it would not be a smart business move to put a retina display, 4G wireless, an A6 processor, and the most popular software updates all into the Ipad 3. From the perspective of the business, why would you? As it stands now, based on history, it will sell like hotcakes regardless of what you put in it. It will sell even more with a prime upgrade such as a high-res display. That's all you need. If you throw down all the cards, you will not give current users any substantial reason to want to upgrade a year from now. Such a device would ensure that the purchaser is set for the next 2-3 years before it becomes an obsolete device with outdated specs and features. You want to entice customers with a couple of new features but you do not want to give away the farm.

Apple has a limited range of products. The majority of their revenue now comes from the Iphone and Ipad. You do not want to jeoapordize future growth with these limited products by being too slick with the current iteration. You want to keep people hoping and dreaming about the next tieration. Another reason why all of these features will not all appear in the Ipad 3, unless Apple hired some really bad planners lately.

 

[vansmith]

Then Android has come a long way in a short amount of time, or the phones and tablets I've played with are just poorly designed.

It could be. It could also be my usage habits. I never really have more than Evernote, my email clients (school and GMail), a browser and a PDF reader open at any given moment. Right now, I have the Market, Gmail, Facebook, Netflix, Angry Birds, Pool Master, Grooveshark and Calendar open (can you tell I was bored while making dinner?). I should be able to get quite a bit of time with what I've got open here. I've also seen the inverse - my battery has drained quickly while using "heavy" applications (looking at you Netflix). The same thing happens with iOS too. A friend of mine only recently realized that you could multitask with iOS and since then has noticed huge improvements with battery life by managing her applications.

I'm not defending either. To be honest, I could care less which OS is better or which one anyone prefers. I just like to challenge and play devil's advocate.

That's all you need. If you throw down all the cards, you will not give current users any substantial reason to want to upgrade a year from now. Such a device would ensure that the purchaser is set for the next 2-3 years before it becomes an obsolete device with outdated specs and features.

Don't you worry - the Apple marketing machine could take care of that.

 

[cwa107]

I'm not defending either. To be honest, I couldn't care less. I just like to challenge and play devil's advocate.

I know how you roll

 

[vansmith]

Is it that obvious? Hmmm, I'll have to be more subtle from now on.

 

[eliehass]

I personally find the usefulness of a quad core processor dubious in a tablet-style device. I mean, it's not like we're crunching numbers or running Photoshop on a tablet. Heck, most desktop apps aren't able to take advantage of two cores, lets alone four. And I've yet to see a game or an app that runs slowly on the A4, let alone the A5.

Now, obviously if you build it, the apps will come... but again, it's not like the current iPad is wanting for processing power - at least not in my experience. I'd be just as happy with a clock speed bump on the existing A5. If you want to see a real performance increase, that's what will give you something tangible.

I believe that the iPad 3 will have the Quad Core A6, and the A5X is either for the AppleTV 3, a $299-399 iPad 2 or both.

As far as the usefulness of a Quad core processor in a tablet, I am hoping that iOS 6 will allow you to split the screen between two apps which would run at the same time. That's a situation where 4 cores would really come in handy. Gaming would also get a big boost from more processing speed.

 

[TomServo]

I hope Apple has improved SIRI, I tried it on a friends phone during a business trip and it was totally useless. The TV ad's sure make it look sexy, but in the real world it leaves a lot to be desired.

Tom

 

[RONE]

I hope Apple has improved SIRI, I tried it on a friends phone during a business trip and it was totally useless. The TV ad's sure make it look sexy, but in the real world it leaves a lot to be desired.

Tom

That's interesting. I find it to work well for my uses. Remember, it's a BETA.

 

[iggibar]

I hope Apple has improved SIRI, I tried it on a friends phone during a business trip and it was totally useless. The TV ad's sure make it look sexy, but in the real world it leaves a lot to be desired.

Tom

Care to clarify a bit more? I've been able to do everything seen in the commercials, with even some of the same exact/similar responses.

 

[TomServo]

Care to clarify a bit more? I've been able to do everything seen in the commercials, with even some of the same exact/similar responses.

I called my travel mate and he reminded me that we were in a convertible with the top down traveling between 45 and 55 MPH when I was trying to use SIRI. He said in a quiet non-mobile environment it works as expected.

So in that regard I doubt iPads will experience that situation.

Tom