iPad3 out next month?

The leaked image of iPad3?
Only slightly different to iPad2

Apple normally updates its products annually so a new iPad is widely expected next month. A photo published online purports to show the back of the new device, suggesting that it has already entered production.

The photograph shows only slight differences from the iPad 2 back and it is possible that the part is not from an ‘iPad 3’ but instead from a rejected prototype or even a fake.

Nevertheless, it has generated a new round of rumours about what Apple has in store. If the company follows the same schedule as last year then the next iPad will be announced in late February or early March and will be released a week or two later.

Technology blog The Verge, citing “people familiar with the product”, says that the new iPad will have double the screen resolution of the iPad 2 and as a result will be about one millimetre thicker. It will probably be powered by an A6 chip – the iPad 2 is powered by the A5 – but The Verge says that chip will be dual-core and not quad-core as had been suggested elsewhere.

RepairLabs, the website that received the photo in the first place, says that the new design appears to suggest a slimmer logic board, meaning that the new device could have a larger battery.

RepairLabs writes: “Our insiders tell us that so far the screen is not out there yet. That could mean that the finished product has not been signed off or that it is being kept top secret.”

It’s impossible to draw conclusions at this stage but as we draw closer to the anticipated launch – which still has not been confirmed by Apple, of course – then we can expect the rumours to increase.