There’s a rumor doing the rounds right now that Apple might be releasing a new iPad in time for Christmas. Whether or not this could be the iPad 3 or an upgraded iPad 2 is uncertain, although speculation seems to be favoring the latter of the two options.
The rumor comes on the back of news that Apple is looking for a new manufacturer for their iPad tablet line. So far Foxconn has had exclusive manufacturing privileges for the iPad and iPad 2. However, after an explosion at Foxconn’s plan earlier this year that delayed production Apple seems to have seen the wisdom in not putting all its eggs in one basket.
The support of one more big manufacturer would be just what Apple needs to churn out another tablet in the near future.
However, the idea of an upgraded iPad 2 so soon on the back of the original version is a little dicey. First: Apple has already delayed the release of the iPhone 5, a decision many believe was made in order to keep America’s Verizon Wireless customers happy who were granted access to the iPhone 4 a full 6 months after its initial release. If this is the case it would make sense for Apple to follow a similar path with the iPad 2 and avoid angering its fans.
Another reason we aren’t putting too much stock in this news is the way Apple seems to treat its iPad line. If you had to compare a tablet to a phone or a computer then Apple definitely treats the iPad as a larger iPhone, rather than a more portable desktop/laptop.
With its phones Apple has traditionally relied on 1 major release per year, allowing at least 12 months to pass between new hardware updates, the same has held true for iPads (so far). This is in contrast to their MacBook line which also sports the MacBook Pro; an upgraded and premium version of the MacBook laptop available at the same time as the basic option.
As a result we don’t expect to see an iPad 2+, iPad HD or iPad Pro any time in the near future.
It’s important to remember that for now this is just a rumor and our guess is based on little evidence so it’s not outside the realm of possibility that we could be wrong. But for now we’d put our money on not seeing a new iPad before Christmas.
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