It is that time of the year when Apple refreshes its tablet offering and as the iPhone 4S/5 buzz takes a break, we are seeing increasing rumors about the iPad 3. Apple launched the first iPad in early 2010 and soon after we saw every major computer / smartphone maker releasing their offerings. Apple managed a head start with the iPad and has maintained the lead with the iPad 2. The market is today flooded with all sorts of tablets, right from the super low cost ones to the super-specced ones. With Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) competition for iPad 2 is expected to rise and that makes the iPad 3 even more interesting.
Lots of questions can be asked about the upcoming iPad. So would the next iPad be a minor bump giving us an iPad 2S or would it be a major re-haul? Specific ones like, faster processor & GPU? More RAM? 4G / LTE? Higher screen resolution? New Design? and perhaps even wireless charging? Lets keep the slimmer, thinner & faster bits aside and lets look at the rumors of Apple churning out a 7″ or a 8″ tablet. After all that’s what a number of rumors are claiming.
In 2010, after the iPad was a hit and Apple even had trouble meeting the demand, Steve Jobs had taken a jab at the competition (then the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7″) and commented that 7-inch tablets are DOA – Dead on Arrival. His argument was that a 7″ size is too big to be a smartphone and too small for a tablet. Apple’s magic mantra has been the 9.7″ iPad so far. So would Apple make an 8″ tablet instead of the 9.7″ that is being rumored? IMO, no.If a 7″ tablet is too big to compete with a smartphone, so is a 8″. And the 8″ is way too close to 9.7 to make any usability difference. If you are considering the third alternative, having used the iPad for over a year now, I don’t see a reason why Apple would reduce the screen size of the iPad 3 to 8″ and do away with the 9.7″.In all probability, Apple would get a iPad 2S with good speed upgrade, 4G network and some hints of the iOS upgrades that would power the next generation iPhone!