Updated Retina Display iPad Before Christmas…Bollocks

Posted on July 6, 2012 by AppleBitch



It’s been nigh on four months since the release of the new Retina Display enabled iPad and, as such, more than enough time has passed so that dissatisfaction about the shortcomings of the device could be aired. Those shortcomings have been described, by some, to include weight, heat generation, and thickness. Obviously, these people haven’t actually used one of the new devices but that’s beside the point. However, that hasn’t stopped some new reports popping up indicating that the third generation iPad would be on the receiving end of an update in the coming months i.e. before Christmas of this year.

The reports suggest that Apple will be releasing an updated iPad 3 with IZGO displays and a thinner form factor, identical to the iPad 2, before the end of the year, primarily because the company isn’t happy with the current version of the new iPad. The question is whether this will actually happen or whether these reports are inaccurate?

Personally, I’m going to go for inaccurate. Extraordinarily inaccurate. Is it likely that Apple would release what is essentially a brand new device only months after releasing the best iPad yet? To place the reports in context, it is worth noting that the same rumors circulated about the iPad and iPad 2 shortly after release and yet, unsurprisingly, no updated versions came along. The only remotely related update to an existing device that has been seen is a revised iPad 2 (released after the iPad 3, over a year after the iPad 2 was released), with a 32nm processor and slightly better battery life.

A thinner iPad 3 with a new display, better battery life and thinner form factor is tantamount to an entirely iPad and it is more likely that this type of device would arrive as the iPad 4, not the iPad version 3.0.1.

Poppycocktastic…

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  • MiguelM

    Real tablet competition is to begin 4th. Q 2012. Apple, for the first time will loose some of its monopolistic position, for the presence of Microsoft in the professional segment. Apple for the first time is to move piece due to external pressures and loose control of date announcements.

  • Stephen Minton

    normally I’d agree 100%, and I’m still 90% in agreement, but there is a scenario in which Apple might decide to ‘upgrade’ the iPad this year….if they do release the much-discussed iPad Mini, Apple will be careful to make sure that this new (cheaper) device doesn’t cannibalise too much from the higher-priced (higher margin?) iPad – one way to do this would be to simultaneously upgrade the higher-priced iPad, to emphasise that it’s still the ‘pro’ choice. In this scenario, most of the attention would be on the new form factor, with the upgraded iPad slipped in at the same time (in time for the Christmas shopping season). 

    Another reason for Apple to decide on this strategy might be that the fourth quarter of this year (‘back to school’ and Christmas) might be seems as a pivotal quarter for the tablet market, with lots of units shipped and the installed base expanding significantly amidst increased competition (especially if Windows Surface launches in Q4, although that’s questionable) – therefore, Apple could decide to pull out all the stops to make sure they don’t lose any market share in such a big quarter for tablet shipments with new users coming into the market. Or in other words – not waiting until March while competitors eat up some of these new buyers. An upgrade would keep some of the buzz around the iPad, amidst competition from Microsoft, Google, Amazon etc. Not that they really need it, at this point….

    Having said all that, yes, the track record for these kind of rumours is fairly conclusive – Apple has never made this move before, despite much speculation. The only other example of a similar move (apart from the one you mentioned, the minor bump to the iPad 2), was the price drop for the original iPhone (similar in the sense that it risked annoying early adopters, as a move like this would also annoy early adopters of the new iPad).