The official iPad 3 rumors, speculation, and wants thread

[mmntech]

The iPad 3 is rumoured to be announced on March 7th at an Apple special event in San Francisco.

Here's what the rumour mill is telling us.

-We think it will feature a quad-core Apple A6 processor

-We know the A6 is indeed quad core, according to Bloomberg

-We think it will feature a retina display

-We know it will support 4G LTE networks

-We think it will support Siri

-We think it may include an HD front facing camera

-We think there may be an 8'' lite version

What I want
-At least 1gb of RAM.
-Built in SD slot, with ability to read video and audio files. Not very likely but I can dream

 

[ChAoTiCpInOy]

Funny. We actually don't know all of these things. Just because a news publication has confirmed it doesn't mean its true. It's not true until Apple says it's true.

 

[gevorg]

- we want multi-user accounts or at least a guest mode

 

[Red Storm]

- we want multi-user accounts or at least a guest mode

I think it's about time all tablets have this feature.

 

[Aikouka]

Likes...

• LTE: A possible nice feature, but I don't think it's really required. I don't usually bring my iPad to areas without an accessible WiFi, but when I do, I would really prefer good and fast mobile access. I would also like this a lot more if AT&T does go through with the proposed data sharing plan.
• Dock: I would pretty much like to see Apple copy ASUS on this, and I think I would call it my #1 thing that I would like to see on the iPad 3. They could include the card reader and HDMI out in this, which would be nice since those adapters already cost about $30 each.

Dislikes...

• Resolution: I don't care about an increase in resolution. In my opinion, the rumored doubling (or quadrupling if you count pixels) of the resolution would be an awkward affair. Websites are typically designed to fit a certain amount of space on the screen (usually based on image sizes and such). I ran up some numbers on a news post on DailyTech, and it came out to the DT website only being displayed on ~3.8" of the rumored iPad 3's screen when in landscape mode. It would of course be slightly remedied by browsing in portrait mode or if Apple does a good job with automated scaling.
• Faster SoC: I'm not too terribly convinced that I would find a faster SoC as a necessary feature, but as long as it doesn't hamper battery life, it should be okay. The rumored resolution change might spur the need for a faster GPU though (MP4+ like the Vita has).

 

[ChAoTiCpInOy]

Likes...

• LTE: A possible nice feature, but I don't think it's really required. I don't usually bring my iPad to areas without an accessible WiFi, but when I do, I would really prefer good and fast mobile access. I would also like this a lot more if AT&T does go through with the proposed data sharing plan.
• Dock: I would pretty much like to see Apple copy ASUS on this, and I think I would call it my #1 thing that I would like to see on the iPad 3. They could include the card reader and HDMI out in this, which would be nice since those adapters already cost about $30 each.

I agree. I don't think LTE is that ubiquitous at this point where Apple can start putting it in everything to cover everyone in the world. As far as I know, there may be only 1 country that has it fully rolled out (and it's not the US).

I don't see the dock happening though. Smart cover + wireless keyboard is a win. Plus with the Apple TV you don't need the adapter, but then again not everyone has an Apple TV.

Dislikes...

• Resolution: I don't care about an increase in resolution. In my opinion, the rumored doubling (or quadrupling if you count pixels) of the resolution would be an awkward affair. Websites are typically designed to fit a certain amount of space on the screen (usually based on image sizes and such). I ran up some numbers on a news post on DailyTech, and it came out to the DT website only being displayed on ~3.8" of the rumored iPad 3's screen when in landscape mode. It would of course be slightly remedied by browsing in portrait mode or if Apple does a good job with automated scaling.
• Faster SoC: I'm not too terribly convinced that I would find a faster SoC as a necessary feature, but as long as it doesn't hamper battery life, it should be okay. The rumored resolution change might spur the need for a faster GPU though (MP4+ like the Vita has).

I don't expect any problems considering they were able to do it with the iPhone 4 from 480x320 to 960x640. The current GPU in the iPhone 4S and the iPad 2 is MP2, so they'll have to update it and I don't see any problems with that either.

 

[runawayprisoner]

[*]Resolution: I don't care about an increase in resolution. In my opinion, the rumored doubling (or quadrupling if you count pixels) of the resolution would be an awkward affair. Websites are typically designed to fit a certain amount of space on the screen (usually based on image sizes and such). I ran up some numbers on a news post on DailyTech, and it came out to the DT website only being displayed on ~3.8" of the rumored iPad 3's screen when in landscape mode. It would of course be slightly remedied by browsing in portrait mode or if Apple does a good job with automated scaling.

You are talking about pixel to pixel sizing. Apple and Google have long implemented proper dpi scaling for websites on their respective browsers, so regardless of whether the website is 800 pixels across or 400 pixels across, it'll all be blown up (or scaled down) to fit whatever resolution the tablet supports. Same goes for phones. It's not the case that you can't zoom in or out at all.

Even OSX has supported proper dpi scaling in Safari.

[*]Faster SoC: I'm not too terribly convinced that I would find a faster SoC as a necessary feature, but as long as it doesn't hamper battery life, it should be okay. The rumored resolution change might spur the need for a faster GPU though (MP4+ like the Vita has).
[/LIST]

If you have tried to do any of the office document tasks in iOS (Numbers, for instance), a faster SoC and more RAM are very much necessary in every sense of the word. Numbers on iOS runs slower than Excel on a Pentium II.

Disregarding the fact that tablets are not meant to be office workhorses, I believe there are plenty of applications where more processing power is needed.

 

[swanysto]

I want it to be so badass that it causes people to get rid of their iPad 2's at such a rate that it drives the price down to a point where I find it reasonable to buy my gf one.

 

[TheStu]

I want it to be so badass that it causes people to get rid of their iPad 2's at such a rate that it drives the price down to a point where I find it reasonable to buy my gf one.

But then won't she hate you for not getting her the badass iPad 3?

 

[Aikouka]

You are talking about pixel to pixel sizing. Apple and Google have long implemented proper dpi scaling for websites on their respective browsers, so regardless of whether the website is 800 pixels across or 400 pixels across, it'll all be blown up (or scaled down) to fit whatever resolution the tablet supports. Same goes for phones. It's not the case that you can't zoom in or out at all.

Even OSX has supported proper dpi scaling in Safari.

I assumed it would use scaling to adjust how the website's displayed; however, how would it look when you have to start blowing up images to make the website more viewable? Shrinking down a website shouldn't be as huge of a problem as you're effectively hiding any image defects, but wouldn't blowing them up effectively make them worse? That of course ignores the use of any smoothing routines when scaling. Although, that would make me wonder about the horsepower required for it.

If you have tried to do any of the office document tasks in iOS (Numbers, for instance), a faster SoC and more RAM are very much necessary in every sense of the word. Numbers on iOS runs slower than Excel on a Pentium II.

I actually don't use anything like that on my iPad 2, and it's a bit of a missclassification to throw a faster SoC under dislikes. It's more of an "I don't care". I won't complain if we get a quad-core A9 rather than a dual-core A9. I'd actually have much stronger favor for the SGX543MP4+ upgrade (over the current MP2)... especially if the resolution changes.

I don't see the dock happening though. Smart cover + wireless keyboard is a win. Plus with the Apple TV you don't need the adapter, but then again not everyone has an Apple TV.

I doubt it will happen too, but that doesn't mean I can't dream!

The thing is... I don't want a wireless keyboard. When using the tablet in bed, I want to set it on me (like I would a laptop) so I can avoid having to constantly hold it. The smart cover doesn't really do that great of a job balancing on anything but a smooth and flat surface... beer bellies do not apply!

I would personally want to avoid having to drag my AppleTV around everywhere to use it for wireless video output.

I also want a real keyboard. Some applications (I'm looking at you, Facebook!) don't even work properly with the newer thumb-friendly keyboard, and even then, I still have trouble using that keyboard. I tend to reach across the properly divided sections of the keyboard on a few keys, which causes the wide separation to slow me down as I have to adjust and actually use the correct hand to hit the key that's on the edge.

 

[swanysto]

But then won't she hate you for not getting her the badass iPad 3?

No, she is using an iPad 1 she borrows from her classroom at school. She mainly wants it to keep recipes and stuff on. She likes the idea of it, cause she can put in recipes and it creates shopping lists and it pushes it to her iPhone. Really don't need the iP3 for that. She uses it for more, but not anything worth getting the iP3.

 

[TheStu]

No, she is using an iPad 1 she borrows from her classroom at school. She mainly wants it to keep recipes and stuff on. She likes the idea of it, cause she can put in recipes and it creates shopping lists and it pushes it to her iPhone. Really don't need the iP3 for that. She uses it for more, but not anything worth getting the iP3.

I was just talking about the fact that in your scenario the iPad 3 is so amazing that people are dropping their iPad 2s to get them which gives you an in on a cheaper supply. But my point was is if they are THAT amazing then surely she will hate your guts for cheaping out and not getting it for her.

All in all though, i mean, whatever. The iPad 2 is a nice enough jump over the 1 already.

 

[Piano Man]

Where is the quad core rumor from Bloomberg? I've only heard rumors that the A6 is a dual core CPU.


UPDATE: Nevermind, I see all of the quad core rumors now. Very interesting. Hopefully batt life will be ok.

 

[runawayprisoner]

I assumed it would use scaling to adjust how the website's displayed; however, how would it look when you have to start blowing up images to make the website more viewable? Shrinking down a website shouldn't be as huge of a problem as you're effectively hiding any image defects, but wouldn't blowing them up effectively make them worse? That of course ignores the use of any smoothing routines when scaling. Although, that would make me wonder about the horsepower required for it.

Try zooming in on a photo on your iPad and you'll see. Superbly pixelated.

But some photos are actually at a higher resolution than they are displayed on the website. For instance, the banner may be 1600 x 400, but the web designer decided to scale it to 800 x 200 to fit on a smaller computer screen, in which case, when you zoom in, it'll zoom the 1600 x 400 image, not the scaled down 800 x 200. Texts, on the other hand, are scaled properly, so they'll look sharp enough to kill people with.

Overall, it won't look that bad. I have never heard anyone complain about the iPhone 4's or G-Nex's screen making websites look bad.

I actually don't use anything like that on my iPad 2, and it's a bit of a missclassification to throw a faster SoC under dislikes. It's more of an "I don't care". I won't complain if we get a quad-core A9 rather than a dual-core A9. I'd actually have much stronger favor for the SGX543MP4+ upgrade (over the current MP2)... especially if the resolution changes.

It's almost guaranteed that Apple would need some serious horsepower if they want to drive 2048 x 1536 at 60fps smooth... and we don't really have to go into 3D to see that Apple needs some serious horsepower regardless. I'd guess that the minimum they can get away with is a faster clocked dual-core CPU, but the quad-core GPU is almost a requirement because of how much OpenGL ES iOS uses for its interface. Technically, though, the current PowerVR SGX543MP2 barely has enough filtrate to handle that beastly resolution. But I still sincerely doubt Apple can get away with anything dual-core this time around...

To make it all short, I sincerely believe the SGX543MP4+ is a bare minimum.

------------

I have a legitimate wish for the iPad 3. Apple should stop beating around the bush, and include a better DAC in the thing that's capable of 24-bit 96KHz output via the headphone port. They should also allow support for external DAC through the camera connection kit, and rename the damn thing a USB port already.

I've been secretly wishing for an iOS device that has a DAC that is as good as my MacBook's... the internal one in all current iOS devices suck so much. Admittedly, it saves battery life, but the quality is unbearable. If Samsung could fit a much better DAC in their Galaxy S phones, so can Apple do the same for iOS.

 

[ChAoTiCpInOy]

To make it all short, I sincerely believe the SGX543MP4+ is a bare minimum.

I don't see why it would be that weak. The onboard GPU is already a SGX543MP2.

 

[TheStu]

Try zooming in on a photo on your iPad and you'll see. Superbly pixelated.

But some photos are actually at a higher resolution than they are displayed on the website. For instance, the banner may be 1600 x 400, but the web designer decided to scale it to 800 x 200 to fit on a smaller computer screen, in which case, when you zoom in, it'll zoom the 1600 x 400 image, not the scaled down 800 x 200. Texts, on the other hand, are scaled properly, so they'll look sharp enough to kill people with.

Overall, it won't look that bad. I have never heard anyone complain about the iPhone 4's or G-Nex's screen making websites look bad.



It's almost guaranteed that Apple would need some serious horsepower if they want to drive 2048 x 1536 at 60fps smooth... and we don't really have to go into 3D to see that Apple needs some serious horsepower regardless. I'd guess that the minimum they can get away with is a faster clocked dual-core CPU, but the quad-core GPU is almost a requirement because of how much OpenGL ES iOS uses for its interface. Technically, though, the current PowerVR SGX543MP2 barely has enough filtrate to handle that beastly resolution. But I still sincerely doubt Apple can get away with anything dual-core this time around...

To make it all short, I sincerely believe the SGX543MP4+ is a bare minimum.

------------

I have a legitimate wish for the iPad 3. Apple should stop beating around the bush, and include a better DAC in the thing that's capable of 24-bit 96KHz output via the headphone port. They should also allow support for external DAC through the camera connection kit, and rename the damn thing a USB port already.

I've been secretly wishing for an iOS device that has a DAC that is as good as my MacBook's... the internal one in all current iOS devices suck so much. Admittedly, it saves battery life, but the quality is unbearable. If Samsung could fit a much better DAC in their Galaxy S phones, so can Apple do the same for iOS.

Why not just utilize the line out through the 30pin, or are you already doing that?

 

[alfa147x]

30 pin connector is amazing. You can take a line out and amp it right from there.

 

[runawayprisoner]

I don't see why it would be that weak. The onboard GPU is already a SGX543MP2.

SGX543MP4 is faster than MP2...?

But the PowerVR G6400 is a lot faster than SGX543MP4, and it should give the Vita a run for its money. Considering Apple has some high stakes in PowerVR, I wonder if they got dips on the G6 series.

Why not just utilize the line out through the 30pin, or are you already doing that?

Because line out is more or less just unamped analog out. What I want is pure digital bit-to-bit out to an external DAC, or an improvement to the internal DAC. You can only do so much with amping a bad signal. The iPad is indeed capable of digital bit-to-bit out via USB to some external amps (not all of them), but thanks to Apple's anemic power draw requirements on the USB port, not a lot of amps work.

 

[JackBurton]

Retina display and LTE are good enough for me. Anything else is just a bonus.


Now my BIG wish is for Apple to release a MacBook Air with integrated LTE support. Now THAT would be awesome.

 

[alfa147x]

SGX543MP4 is faster than MP2...?

But the PowerVR G6400 is a lot faster than SGX543MP4, and it should give the Vita a run for its money. Considering Apple has some high stakes in PowerVR, I wonder if they got dips on the G6 series.



Because line out is more or less just unamped analog out. What I want is pure digital bit-to-bit out to an external DAC, or an improvement to the internal DAC. You can only do so much with amping a bad signal. The iPad is indeed capable of digital bit-to-bit out via USB to some external amps (not all of them), but thanks to Apple's anemic power draw requirements on the USB port, not a lot of amps work.

Most of DIY DACs can easily be modded to accommodate external power. I'll try to do that with mine at home.

 

[TheStu]

Retina display and LTE are good enough for me. Anything else is just a bonus.


Now my BIG wish is for Apple to release a MacBook Air with integrated LTE support. Now THAT would be awesome.

I would happily pay extra money on my next Air purchase if it had an onboard 3g/4g modem. Especially if it had the same non-contract terms as the iPad. That is the problem as I see it with the 3g modems in PC laptops, that and (at least it was this way a few years ago) had to utilize the at&t or verizon or sprint program to connect and it was always a little kludgy.

I don't know if you have ever used an aircard with a Mac, but it is a much better implementation. To have it intelligently handle it automatically like an iPad or iPhone would be amazing.

 

[pcslookout]

What would apple have to release as a iPad 3 to destroy the competition ? Is it even possible?

 

[alfa147x]

What would apple have to release as a iPad 3 to destroy the competition ? Is it even possible?

It's not possible. They can keep market share.

 

[TheStu]

What would apple have to release as a iPad 3 to destroy the competition ? Is it even possible?

All they have to do is just re-release the iPad 2. That is already destroying the competition. They sold 15M of the suckers last quarter, no one else came close to that kind of number.

You can talk all you want about having more mega-gigabytes, and a 1080p display (see Transformer Prime) and everything else, at the end of the day, the iPad is part of a very active development community that is only now beginning to truly tap into the potential of the devices with regards to UX paradigms (see Clear app).

 

[BD2003]

I'm def hoping for more power, but that's a given. Web browsing is still too slow. On the OS side it feels complete aside from user accounts.

I'd like a resolution doubling, but honestly, I'd like an 8 inch with the standard resolution at 2/3rds the weight and price even more.