Apple Rumor Patrol: New iPads And iPhones Coming Soon

iPad 3 Arrival Date

According to the usual wonderfully unreliable (and always anonymous) "sources," Apple may be poised to reveal the iPad 3 during an early March event, with in-store availability just a handful of days later. If you look at the booking information for the Yerba Buena center in San Francisco, an Apple staple for this sort of event, it looks like Wednesday March 7th is being held open for an undisclosed booking (or at least this day is oddly empty among a cluster of other bookings). In 2011, Apple revealed its iPad 2 in an event at the center on Wednesday March 2nd, and the tablet was on sale March 11th.

Could Apple be planning something similar this year? Our money is right behind this rumor, as the timing feels just right--we're dubious Apple would delay the launch (like it did for the iPhone 4S) to adjust its launch windows, as it has plenty of competition from hot newcomers like the Kindle Fire.

iPad 3 Back-Shell, Camera, And Battery

Leaking out of Apple's eastern supply chain come several images claiming to be the rear shell of an iPad 3. Of course Apple is famous for inspiring knock-off designs of its products, some amazingly accurate, so it's plausible that these pieces of machined metal and plastic are destined for a jPad or a qPhone...

But if you look at the high-resolution photos of the metal "iPad 3" rear shell there are design traits that are so very similar to the iPad 2 we're inclined to believe they're the real deal, because they suggest Apple's followed its usual habit of evolving the internal components carefully (necessitating slight adjustments in things like screw holes and mounting points) rather than radical overhauls.

And what of these new components? Some analysis suggests a redesigned/repositioned motherboard is a little smaller in the iPad 3 and is shifted to allow more interior space for a bigger battery. This larger component has been long-rumored, and would be needed to give the iPad better (possibly class-definingly good) batt...

[Source: Fast Company]