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New iPad 3 photos show that it’s thicker than iPad 2 (Rumor)

By | February 20, 2012, 7:26pm PST

Summary: New leaked photos purporting to be of the iPad 3 claims that it’s 1-1.5mm thicker than the iPad 2. Another shot shows a larger camera hole supporting rumors of a high-resolution component.

If you’re planning on buying an iPad 3, don’t expect to use your iPad 2 case with it. At least if new leaked photos of the iPad 3 bezel turn out to be real.

Rumor site M.I.C. Gadget has posted new pictures of what it claims to be the forthcoming iPad 3 bezel, compared side-by-side to the iPad 2 bezel.

One of the images (below) shows the best view yet of how the iPad 3 compares to iPad 2 thickness-wise. The site claims that the iPad 3 is 1.0 to 1.5 mm thicker than the iPad 2. It appears from the photo that Apple was able to gain space in the cavity of the iPad 3 by making the top glass thinner.

New photos of the iPad 3 bezel - and yes it's thicker. Jason O'Grady

Another photo purports to show the iPad 3 camera hole which is clearly larger than the hole in the iPad 2, supporting rumors that it’s being upgraded to a higher resolution component. M.I.C. Gadget notes that the new camera might not be 8MP because “production costs are too high.”

New photos of the iPad 3 camera hole. Jason O'Grady

Lastly, a shot from Chinese Weiphone forums claims that an Apple A5X system on a chip will be at the heart of the iPad 3. This varies from previous rumors of the iPad 3 will ship with an “A6″ (quad-core) processor.

iPad 3 with an Apple A5X System on a Chip - Jason O'Grady

Update: MacRumors notes that a date code of “1146″ can be seen stamped on the the A5X, indicating that it was manufactured in the 46th week of 2011, or November 14-20.

MacRumors calls the A5X a “step-wise upgrade to the A5.” Its part number (”S5L8945X”), which was revealed by BGR in February, would support the incremental upgrade theory. The A4 was known to be the S5L8930X, the A5 as the S5L8940X and the new iPad processor is S5L8945X, with “45″ suggesting only a 50 percent upgrade over the A5. Presumably an A6 processor would have a part number of S5L8950X — if the current naming convention was followed. If true, this photo casts serious doubt on the the new SoC being a quad-core.

Apple’s own branding of “A5X,” suggest that it’s more likely an enhanced version of the A5. Perhaps Apple will dub it the “A5 eXtreme?”

So, are you buying?

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Topics

Apple iPad 3, Apple iPad, Apple iPhoto, Jason D. O'Grady

Jason O'Grady is a journalist and author specializing in mobile technology. He has published six books on Apple and mobile gadgets and his PowerPage blog has been publishing for over 15 years.

Disclosure

Jason D. O'Grady

Jason D. O'Grady is the creator and editor of O'Grady's PowerPage, which has been publishing mobile technology news since 1995. He maintains an advertising relationship with the following legacy advertisers on the PowerPage:

  • Amazon Associates
  • Google Adsense
  • Tekserve

    • Advertising on the PowerPage is brokered by a third-party agency (BackBeat Media) and he recuses himself from these negotiations.

Biography

Jason D. O'Grady

Jason D. O'Grady developed an affinity for Apple computers after using the original Lisa, and this affinity turned into a bona-fide obsession when he got the original 128 KB Macintosh in 1984.

He started writing one of the first Web sites about Apple (O'Grady's PowerPage) in 1995 and is considered to be one of the fathers of blogging. He has been a frequent speaker at the Macworld Expo conference and a member of the conference faculty. He also co-founded the first dedicated PowerBook User Group (PPUG) in the United States.

After winning a major legal battle with Apple in 2006, he set the precedent that independent journalists are entitled to the same protections under the First Amendment as members of the mainstream media.

O'Grady is the author of The Nexus One Pocket Guide, The Droid Pocket Guide, The Google Phone Pocket Guide, and The Garmin nuvi Pocket Guide (Peachpit Press), the author of Corporations That Changed the World: Apple Inc. (Greenwood Press), and a contributor to The Mac Bible (Peachpit Press). In addition, he has contributed to numerous Mac publications over the years, including MacWEEK, Macworld, and MacPower (Japan).

When he's not writing about Apple for ZDNet at The Apple Core, he enjoys spending time with his family in New Jersey.

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RE: New iPad 3 photos show that it's thicker than iPad 2 (Rumor)
StandardPerson 21st Feb
@A Grain of Salt: I also have an iPad 1 (16gb), which is getting a bit slow. The reason may be that I skimped on memory, so I plan to try a complete re-installation, with my music left out, so that the amount of free memory is more than 5-10%

If that doesn't work then I'll be buying an iPad 3 this year!

(This is a bit of a shame. If I take my iPad out of its case, you could hardly tell it wasn't brand new and the battery is still fine.)
View in thread
0 Votes
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RE: New iPad 3 photos show that it's thicker than iPad 2 (Rumor)
TheCyberKnight 20th Feb
Makes sense. More pixels to drive and more CPU power requires more energy.
And whatever magical Apple does, they still don't get to defy physics laws. More energy with Li-Ion batteries requires more space.
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You know why don't we just wait and see?
James Quinn 20th Feb
How many times have I seen articles about Apple rumors that turn out to be dead wrong!?! I can't count them all. It's so very silly when in a few weeks we'll know for certain. Then the iHaters can jump in and slam what ever Apple made cause well it's Apple:)

Pagan jim
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RE: New iPad 3 photos show that it's thicker than iPad 2 (Rumor)
lippidp Updated - 20th Feb
None of this matters. They will sell 16 trillion of them in the first minute. There are guys that probably haven't slept in days trying to figure out a way to pre pre-order it.
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Don't own a tablet...As of yet I can't think of a reason to get one.
James Quinn 20th Feb
@lippidp ... I do however own a 27" iMac which I use as my home entertainment center. I have my XBox 360 attached to it. Play my music on it and watch movies and TV on it as well. Then there is my iPhone 4. So I do own some Apple stuff and have in the past as well. I also own some MS stuff and in the past I've owned a lot more.. Still haven't found anything appealing or interesting about Linux and or Android however. Just isn't my thing I guess. I'm interested in what Apple is doing with the iPad and in general all Apple's tech moves but not planning on getting one yet at least cause i have no idea what it will do for one which was my point originally.

Pagan jim
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RE: New iPad 3 photos show that it's thicker than iPad 2 (Rumor)
lippidp 20th Feb
@James Quinn
Sorry. I must have gotten you mixed up with someone else. Will edit the original post.
0 Votes
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RE: New iPad 3 photos show that it's thicker than iPad 2 (Rumor)
A Grain of Salt 20th Feb
It was reported a quite few months back (can't remember where) that the iPad 3 would be slightly thicker due to the new display.

As for the A5X vs the A6, it could be a power trade off due to the requirements of the new display or it could be that it is a slight increase in processor speed and a much larger bump in graphics speed. I wouldn't be surprised if Apple went the Dual Core route as it probably doesn't make sense to have a 4 Core processor at this time, though the improved graphics speed would be welcomed by game makers especially. After all, though, would anyone call the iPad2 particularly slow.

Am I buying? Well my iPad1 is getting a tad slow with some programs, so...probably.
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RE: New iPad 3 photos show that it's thicker than iPad 2 (Rumor)
lippidp 20th Feb
@A Grain of Salt
Why not just add some RAM? Oh, wait, this is Apple we're talking about. Pony up the $600 sucker!
0 Votes
+ -
RE: New iPad 3 photos show that it's thicker than iPad 2 (Rumor)
StandardPerson 21st Feb
@A Grain of Salt: I also have an iPad 1 (16gb), which is getting a bit slow. The reason may be that I skimped on memory, so I plan to try a complete re-installation, with my music left out, so that the amount of free memory is more than 5-10%

If that doesn't work then I'll be buying an iPad 3 this year!

(This is a bit of a shame. If I take my iPad out of its case, you could hardly tell it wasn't brand new and the battery is still fine.)

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