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Matthew Miller & Joel Evans
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6 new rumored features of the iPad 3

By | February 25, 2012, 6:04pm PST

Summary: 8″ iPad, Retina Display, smaller dock connector, LTE, and more, coming March 7th from Apple

I’ve been covering all of the rumors around the iPad 3, so I figured one more couldn’t hurt.

Before I get into the latest rumor, let me recap some of the others.

8″ iPad

First off, reports have surfaced that Apple may be testing an 8″ display. I previously reported on that, but recently it has been all but confirmed by a “person close to the matter”. In all seriousness, the same person that told me about the Kindle Fire weeks before Amazon announced it, mentioned that he saw the 8″ iPad working. Keep in mind, it could just be a sample and not actually going to market, but I’ve got my fingers crossed.

Retina Display

iFixit got its hands on what it believes to be the iPad 3 display. I’ve included the video below, where the site goes into detail around the screen that MacRumors sent to them. It definitely has all of the characteristics of the rumored iPad 3, not to mention it has a different display connector (see other rumor). If the iPad gets a retina-like display, it’s going to be a game changer. See the video below.

Quad-core Apple A6 processor

Other rumors have come out now showing a rumored A5 chip for the iPad 3, with the A6 coming later this year. We won’t know until March 7th, but I do think it’s funny that we already have rumors now debunking and delaying other rumors.

4G LTE radio for Verizon and AT&T

This one would make a lot of sense for Apple, since it would then let the iPad 3 work on the latest networks. It would require some different placement on the boards, which goes in line with what iFixit discovered, so you never know.

Better front and rear cameras

We’ve now seen photos that show a larger camera on the back, and even a different size back of the iPad to accommodate. Again, all rumors, but they are all starting to fit together.

New dock connector

We know that the dock connector is a pretty sizable piece in a very small device. Now there are rumors that we’ll see a “micro dock” connector. This would make sense, and I’m sure that Apple could sell a converter for older accessories. Given all of the magic that’s being packed into the boards of iPhones and iPads, reducing the size of something like the connector would make room for a lot more chips on the board.

Are there any rumors you’ve been hearing that I haven’t covered? If so, share them below.

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Topics

Rumor, Apple iPad 3, Apple iPad, Connector, Corporate Governance, Corporate Communications, Semiconductors, Network Technology, Processors, Business Operations, Corporate Law, Marketing, Hardware, Networking, Components, Joel Evans

With more than a decade of mobile, Internet and wireless experience, Joel specializes in taking existing brands and technologies into the mobile and wireless space.

Disclosure

Joel Evans

Joel is a serial entrepreneur with his most recent business, CronkSoftware (cronksoftware.com), focusing on consulting and building games and applications for mobile devices. Joel has consulted for Microsoft’s Windows Mobile division and advises other companies on how to incorporate mobile into their existing brands and products. Joel purchases many of his devices and others are sent for review on a 30-day loaner basis and then returned to the supplier. If any devices are provided as “keeper” Joel will clearly disclose this in his reviews.

Biography

Joel Evans

With more than a decade of mobile, Internet and wireless experience, Joel specializes in taking existing brands, technologies and services into the mobile and wireless space. Joel is currently serving as the Managing Director of Cronk Software, Inc., a company he founded to offer full-service, end-to-end mobile strategy, design and development services.

Joel is the former founder and "Chief Geek" of Geek.com, a website praised by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, and others as one of world's best sources of information for technology professionals and enthusiasts.

Joel also serves as a technology expert for a number of well-known publications and regularly advises corporations, analysts, journalists and bloggers on what the future of technology will bring. He brings decades of relationships with leading game publishers, online communities and publishers, along with both hardware and software product management and delivery expertise. Joel can be found online as "JoelGeek" and you can follow him on Twitter @JoelGeek.

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Newsflash
deusexmachina  1st Mar
Apple promised nothing. They have not even claimed there was going to be an iPad3. So WTH are you talking about?!?
View in thread
0 Votes
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siri
austin4556 25th Feb
i heard there was going to be siri
1 Vote
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iPad 3
Cuberonix 25th Feb
8" iPad: No. That makes no sense whatsoever.
Retina Display: Yes.
A6 Quad Core: No. My sources say A5X.
4G: Possibly.
Better cameras: Yes.
New dock connector: No. At least, not yet. Maybe on the iPhone 5 or next year.
0 Votes
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Lets see.
Peter Perry 26th Feb
8" is very likely as one report notes that 75% of all Android tablets are of the 7" variety and that has to have a huge impact on this decision.

LTE is not likely.

A5 Markings are on pictures of the new CPU but it is showing 30 at the end... What if those markings indicate something like a triple core? This wouldn't be the first time Apple did their own thing.

If it is 8" it will be retina, if it is 9.7" then the currently leaked display is not retina quality.
0 Votes
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Um, no
deusexmachina  27th Feb
"8" is very likely as one report notes that 75% of all Android tablets are of the 7" variety and that has to have a huge impact on this decision."

Um, why, since they aren't selling well? At all.

"If it is 8" it will be retina, if it is 9.7" then the currently leaked display is not retina quality."

Yes, it is. Perceived pixel density has the Retina Display characteristic (not being able to perceive individual pixels at viewing distance) at between 230 and 245 ppi.
1 Vote
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But..It's just a fad....unless it's a Windows 8 Tablet
SamWilkinson 26th Feb
According to Loverock.
0 Votes
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Retina Display
ccrockett@... 26th Feb
How is a retina display a game changer? I cant think of a single reason for that kind of extreme high res on a small portable device, what is the killer app?
1 Vote
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The killer app or apps a retina screen enables are the following.
kenosha77a 26th Feb
Every app which conveys information using text characters will be enhanced using a near retina display screen.
1 Vote
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8" screen
jlswan4 26th Feb
A 8" screen would be a game changer.... I wouldn't buy it! Every other idea sounds good.
-1 Votes
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The Game
deusexmachina  27th Feb
Seeing as you are not the game, I fail to see the merit in your comment.
1 Vote
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6 new rumored features of the iPad 3
Loverock Davidson- 26th Feb
Forget about the 8" iPad, its not going to happen. It will cut into the sales of the regular iPad, that and Apple has no reason to go to a smaller sized iPad.
0 Votes
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Supply constraints on 10" retinas
Robert Hahn 26th Feb
Getting retina displays in the needed quantities could be dicey: that's pushing the envelope pretty far, and greatly limiting how many factories can build them. It may be that there are lines that could build 8-inchers but not 10-inchers, and Cook feels he may need that capacity to meet demand.

An 8-incher also gives Apple a cleaner way to offer a lower-price unit than keeping the old iPad2 around as the "cheaper iPad". Except for the displays and bezels, the rest of the parts would add together for volume pricing purposes, which wouldn't happen if they split production between iPad2s and iPad3s.
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Math primer
deusexmachina  27th Feb
If the 8" has the same profit margin, or even absolute profit, how, pray tell, is it cutting into what matters, profit?
If it attracts a new market that wants a smaller device, it increases this market.
Duh.
0 Votes
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Rumors
oldgeek143 26th Feb
The track record on predicting what will appear on electronic devices is poor.
1 Vote
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iPad 3 and iPad 2s Joint Announcement!
dslbiker Updated - 27th Feb
UPDATE AT BOTTOM

I have read that when iPad 3 gets announced, Apple will also also announce that they plan to continue to keep iPad 2 as lower cost alternative. This tiered product lineup can be seen with iPhone 4s/iPhone 4 8gb/iPhone 3gs product lineup that is currently in progress.

I just came across links to an iPad 3 Case and to an iPad 2s case. This case maker already makes an iPad 2 case, which I already purchased and will vouch for as very rugged.

Why would the iPad2s require a case change unless the iPad 2 is getting a modification or a transformation?

Let's try to answer the modification question first.

I have the Gumdrop Military Green iPad 2 case, which wraps around the back, the edges, and the front bezel area of the iPad 2. It has rubber flaps over the mute switch, the headphone jack, and dock connector. It has protruding rubber buttons for the power button, the volume rocker button, and for the Home button. It has protected cutouts for the rear camera and for the speaker. There is a front screen protector that is part of a snap in plastic bezel that has a protected opening for the front camera.

Is something in the above paragraph getting a change? Is it losing or gaining something? Is something getting moved? Is the size of something going to be increased or reduced?

There is talks of the iPad 3 getting a larger 8 mega-pixel camera and a reduced size dock connector. Could one or both features be coming to iPad 2s?

Let's move onto the transformation question.

Since the iPad was released, there have been many other "Tablets" that have "Come and. Gone." None could stand up to the Apple Juggernaut. The marketing, pricing, and lack of vision of improving consumer experience are all reasons for their failure.

In the past year, there were two "Tablets" that created a lot of buzz. The HP Touchpad firesale and the introduction of the Amazon Kindle Fire.

The HP Touchpad was reduced to $99/$149 for its' 16gb/32gb models on a Sat morning. It sold out in 20 mins at most big box retailers. I took a look at WebOS and was very impressed. Better than Android, close to IOS. HP didn't give it much chance to cultivate.

The Kindle Fire was released before Christmas at $199. It had a 7" screen, a dual core processor, and it was part of Amazon's ecosystem. Amazon's ecosystem provides access to book and product purchases on Amazon.com and access to video streaming on Amazon Prime.

Prior to the Kindle, any Tablet below $250 had a single core processor, which provided a sluggish Internet surfing experience. The. Kindle Fire's Dual Core processor coupled with Amazon's Cloud Accelerated web surfing on their Silk Web Browser provided a positive Internet surfing experience.

I tested a friend's Kindle Fire and was very impressed with the performance and the user experience. Amazon definitely did their homework by studying what Apple did "Right" with the iPad and iPhone.

The takeaway from above. People will buy a low cost good performing small screen Tablet from a brand name manufacturer. Apple noticed.

Forget the $100 cheap Android tablets from unknown Chinese manufacturers. Junk.

Barnes and Noble Nook has been marketed as a color ebook reader so customer response will be limited. If they changed marketing on newer Nook Tablet, then maybe they would have some chance to increase sales.

Here is the million dollar question:

Is it possible that the upcoming iPad 3 announcement will carry a one-two punch?

The first punch would be the expected iPad 3 announcement with Quad core processor, 8 mega-pixel camera with 1080p video support, Retina display, and possibly upgraded storage tier with 32/64/128gb configurations. Prices have dropped significantly on storage cards and there are more reasons to fill up the storage a lot quicker on an iPad. Plus, the storage tier for iPad is same as iPhone (16/32/64gb). It needs to be bumped up from iPhone tier.

The second punch would be the announcement of an iPad 2s that would come with an 8 inch screen, same dual core processor as iPad 2, and 16gb of storage with a $249 price tag. If they did this, then Nook Tablet is dead.

Amazon has sold a lot of Kindle Fires since it was released. People are buying them because they are more affordable than $500 iPad and the form factor is attractive.

Amazon.com is attempting to be like iTunes and more. Download rented or purchased movies, download purchased music, and download audiobooks from audible.com. Amazon.com wants to dominate the book business (paper & ebook).

For Apple, the iPod, the iPhone, and iPad are devices that will drive sales in their App Store, in their iBook Store, and on iTunes.

For Amazon, the Kindle is the vehicle to drive sales on Amazon.com. There are rumors of a 10" Kindle Fire being manufactured by Foxconn that will get released in Q2. Apple probably knows about this already.

If Apple released the iPad 2s as an 8" iPad at around $250, then they would take away some future market share from the Kindle Fire. This would put an iPad within distance of affordability for people, who couldn't afford a $500 iPad. This demographic is the target of the Kindle Fire.

Amazon.com carries so much product between themselves and their affiliates. Throw in Amazon Prime with free 2 day shipping, no sales tax, and video streaming, which makes buying from Amazon.com so attractive. They have the ability to compete with many well known eCommerce sites like Barnes/Noble, Walmart, Target, Toys R US, Netflix, and eBay.

They could be a potentially serious threat to Apple and its' eCommerce stores. Expect to see more competition between the two.

Here are the links to the cases:

iPad 3 case
http://www.gumdropcases.com/drop-series-ipad-3-case.html

iPad 2s case
http://www.gumdropcases.com/drop-series-ipad-2s-case.html


UPDATED 2/27/2012

Gumdrop cases pulled the iPad 2s and iPad 3 case webpages that I had referenced in my prior post.

A friend of mine knew a person that worked at a popular case manufacturer, not Otterbox nor Gum Drop.

From what I heard, these case companies are fully in the loop about new product launches before they are announced. They get specifications on the yet to be announced product so that they can design their peripheral beforehand and be ready to ship the final product to stores around the time of the product announcement.

Because of their NDAs or Non-Disclosure Agreements, they will publicly be tight lipped about any knowledge of any yet to be released product.

Did you ever notice that when a new IOS product is announced, the accessories are already available.

I noticed that a page on Otterboxes website is playing dumb about knowing anything about an iPad 2s, an iPad 3, or an iPad Unicorn. See http://www.otterbox.com/ipad-3/ipad-3,default,pg.html.

I still suspect that there will be two iPads announced on March 7th. It doesn't make sense to make a minor change to iPad 2 and call it an iPad 2S. It is easier to just keep the iPad 2 and call it an iPad 2.

If they are going to have an iPad 2s, then they are definitely making some changes. Question is what are the changes?

I think that a 10" iPad 2 at $300 to $350 will cannibalize iPad 3 sales more so than a 7" or 8" iPad 2s at $250. Think of the iPod product lineup where you had the regular iPod, iPod Nano, and iPod Shuffle. Different iPods at different price points to cover different customers.

In the case of iPads, you have the 10" iPad with latest hardware, then you have smaller iPad 2s with lower price point. Apple may recommend that you buy a couple of iPad 3 units for mom and dad, while buying a couple of 8" iPad 2s for the kids.

I could also see the iPad 2S as being pitched to the schools for the eText book because it will be cheaper and smaller.

You can't see the pulled webpages from gumdropcases.com, but you can see that they clearly have placeholders for two iPad cases by viewing the Google Cache link below. You will see a Drop Tech Series iPad 2s Case and a Drop Tech Series iPad 3 Case.

Google Cache with iPad 2s and iPad 3 Case on gumdropcases.com

http://www.google.com/#hl=en&sclient=psy-ab&q=%22Drop+Tech+Series+iPad+2s+Case%22+or+%22Drop+Tech+Series+iPad+3+Case%22+price&pbx=1&oq=%22Drop+Tech+Series+iPad+2s+Case%22+or+%22Drop+Tech+Series+iPad+3+Case%22+price&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&gs_sm=3&gs_upl=1975108l1979019l5l1979218l10l6l4l0l0l0l158l556l5.1l10l0&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&fp=d876ffafd7c19c2&biw=784&bih=681
0 Votes
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Can't believe you mentioned the dock connector
croberts 27th Feb
Space issues? On a tablet?

Changing the dock is like the hardware equivalent of nuking a software API.
0 Votes
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Stereo
Queuecumber 27th Feb
Has anyone heard anything about a stereo back camera?
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$$
preferred user 27th Feb
one thing for sure it won't be any cheaper!
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Really?
Robjsewell 27th Feb
So a smaller dock connector gives room for more chips. But the device is going to be 8" and therefore less room for chips. It's retina, needing more battery but it's 8" so there's less room for a battery. And the display in the. Video is bigger than 8". Does anyone see any inconsistencies in this round up?
0 Votes
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Yes, really.
deusexmachina  27th Feb
No. More room for chips means you can fit them in the smaller enclosure. Smaller screen means smaller backlight, and less power consumption.
And NOWHERE did it say that the iPad3 was 8", it said there would be an 8" model.
Does anyone even read anymore?
0 Votes
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Dock Connector
_JohnH Updated - 27th Feb
Y'know, up until I actually owned an iDevice (and now two of them), just after Christmas, I thought the Apple connector was absurdly large and clunky. But - there's a nice, firm, metal-to-metal connection in the iPhone and iPad. Not just the contacts, but the connector body and iThing body mate, metal-to-metal. Contrast this with my wife's NookColor, in which the charging jack has become so loose it's almost impossible to get the plug to stay in the right position to actually charge it after less than a year in use.

I've come to kind of like Apple's big, clunky dock connector, because I like things that work. We used to call that "form follows function" ...
1 Vote
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stereo back camera, way cool idea!
seberbach@... 27th Feb
It would be cool if Apple includes an (ultrasonic, or use the front camera?) range finder to adjust the scaling of a 3D stereo screen so the tablet could appear to be a virtual window you could match up with the direct view so it LOOKS like a window because it automatically adjusts what you see to the correct scale. You could also zoom up and back, and using the accelerometer stabilize the image so it becomes a super "binocular" telescope or microscope. Make it sensitive enough to see in the dark, too, while they are at it. Make it useful for surgeons and electronics workers as a vision aid. Lots of good uses might come to mind in the imagination if you had one of these to play with.

Just said that so some ideas would be published first on the net and not become an issue of patent abuse! What a waste!
Apple doesn't have to (try so hard to) PATENT cool IDEAS like other companies seem to do. (we need not mention names) Apple, for their part, really just needs to execute them well, execute them first, and commit to supporting them for the long run to make the most and the best of them.
Somebody might be able, for example, to make a better LED illumination add-on for using i-pads in surgery and biological science as a specialty business. Why should the big companies get any monopoly on innovation?
0 Votes
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stereo
Queuecumber Updated - 27th Feb
I work in a computer vision lab as a researcher, stereo cameras on smartphones and tablets would save us a lot of work coming up with multiview reconstructions from multiple separately captured images.
We expect all smart phones and tablets to have stereo cameras in the next few years, so we will be watching what apple does in this area.
One more thing to note: a rangefinder is unnecessary if you have a stereo camera in this case, also, you would not need to use the accelerometer to stabilize, this can be done using frame-to-frame feature matching.
0 Votes
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New Dock connector - Noooooooooooooooooo
neil.postlethwaite@... Updated - 27th Feb
New dock connector - Nnnnnnnooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!

I'm still stuck with a mostly excellent Apple iPod HiFi with the last time they messed with the dock that does not charge recent iPod/iPhones. If they must change it, to a MicroUSB - along with everyone else. Not another non-standard connector.

Although it's a pain in the ar5e being non-standard, it's a standard by volume of devices shipped and changing it is totally bonkers.

--

Quad core, again not really needed, esp. at the expense of a bigger battery to power it leaving you with no better battery life which ...which is needed.

A true retina display won't happen on cost/panel yield. A pseudo retina display with weasel words about how far away from you so it is a retina display is welcomed, but again not hugely necessary. brining the iPad up to the 4:3 equivalent of 1080p would be sufficient.

4G perhaps an option, but again it's not really needed with global penetration of 4G, even poor in the US. Also battery sapping.

8" form - to be welcomed as an iPad 2 Jr. I would also like larger sizes of 12" and 15" to be offered as iPad 2S XL's, as it can be fiddly at times.

Reduce the nigh on 3/4" bezel down to something smaller.

32/64/96/128Gb Flash options? MicroSDHC slot - Nah, a pipe dream !!

Ahem - Stereo Audio ? (as in 2 speakers). that would be monumental happy
0 Votes
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Huh?
deusexmachina  27th Feb
Volume sold makes it a standard, period. Complaints notwithstanding.
How is distance a weasel word?!? If you can't discern individual pixels at average viewing distance, then extra pixels provide NO benefit, and are equivalent. The posted specs make it a Retina Display. Period.

"Quad core, again not really needed"

Says who? There are any number of compelling reasons for more horsepower.

"4G perhaps an option, but again it's not really needed with global penetration of 4G, even poor in the US. Also battery sapping."

If this tablet is supposed to have at least a two year lifespan, this is exactly the time to come in with 4G. Ahead of the curve even, by a bit. Power consumption having been addressed.

"I would also like larger sizes of 12" and 15" to be offered as iPad 2S XL's, as it can be fiddly at times."

At those sizes it really has no benefit and many drawbacks over a MacBook Pro. It looses all the advantages of the tablet form factor, so might as well get a laptop.

"Reduce the nigh on 3/4" bezel down to something smaller."

This would be asinine. Where do you propose you hold it, where you are not activating the touch panel?
0 Votes
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Anything far enough away has a retina display - D'uh!!
neil.postlethwaite@... Updated - 28th Feb
"How is distance a weasel word?!? If you can't discern individual pixels at average viewing distance, then extra pixels provide NO benefit, and are equivalent. The posted specs make it a Retina Display. Period."

When does my Samsung 40" 1080p TV become a retina display ?

6 ", 1 foot, 3 feet, 6 feet away?

You'll be saying Joan Collin's or any other old/lost their looks actress becomes a honey @ 20 paces next wink

My iPad 2 already has a retina display if I stand far enough away from it - This is bonkers. If I stood far enough away from a resurected Commodore Pet or Trash-80, would that have a retina display too FFS!

Hummer from 1/2 mile away- looks sweet, just like a Ferrari. mmm...
0 Votes
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No viewing distance is specified IN the defniition. Duh.
deusexmachina  Updated - 1st Mar
@neil.postlethwaite
And in a disingenuous sleight of hand, you conveniently fail to account for a few words in the definition, words that change everything.
What part of "average viewing distance" did you not get, or are you ignoring it on purpose?
Besides, if it is part of the stated definition, then it is not "weasel words" PER SE. You don't get to define the term. It was coined by Apple, so they get to define the term.
As to the rest of your silliness, visual acuity is not measured in ppi, it is measures in arcseconds per pixel. (You knew that, right?) I.e., the distance between any two visual elements is a matter of how many pixels per "arc degree" of vision it covers. In order for two pixels to be discerned at a given distance from the eye, their distance from each other must be greater than the angular resolution of the eye or about 0.6 arc minutes per pixel for those with perfect vision. According to Dr. Raymond Soneira, this amounts to about 477 pixels per inch if you hold an iPhone at the typical 12 inches from your eyes. At 8 inches it's 716 ppi. You have to hold it out 18 inches before it falls to 318 ppi.This figure has been disputed. Phil Plait states that this value holds only for people with greater than 20/20 vision, and that for people with standard vision at typical viewing distances, Apple's estimates are correct.
Making these calculations (you can do math, right?) one sees that a display of approximately 300 ppi at a distance of 12 inches (305 mm) from one's eye, is 57 arcseconds per pixel. Thus the iPhone's 326 ppi puts optimal viewing distance, even with better than perfect vision, at about 16".
Your 1080p display needs to be over 5' away to qualify. But so what? You appear to be positing this as a way of saying that any display can qualify, and this is not the case. HD displays, however, DO qualify, and far from detracting from Apple's claim, serves to bolster it. Apple is merely claiming that their display is the phone equivalent of HD. And they are correct.
Onward. Are you claiming that less than attractive people do not benefit (aesthetically) from distance? This claim is absurd.

If you can't discern a Hummer from a Ferrari at 2640 ft, you need your eyes checked.
0 Votes
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Geometry
deusexmachina  Updated - 1st Mar
"Given all of the magic that's being packed into the boards of iPhones and iPads, reducing the size of something like the connector would make room for a lot more chips on the board."

It really wouldn't.
0 Votes
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larger sizes
seberbach@... 27th Feb
"I would also like larger sizes of 12" and 15" "

Seconded!

I would like to have a larger i-pad compatible with the smaller ones.
The big one need not compete for sales of the others.

With the recent trend toward speech capabilities, I want it to function like a magic e-reader/clipboard on which I can annotate printed texts with personal sticky-notes and hyperlinks which I apply by pointing, touching, and dictating by spoken words. And please don't waste time patenting this, just hurry up and build it so I can buy one and use it!.
0 Votes
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A camel is horse designed by committee like...
arminw 27th Feb
An iPad designed by the folks here on ZDNet's speculation. Why don't we just wait until Apple makes their announcement? A smaller, cheaper, say 8 inch iPad in addition to the present sized might give competitors like Amazon a real run for their money. People who really wanted an iPad but couldn't afford one would then become Apple customers.
0 Votes
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Deja Vu
K6H 28th Feb
Wow, Apple is cranking up the gossip and rumour mongering again, just like it did with the false dawn of Iphone 5, which we now know was IPhone 4S.

Whats the betting that we're going to see the release of IPad 2S, loads of disappointed Apple fans and a brilliant bit of smoke and mirrors to generate excitement amongst the community for Apple again. Ultimately undelivered with a final product.
In fact stuff like this is just free market research isn't it?
0 Votes
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Re: smoke and mirrors
seberbach@... 28th Feb
It has been said that Steve Jobs hated Android competition so intensely he would go to thermonuclear war against it.

If that is true, you could safely bet that before his recent departure he laid out battle plans for the future so his wish could come true, whether or not he remained alive long enough to enjoy his revenge. That is human nature, not high technology.

One aspect of such a plan would be to hold forth promises, both intended to be delivered, and/or just illusory, which would deter would be adopters of the Android platform in hopes that Apple would soon deliver something better. So you can also bet on seeing "smoke and mirrors" regardless of whether Apple eventually prevails or not.

My opinion, based on observation of human tenacity, is that the war will continue longer and cost more than most people expect at the present time.
0 Votes
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Newsflash
deusexmachina  1st Mar
Apple promised nothing. They have not even claimed there was going to be an iPad3. So WTH are you talking about?!?
0 Votes
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electronic paper display, please
danbi 29th Feb
I want an iPad with fast color electronic paper that does not use backlight. happy

I doubt there is much need for quad code CPU, perhaps a better optimized dual-core with about the same performance at lower power consumption is ok.

There is no point to make the dock connector smaller -- that will make it less mechanically durable and most of all -- incompatible. Which is bad. However small you make it, there will be no much saving in space.

But, there might be changes in the dock connector internals, like to export nice things like (dreaming) Thunderbolt wink

Better cameras are expected, but how better -- would depend on costs.

What happened with the predictions of holographic display and keyboard, that floated around? Those didn't make much sense for the iPhone, but do make sense for the iPad.

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