The iPad 3 Won’t Make it This Year After All, Pushed Back to 2012

As you all know, rumors regarding Apple's upcoming hardware products are going haywire lately. This is especially true for the Cupertino company's next major smartphone release, the iPhone 5. But that's not to say that other Apple products does not get their fair share of rumors. Just a few days ago, we brought to you a report that Apple might be releasing the iPhone 5 later this year, together with the cheaper iPhone variety 4S and the iPad 3. But if this new report that came in is any indication, the iPad 3 won't be hitting the consumer market until next year.
The report came from Taiwan-based IT insiders, DigiTimes. According to the report, Apple has recently canceled its iPad 3 supply schedule which is supposed to be released in the 2nd half of 2011 in order to compete with other tablets. The supply volume for the launch of the iPad 3 during the 2nd half of 2011 was originally 1.5 to 2 million units for Q3 and 5 to 6 million for Q4. But now according to the sources inside the Apple's supply chain, the related figures have been already deleted which indicates of course that the supply volume for the iPad 3 has been canceled.

Apple was originally set to launch its iPad 3 in the second half of 2011 with a supply volume of 1.5-2 million units in the third quarter and 5-6 million in the fourth quarter, but Apple's supply chain partners have recently discovered that the related figures have all already been deleted, the sources pointed out.

According to several reports in the past, the iPad 3 is supposed to launch this coming holiday season but now it is highly likely that it will be pushed sometime next year. So what's the reason for the delay? Well the sources claims that the most likely reason is the shortage of Retina Display panels. One of the main focus of the iPad 3 would be the improvement of its display resolution. And just like the iPhone 4, better resolution should be achieved without altering the actual screen size or form factor of the device and without compromising battery life. Apple has marketed this technology as Retina Display which the iPhone 4 and iPod touch 4th gen currently supports.

Because of the iPad's larger screen, manufacturing a Retina Display panel would be understandably more difficult and expensive. Currently, Apple's main supplier of the 9.7-inch panel is the Japanese company Sharp and they do so at a high price. Other supply partners of Apple like Samsung Electronics and LG Display also won't be able to reach a good yield of high resolution display panels. With this condition, Apple won't be able to make it into mass production with relative to the original 2nd half of 2011 launch schedule.

If this report is indeed accurate, then it really is a bad news for those who have been craving for the next generation iPad with higher resolution display. However, order for the iPad 2 seems to be standing strong as it is maintained at 28-30 million units. At best, Apple enthusiasts should be able to get their hands on the iPad 3 early next year which is actually in-line with the iPad release cycle.

Fortunately, this delay of the iPad 3 should in no way affect the release schedule of the iPhone 5 which is largely expected to launch this coming fall. [via DigiTimes]

iPhone 5 Pre-Orders to Start September 30, Launch October 7

The iPhone 5′s expected launch date has changed several times over the last few months. We’ve heard everything from August to October, and everything in between.

Recently, however, all of the rumors seem to be settling on a late September to early October availability date. And Mark Gurman of 9to5Mac all but confirms that timeframe in this new report…
“We’ve independently heard that Apple has plans to begin selling the next generation iPhone on Friday, October 7th; the date first reported by TiPb. According to our sources, Apple has been weighing between launching the new iPhone on October 7th or October 14th, but with the product’s latest stages of pre-mass-production currently moving along nicely, Apple is presently shooting towards a launch on the 7th.”

Gurman also reports that Apple plans to offer pre-orders for their upcoming smartphone, something they omitted during the iPad 2′s first weeks. Apparently the pre-orders are scheduled to start Friday, September 30.

The information certainly makes sense. Apple could hold an event in the first few weeks of September (their typical iPod event) and give it a few weeks to to sink in. Not to mention that the story jibes with a recent report from TiPb, who has also pegged October 7 as the launch date.

A September pre-order means that we’re just a few weeks away from ending this madness. Obviously the dates are subject to change in the event of any problems, but I will definitely be clearing my calendar for the first week in October.

What about you?

4G LTE Capable iPhone Currently Under Carrier Testing by Apple

Since last year, several smartphone manufacturers have decided to adapt the 4G LTE technology for their devices' cellular wireless standards. So what's the deal with 4G? As you may have deduced from its name, 4G is much faster than 3G with the potential of being ten times faster. Although several smartphone manufacturers have boarded the 4G, one prominent company hasn't adapted the technology to its devices yet, and that is of course, Apple.
The lack of 4G capable Apple devices isn't really all that surprising. Remember that this is the same company that only implemented 3G into the iPhone back in 2008. There have been reports that the iPhone 5 will have 4G LTE capabilities, but as it stands, those were nothing more but rumors. But all that may change as there's a report from BGR which indicates that Apple is in the process of carrier testing the iPhone on LTE. The evidence lies in an internal document that's found buried deep into a test build of the iOS.
Of course, this in no way indicates that the soon-to-be-announced iPhone 5 will have 4G LTE support. But with these internal documents as evidence, it should be safe to assume that Apple is already entertaining the possibility of launching a 4G capable device in the future.

Should this come as a surprise? Well not really. Apple is a company which is reputable for their thorough research that could take many years before they decide to release their products to the consumers. While 4G LTE is certainly the inevitable way of the future, the technology is not yet perfect. For example, one of the common drawbacks of LTE is that it is currently a battery killer. So who knows? Maybe when Apple finally releases an LTE capable iPhone, they will somehow overcome the problems that goes with the technology.

Of course if you have owned the original iPhone, this particular scenario will hit you with the familiar sense of Déjà vu. Back in 2007 when Apple released the original iPhone, many were caught off guard by one notable omission, the lack of 3G support. The reasoning of the company behind the omission is that they have no way of implementing 3G without considerably affecting the device's battery life. And of course after one year, the iPhone 3G was released with 3G support and better battery life. So it is likely that Apple is taking the similar approach with the implementation of 4G.

So will the iPhone 5 have 4G LTE capability? Well, chances are very slim. But once the company indeed decides to finally adopt the 4G technology, then their next logical step would be to find carriers worldwide that offer LTE such as Verizon. Considering just how successful the iPhone is, it shouldn't be a difficult task for Apple. [via BGR]

LTE Equipment Being Installed in Apple Stores

Until yesterday, I think the entire tech world had written off any chance of Apple’s next smartphone supporting a 4G platform. It’s a relatively new technology and it doesn’t quite have all the bugs ironed out yet — not typically something Apple dabbles in.

However, a recent BGR report rekindled 4G hopes, offering up proof that carriers were testing LTE-capable iPhones. Today, Engadget has even more evidence to add to the pile. Apparently Apple Stores are installing LTE equipment, and they have a picture to prove it…
The image you see above shows some LTE equipment that was recently installed in a major Apple Store. An anonymous tipster sent the photo into the tech site this morning, along with some other interesting information.

Although Verizon is the only major U.S. carrier with a deployed LTE network, Engadget’s source says AT&T installed the equipment. AT&T was expected to launch their new Long Term Evolution network this summer, but has yet to do so.

Of course the equipment could be part of a long-term plan to roll out LTE, and may not necessarily mean that the upcoming iPhone will be 4G-capable. But the new hardware mixed with the LTE files found in a carrier-build version of iOS really makes you think.

Will we see a 4G iPhone this year?

Update: The tipster who sent in the picture of the LTE equipment has asked Engadget to remove it. They in turn have asked us to remove it, so of course we have obliged. The picture above has been changed to a generic Apple Store photo.