During today’s iPad 3 live keynote event Apple will finally unveil the third-generation tablet and release date is expected within two weeks from today. iPad 3 is widely expected to feature retina display with a resolution of 2,048 by 1,536 pixels, faster processor with improved graphics, better cameras and more.

iPad 3 is rumored to use Dual-Core A5X SoC that will not only be faster but also deliver enhanced graphics and include 1GB RAM. The design is not expected to see major changes however, it is believed that the new iPad will be 0.8 mm thicker when compared with the second gen tablet.

Apple could share an update related to iOS 5.1 software update and could announce its immediate availability. While we haven’t heard about any conclusive evidence which points to inclusion of Siri in iPad 3 Apple could be looking at bringing the “personal voice assistant” to the tablet.

What are your expectations from this years event? Let us know in the comments section.

Check back soon for the iPad 3 live coverage.

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Sources: Engadget, Ars Technica, The Verge, gdgt

A forum post on Chinese site WeiPhone revealed an image of what they claim to be the logic board of an iPad 3 sporting an ‘A5X’ system-on-a-chip (SoC). The iPad 3 has been rumored to receive an upgrade in processing power, likely quad core, and is widely expected to be called the A6 chip.

Apple introduced the A4 chip with the iPhone 4, which was also leaked prior to its announcement, followed by the announcement of the iPad 2 and iPhone 4S with the dual-core A5 chip. If this photo is to be believed, then rumors of Apple releasing an A6 chip could be considered incorrect and Apple could be releasing an upgrade in processing power for the iPad 3.

The A5X chip is branded with a date code of “1146”, suggesting that it was likely manufactured during the 46th week of 2011, anywhere from November 14-20. Part numbers of the processors also reveal information about its progression, with Apple’s A4 coming in at S5L8930X, the A5 as the S5L8940X and the new iPad processor as S5L8945X, hinting at a minor upgrade from the current A5.

Other details on the leaked logic board suggest that this in fact, may be genuine, including 16 GB flash memory chips from Hynix and a rectangular Apple-branded chip. Apple is expected to announce the iPad 3 release date at a media event on March 7th with a higher resolution screen, possible 4G LTE networking, as well as a more tapered design, and has also been rumored to receive the same 8 megapixel camera as in the iPhone 4S.

{via MacRumors}

iOS beta code has often revealed details about Apple’s upcoming devices. According to a new report published by 9to5Mac iOS 5.1 beta code has evidence that points to a quad-core A6 chip which is rumored to debut with iPhone 5 and iPad 3.

The references to quad-core iPhone and iPad chips come by way of a hidden panel that describes cores that are supported by iOS device hardware. The updated core management software includes an option of “/cores/core.3,” and this represents a fourth available processing core…

Apple’s custom A4 chip had a single core and then with the introduction of iPad 2 and iPhone 4S Apple introduced a dual-core A5 chip. Various rumors and reports by analysts suggest that Apple will introduce quad-core A6 chip.

The fourth generation device’s code contains option for “cores/core.1″ suggesting dual-core chip while the reference found in iOS 5.1 beta additionally mentions “cores/core.3″ suggesting the fact that Apple’s software could support quad-core devices in near future.

It is widely believed that Apple will introduce iPad 3 in March and iPhone 5 in July. Both devices are rumored to feature the A6 chip but only the iPhone is expected to see a major redesign while the iPad 3 will only see modest changes in hardware.

{via MacRumors}

Just a few hours ago @pod2g updated his blog with the news that the untethered Jailbreak had been released for iDevices running the A4 chip, notably the iPhone 4 and the original iPad. Work on a Jailbreak for the iPhone 4S and the iPad 2 which run on the A5 chip is now being worked on.

A few days ago, @pod2g gave the untether to both the iPhone devteam and the chronic devteam. We’ve put it into redsn0w 0.9.10 and PwnageTool, and the chronic devteam put it into a Cydia package (the same set of exploits is in all three).

After @pod2g had completed the Jailbreak it was handed over to the Chronic Dev Team who finalized the release and made it available to the general public. As always you can check out http://jailbrea.kr/ to check the Jailbreak status of your device and click here for the details of this new jailbreak.

Becoming the country’s only operator to offer the device with unlimited data service for a flat fee may help Sprint draw customers from AT&T and Verizon Wireless, which already carry the phone, they said.

Both AT&T and Verizon initially offered unlimited data plans to its customers however, the growing data needs of iPhone users caused a strain on the carriers network.

We might see Sprint following the same strategy by offering unlimited data plans to iPhone 5 customers for a limited time and then discontinuing the plan later on.

Sprint is the third-largest Wireless carrier in the U.S and is expected to offer the fifth-gen iPhone in mid October according to sources close to the matter.

Avian Securities LLC’s analayst Matthew Thornton believes that the release of iPhone will help Sprint overcome the competitive disadvantage it has faced in the market.

Various rumors and third-party case leaks point to a large 4 inch screen for the new iPhone. Other noteworthy enhancements could include A5 dual-core chip, high resolution 8 megapixel camera and more RAM.

In the past Apple has used WWDC keynote events to show off the next gen iPhone, however this year the company has pushed the launch event to October. It’s interesting to note that this hasn’t impacted iPhone 4 sales as the device is still getting good response in terms of sales figures.

Apple is known to manufacture the previous generation of iPhone hardware and will continue to offer the fourth gen model at reduced prices once the next-gen iPhone goes on sale. We’ve also heard rumors about a low-cost iPhone model however, it’s not clear if Apple will make any changes other than reducing the capacity of the device.

Will you upgrade your iPhone 4 to the fifth gen model? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

New photos published by M.I.C. Gadget today reveal a white iPhone 4 with a slightly larger display, which many are already dubbing the ‘iPhone 4S’ or ‘iPhone 5′; the next generation iPhone which will feature Apple’s A5 processor – the dual-core chip that recently debuted in the iPad 2. Despite its larger display, the iPhone in the pictures is no bigger than the iPhone 4 – the bezel around the edge of the screen is just much thinner.

The M.I.C. Gadget report states:

Man, we don’t know if this is real, but at least we can see that it has a larger display and edge-to-edge glass. Maybe it’s a mockup, but we are sure that it’s not an iPhone 4.

The photographs certainly look like they’re more than just dodgy fakes. As well as the iPhone photo above, there’s also an image which compares the current iPhone’s digitizer with the one featured on the new device. In this image, you can clearly see how the surrounding bezel has been reduced to make way for a larger screen:

As you can see from the image, the display on the right also features the new-look proximity sensor, which was recently revealed on a white iPhone 4 sold by Vodafone in the U.K. A larger display also ties in with iPhone design drawings that have previously been leaked.

Whether this device is called an iPhone 4S or an iPhone 5, it certainly looks like the next iPhone will feature a larger screen.

We are planning to release a 2Ghz dual core CPU-equipped smartphone by next year. This product will have the data processing capabilities of a regular PC.

Though Samsung is developing this CPU for one of its smartphones, it’s likely we could see the chip in a future iPad or iPhone. Samsung currently makes Apple’s A4 and A5 chips for the iPhone 4 and iPad 2, so the the companies already work together closely.

A dual-core CPU features is two CPU units in one component – which allows for twice the processing speed – and is better suited to smartphone products. A device with a dual-core 2GHz CPU would match the performance of modern day PCs with 3-4GHz CPUs.

The Apple A5 chip, which is the company’s latest processor and features in the iPad 2, is a dual-core 1GHz processor, capable of clock speeds around 2GHz with both cores. This chip already provides the iPad with performance twice the speed of its predecessor, and it known to make the second generation device blazingly fast.

At the moment, the iPad certainly doesn’t need a 2GHz dual-core CPU, but I’m sure it would be a nice upgrade further down the line.

The rumours about the iPad 2 have always tended to focus on whether it will have a higher resolution (Retina) display, or more than one camera! We have of course also talked about faster chips, and more memory in a next generation iPad. But not about what that might mean.

At the end of the day Apple’s focus is always about producing the best product for its users that allows them to be able to do as many tasks on their chosen gadget in the most focused and fluid way. iPhones, iPads and Macs will always be about being the most versatile device for enjoying, sharing and creating media. Be that videos, music, photos, or writing code, letters and emails. However, it has been clear to most of us that Apple is warming more and more to the idea of games as entertainment on their devices.

Yesterday Apple caught a few of us out in more than one way. First up, Steve Jobs made a very welcome appearance on stage (back briefly from medical leave) to announce the next generation iPad. He said he simply couldn’t miss this event! And now we all know why!

Secondly, instead of a fairly small feature bump of the current iPad (as many of us had expected), Apple went on the offensive against its competition and produced a device which is aggressively one step ahead of anything that their closest rivals are due to launch as ‘iPad Killers‘ this year.

It seems almost certain that the iPad 2 (as Steve hinted himself with his “2011 is the year of the iPad 2″ comment) is the new iPad to see us through all of 2011. It is truly lighter, thinner and much faster than the current iPad. And when one considers what is most likely inside Apple’s second generation tablet (other than a huge battery) it is certainly more than up to the task of taking us into 2012.

We certainly expected Apple to upgrade the GPU inside the iPad with this latest iteration. The biggest technical headache for developers writing apps which are graphically complex, like games, has always been how fast the GPU can draw stuff on Apple’s increasingly high resolution screens. By comparison, in terms of processing power the CPU even in the first gen. iPhone is still very capable even today – surprisingly so in fact.

Despite that it seems likely that Apple might have felt it needed to respond to rival tablets due out this year that promised dual core processors as a panacea to all ills. Ironically, so far, all of those dual core tablets seem to be having problems providing a user experience which can challenge iOS on the original iPad even.

Apple’s ARM SoC’s are simply very refined versions of those that most other manufacturers license. The focus for Apple being on performance tempered with low power usage and tight integration with iOS, to give optimal battery life. Because of this there were some doubts as to whether Apple had actually been able to pull off developing their own (dual core) Apple A5 processor in time for such an early production run of the iPad 2. If you remember, we reported Apple had started production of the iPad 2 in January. Because of that many of us expected to see a sort of Apple A4(point)5 SoC in a minor “speed bump” update to the iPad early in the year. Perhaps to be followed by a more serious, second update at the end of this year – when the Apple A5 would have already gone into the iPhone 5. Not all of that has been turned on its head a bit!

However, Apple seems to be much further ahead of the game than some of even the most optimistic of us had expected. The last news I had personally heard about the Apple A5 was that Apple had only got test silicon at the very end of last year. Surely not early enough to push it out in early 2011, and test it with iOS effectively, I had thought. But I had thought wrong.

Getting precise details from Apple on what is inside their mobile devices is hard. Even for developers. Until iFixit and their friends with million dollar labs pull an Apple A5 from an iPad2 apart, or programmers get their hands on devices and can start peeking and poking around inside them, we will not know for sure exactly what makes the heart beat in Apple’s latest tablet.

It seems very likely though, that the Apple A5 in the iPad 2 doesn’t just sport a specialised dual core CPU based on the ARM Cortex A9, but also an incredibly powerful mobile GPU from Imagination Technologies; the PowerVR SGX543. That particular model of GPU is also available as a dual core version. And when one does the maths related to pixel fill rate (how fast a GPU can draw dots on the screen) on Apple’s existing SGX535 in the current iPad and iPhone 4, and compare it to the “up to 9 times faster” GPU Apple claim is inside the Apple A5 of the iPad 2, then it seems likely that we have something which might resemble a dual core GPU in there too.

Not only that, but rumours out of Korea seem to suggest that the Apple A5 has at least 512MB of RAM, and faster RAM to boot. All of which means that the Apple A5 and the iPad 2 is everything we could have hoped for from Apple this time around – and more. Multitasking is going to be much snappier with that extra RAM. Games can also be more ambitious with more post processing effects, and clever shaders. Bottom line : The amount of horsepower on tap in both the CPU and GPU portions of the Apple A5 SoC is going to give a lot of users and developers a permanently big smile.

It is also worth noting that Apple planned the timing of their iPad 2 launch so that it coincided with the Game Developer’s Conference in San Francisco. Right around the time that a lot of gamers, and a lot of important mobile gaming companies were in town. That wasn’t by accident.

So what does this all add up to mean?

Well one facet of all this is that Apple has seriously embraced mobile gaming. Sure the iPad 2 does lots of cool stuff, like Facetime, iMovie, making music with cool virtual instruments. And real time special effects on people’s faces and environments using Photo Booth. It even takes photos, and plays back movies. But on top of all that it is now capable of pushing the amount of pixels that serious games require.

Around the time of the launch of the iPad we did discuss here at Touch Reviews how the iPad would be a game changer for games. And this is starting to come good today… ( As a side note to this article it is also worth imagining what an AppleTV, with a gaming control and an Apple A5 inside it might mean for home gaming too).

Sony have just announced a dedicated handheld gaming console, an update the beleaguered PSP, which Sony claims will have performance “close to that of the PS3″.

Nintendo have also just pushed out their own next gen. mobile console. The 3DS; which as its name suggests allows 3D gaming. The hook being that it doesn’t need glasses to do so.

And Apple have responded. The Apple A5 makes the iPad 2 easily equal to the second generation PSP from Sony, and also able to produce graphics of a quality close to that of the PS3.

Nintendo and Sony undoubtedly both have great new products. But Sony’s is not out yet, and is part of a dieing breed; the dedicated gaming console. And Nintendo’s 3DS, as well as having similar issues to deal with as it is pretty much just a game console too, is not capable of visuals any where near as good as the PSP2 or the iPad 2, but falls back on a 3D gimmick to gloss over that.

It is more and more noticeable that the majority of gamers on the move (those that make them, those that write about them, as well as those that consume them) are using smart phones or Apple’s iPad to get their gaming fix. Logically, when faced with the option of either having some games on your iPad or your iPhone (which you most likely have with you anyway for other reasons during the day). Or the other option of carrying an extra dedicated battery hungry gaming device. It seems that more and more people are sticking with the one multi-purpose device.

A device which has access to a library of games which don’t on average cost $40 or $50, like Sony’s or Nintendo’s.

Up until recently there was an argument to be made for gaming content on mobile devices like smart-phones being lacklustre, or not being up to the high quality of dedicated gaming devices. Well with the advent of the iPad 2, not just the first, but also the second of those arguments have finally been laid to rest.

In the iPad 2, and later this year with the iPhone 5, we can expect gaming to take that next leap in mobile. And more than likely the Sony PSP and the Nintendo 3DS will be the last of their kind.

Apple have remained tight lipped about the exact tech specs of the iPad 2. But if the Apple A5 does sport a dual core SGX543 GPU then we can expect graphics far closer to desktop quality than ever before – except it will be in our hands.

And alongside that we can also most likely expect some developments in iOS 5 which harness some of the more sexy features of the Apple A5’s GPU. Most notably OpenCL capabilities, which can be used to do intensive processing tasks on the GPU alongside the CPU – which can be employed for complex software features like facial analysis, speech processing, and motion controls similar to that of the Microsoft Kinect – except using the cameras and raw processing power of just your iPad 2!

With all that processing horsepower on tap, and a GPU which can handle very complex composted displays including live video and 3D graphics, bundled with location awareness, and motion awareness with the accuracy of a gyro, then we can also expect to see Augmented Reality as well as Mobile Gaming take leaps and bounds in 2011.

So if you are on the fence about picking up an iPad 2, because the iPad 3 might be just around the corner. Fear not. This is the iPad 2 and the iPad 3 – as far as 2011 is concerned.

And anyway, how can you not want to have a tablet that has a smart cover! That has to be one of the coolest ways to splurge an extra few tens of dollars on the world’s favourite gadget!

What is your favourite feature about the iPad 2? Let us know in the comments…

UPDATE: Touch Reviews is providing all-in-one live feed of the keynote event here.

The wait is finally over! Apple today sent out invites for iPad 2 event scheduled for March 2nd which reads, “Come see what 2011 will be the year of.” Rumors about Apple’s upcoming tablet computer have already reached to a point where the blogosphere has begun discussing the features of iPad 3.

iPad 2 is widely expected to feature front facing camera for facetime, back facing camera to record videos and take pictures. Leaked photos of second gen iPad cover suggest that Apple’s new tablet will be thinner, lighter and have a large speaker grill.

The possibility of iPad 2 featuring retina display has also been widely discussed but most industry pundits believe that we won’t see that in the second gen product.

Apple shipped around 15 million iPads in 2010 however, this year they face competition from Motorola and RIM. The tablet market is currently dominated by iPad but now it seems that users are willing to experiment with different form factor and looking for more power and increased functionality (ports?).

iPad 2 is also expected to feature A5 processor but we won’t see any model with smaller screen size. During product demo on March 2nd we could probably see Apple announce iOS 4.3 which might introduce new apps like Photo Booth for iOS.

What are your predictions? Will the iPad 2 feature SD card slot , more memory and come in smaller screen size? Let us know what you think.

{via AppleInsider}

The current A4 chip, which is present in the iPhone 4, the iPad, and the new iPod touch, supports the single-core SGX535 GPU, which has featured in Apple devices since the iPhone 3GS. However, the new A5 chip is reported to support the dual-core SGX543 GPU, which is a graphical power improvement of around 4X the current generation. This means that the iPad 2 could carry a display 4X the resolution of the current model, and that a “Retina Display” upgrade isn’t off the cards.

Engadget also points out that it’s likely 2011 will see new devices supporting 1080p HDMI video output as a “default” spec, and that Apple certainly won’t want to feel left out of the true HD gang. Especially when it comes to the AppleTV, which is already slightly lacking without 1080p support, but has dual graphics cores easily capable of handling this resolution.

It’s believed that Apple’s new A5 processor has been developed by the same group responsible for the company’s impressive A4 chip – Apple-owned Intrinsity and PA Semi, while Samsung will do the production duties as it has done with the current processor.

{via Engadget}

Over the weekend leaks from snippets of the most recently released iOS SDK Beta build hinted at a new GPU in future iOS devices. The GPU is still from Imagination Technologies, the maker of all iOS device GPUs to date. But this one is capable of pushing a lot more pixels, as well as compatible with multi-core processing, and GPGPU processing with Open CL – which means it can do tasks other than high speed graphics tasks. Pushing more pixels is something that is already something we would like to see when the full resolution of the iPhone 4 or current iPad is used for high quality, high speed graphics. So this GPU is very likely to be paired with an uprated, or perhaps dual core CPU and herald the introduction of Apple’s A5 processor – the successor to the Apple A4 (SoC – System on a Chip) which powers the current iPhone 4, iPod Touch and iPad.

There are also rumours swirling that the iPad 2 will feature a much higher resolution display, as well as an HDMI output and perhaps an SD card slot. The higher resolution screen is something that would certainly require a faster, more powerful GPU.

Other snippets found inside iOS Beta SDKs, and in Apple’s own developer resources on its own web site talk about “X2″ icons for the iPad. “X2″ icons, which are double the resolution of the standard icons on iOS devices, have been employed by developers for some time in iPhone and iPad applications for use on their “Retina” displays; which are exactly double the resolution of earlier iPhones and iPods. These gives the silky smooth, almost high quality sticker like quality to iOS icons that we expect these days on “Retina” display devices.

Adding this all together, and factoring in that part of Apple’s success with migrating the iPhone and iPod Touch to new screen sizes is based on exactly doubling the screen resolution in the operating system so that existing applications and OS GUI elements can be auto-magically scaled up by two times their current size, it now seems likely that the iPad 2 will sport a newer, faster GPU, which can handle the amount of data throughput that will be needed to drive a display with four times the amount of pixels available to it than that of current iPad models.

9TO5Mac have some information today which hints at new LCD panels for the iPad 2; which do indeed seem to be double the resolution of the existing iPad display panel. Unfortunately their list price is also considerably higher than the existing iPad display panel. Almost double that of the cost of the original iPad’s LCD panel at launch, and four times the price it is currently.

This would mean that Apple’s margins on a high resolution iPad may be constrained, or the retail price may rise… Perhaps we’ll see a two tier launch of the new iPad, with both CPU/GPU (SoC) specifications as well as display resolutions split across a middle price point? Or perhaps Apple will pull yet more magic out of its bag of tricks and launch the new iPad at the same price as existing models, and all the bells and whistles we are hoping for!

Time will tell…

Do you think the new iPad will get a “Retina” display? Will we see a split product range? Have your say in the comments…