Apple’s new iPad 3 is only one day away from being announced to the public and new details about what to expect tomorrow are still being leaked. On Monday, iLounge editor, Jeremy Horowitz published a report on two Apple products that he believes that Apple will change or retain. Horowitz reported that Apple is working on a new iPad 3 “Smart Case” and new “glass back” iPhone 5.

The report claims that Apple is experimenting with “Glass and ceramic rear shells” for a future iPhone, probably iPhone 5. Although rumors of a aluminum back iPhone 5 have been floating around on the web, sources of the publication indicated that Apple is planning to use Corning’s Gorilla Glass 2, unveiled at CES 2012. The Gorilla Glass 2 will allow the iPhone 5 to be thinner and stronger than previous models and may even arrive without the addition of the 30 pin dock connector.

The report also pointed at the possibility of a larger screen display. Recently, Apple identified Corning as a supplier of screens for previous generations of iPhone, saying that “Corning employees in Kentucky and New York…create the majority of the glass for iPhone.”

iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S all glass design has been a huge success for Apple. Stronger glass could address issues of the device being very fragile. It will be interesting to see if Apple introduces yet another glass based design or goes with aluminum for the fifth-gen iPhone.

Said to be similar to Incase’s Magazine Jacket (and a host of subsequent alternatives that have appeared for the iPad 2), this new case has a folding magnetized Smart Cover on the front, and a rear shell made from fiberglass covered with PU/bicast leather. It’s unclear whether this case will be solely for the thicker new iPad or include backwards compatibility for the iPad 2.

The “Smart Case” for iPad 3 was described to be something similar to Incase’s Magazine Jacket because it will now feature a back cover. The iPad 2 Smart Cover only protected the from screen from scratches and scuffs and will now work in tandem with the back cover in a folio style encasement.

{via 9to5 Mac}

On Tuesday, Japanese site Macotakara reported that Apple is planning to hold an iPad event in early February to announce the iPad 3, which is expected to arrive with iOS 5.1. The website pointed out that they had an Asian supplier and a source in the U.S who could confirm these rumors.

Although the iPad 3 is expected to be announced in February, other rumors suggest that the iPad 3 will actually be released in March, the same as the iPad 2 which arrived on March 11. This long delay could be in part because of the Chinese New Year which is going to be celebrated from January 23 to the 28th.

Foxconn and Pegatron, two of Apple’s main suppliers are expected to start shipping the device to the Apple Stores in early March, likely for a mid-March release. The iPad 3 has long been rumored to include a higher resolution display, as well as the introduction of the A6 chip and better 2 megapixel camera, up from 0.9 megapixels.

Macotakara has a mixed track record with the release of Apple products, correctly reporting on Apple’s iPad 2 and iPhone 4S but incorrectly suggesting that Apple would be releasing a Macbook Air with high-speed 400MBps flash memory and that a fifth-generation iPhone would feature an aluminum back.

If the event is scheduled for February we can expect media invites to be sent out in the first week of the next month. It will be interesting to see if Apple will finally bring the retina display to the iPad, which will certainly make the poplar tablet worth an upgrade for many users.

{via AppleInsider}

On Tuesday, a report from BGR suggested that Apple is planning to launch a completely redesigned iPhone 5 in the fall of next year. With Apple’s trend of releasing iPhones dubbed with ‘S’ followed by a redesign, it is very likely that Apple will redesign the back of the iPhone 5 with an all aluminum back, getting rid of Apple’s current all glass design.

The report also suggests that the new fifth gen iPhone will include a plastic bumper of sorts, possibly to keep direct skin contact away from the antennas on the bezel of the iPhone. With the introduction of the iPhone 4, Apple experienced a press meltdown with customers suggesting that skin contact with the antenna would drop calls and bars on the network. The plastic would resemble a bumper of some sorts, with the antenna lying underneath.

We have also learned that Apple is planning to use a rubber or plastic material — similar to the material used in the company’s bumper cases — that will be built into the new iPhone case. In all likelihood, this material will be used as a bezel surrounding the front edge of the phone (like the iPhone 3GS bezel) and it will serve two purposes. First, it will join the glass iPhone face with a new aluminum back plate. It will also cover a redesigned antenna system that surrounds the device, allowing Apple to build the rear case out of aluminum without having to use a large plastic insert above the antennas as the company does on its iPad 2 Wi-Fi + 3G.

Apple’s iPhone 5 with a redesign, A6 chip, and Siri improvements is expected to be released sometime in Fall 2012, similar to the release of the iPhone 4S. It is also possible that Apple was set to introduce the iPhone 5 this year, but delay in getting Siri ready for release pushed the release to 2012, and reused the iPhone 4 design for the iPhone 4S. Various announcement dates have been speculated for the new iPhone, including a February through April timeframe, and the new Fall 2012 time frame.

{via MacRumors}

The latest rumors surrounding Apple’s fifth-generation iPhone suggest that the device won’t feature at this year’s WWDC ready for a summer 2011 launch, and a report published today by Japanese blog Macotakara.jp seems to back up these claims. Citing sources from the Chinese supply chain, Macotakara.jp says that Apple hasn’t even begun ordering components for the iPhone 5 yet, and that the company is currently focused on attracting new customers to its CDMA handset instead.

The iPhone 4 launched in February on the Verizon Wireless network in the U.S., and minor changes were made to the device to update components, redesign the antenna, and introduce a dual-band wireless chip. It seems that rather than introducing a brand new iPhone just months later, Apple will instead hold out until October of this year – possibly even later – before launching the next-generation device. It’s expected the iPhone 5 will contribute to Apple’s fiscal 2012, as opposed to its fiscal 2011 year, which ends on September 24th.

Macotakara also had something to say about the iPhones 5’s rumored aluminium back in their report; claiming that although Apple have toyed with the idea of replacing the current glass back, it has not yet made a decision on whether to change it for the fifth-generation device.

Previous reports regarding the device have revealed that Apple may currently be working on three iPhone 5 prototypes, one of which features a physical slide-out keyboard. Another is similar to the iPhone 4’s design but boasts a larger ‘edge-to-edge’ screen, a better battery, and an upgraded camera.

One of the reasons Apple has chosen to delay its launch of the iPhone 5 could be related to the white iPhone 4 the company has been promising since the device’s launch. It’s now expected that the device will come during the spring, however, it’s sure to be largely unsuccessful if a brand new device is announced just several weeks later.