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The latest rumor in the flood of speculation about the next version of Apple's (Nasdaq: AAPL) tablet, the iPad 3, is that it will be equipped with a high-definition screen, a faster processor, and the ability to work with next-generation wireless networks, according to a Bloomberg report citing anonymous sources.
A quad-core chip reportedly will allow users to quickly toggle back and forth between applications. The iPad 3 is definitely slated for a March debut, the sources said, with production ramping up to full capacity at its supplier factories in Asia.
Apple did not respond to our request to comment for this story.
Things That Are Certain
Details about the iPad 3 may be sparse -- or rather unconfirmed -- but the market can look forward to some certainties about the forthcoming tablet, Laura DiDio, principal of ITIC, told MacNewsWorld.
For starters, it will be create a lot of buzz before its launch. It will have a feature set improved from the last version, and it will further cement Apple's tablet leadership, she said.
"Apple currently has a dominant position, but that is never a guarantee in the long run," she said. "So count on it hurdling the already high bar it set in the tablet space."
Tablet purchases over the next three-month period from December 2011 through February 2012 will be approximately 10 percent higher than the previous three months, according to a poll released by Maritz Research shortly before the holidays.
However, what may be more significant from Apple's perspective is this finding: Even though a majority of consumers who purchased a tablet in the previous three months chose an iPad, only 16 percent of buyers planning to enter the market in the Dec.-Feb. period had solely an iPad in mind. This provides a significant opportunity for marketers of other tablet brands to target noncommitted customers for increased market share, Maritz concluded.
More than likely, these uncommitted buyers will opt for an iPad once they have examined the competing products on the market, DiDio said -- especially now that the luster of the Amazon (Nasdaq: AMZN) Kindle Fire has worn off.
"I think some of Fire's limitations are becoming more apparent to users," she remarked, "and this is another advantage the iPad 3 will have in the market."
One factor that might limit the iPad 3, however is its price point. If it remains at its current relatively high level, DiDio suggested, many consumers will be hard-pressed to ignore Amazon's Kindle Fire, which sells for just under US$200.
"I am hoping Apple will come out with a low-cost model for the iPad 3," she said. "It is inevitable prices will have to come down. The only question about Apple is by how much and how quickly?"
Steve Jobs' Posthumous Act
Apple may just be tempted to cut prices sooner rather than later on a major product release following the death of its iconic leader Steve Jobs, said DiDio. "Apple has a lot riding on these products. They will prove whether the company is more than just Steve Jobs' baby."
Certainly Jobs' hand will be seen in these products, she acknowledged, noting that "he is said to have been working on Apple's five-year plan up until six weeks before his death. But the performance of any new releases will still have a significant symbolic importance to Apple."
That means the next iPad is likely to sport new features that go beyond the expected, she speculated.
The Social Factor
Among the possibilities: "We'll see the iPad 3 make more inroads into social TV, becoming a remote you use to control your Internet-connected TV," predicted Alper Turgut, CEO of Anvato.
"A recent Nielson study showed 70 percent of tablet owners say they use their devices while watching TV," he told MacNewsWorld.
"People are already interacting with their social media accounts while watching TV," continued Turgut. "One of the challenges behind social TV is finding a seamless backend synchronization of mobile devices and the TV. Most likely, iPad 3 will use fingerprinting technology 
to ensure that it falls in sync with the TV."
