Digitimes has been the source of many supplier rumors for Apple's upcoming products, though their accuracy is always up for some debate. Based on our own record keeping at this time, Digitimes has had about a 55% accuracy on rumors that could later be validated.
A new codename finding by 9to5Mac in the latest iOS 5 betas seems to confirm that Digitimes has been accurate about some of their reporting on the upcoming iPad 3.
The "J2" model listed above corresponds to recent report in which Digitimes discusses two prototype models codenamed J1 and J2 that Apple has been working on.
Apple is currently giving two tablet PC projects codenamed J1 and J2 to its upstream partners for development. The sources revealed that the major differences of the new tablet PCs compared to the previous model are their size, specifications and technologies.
Since the new tablet PCs have a higher resolution, Apple has demanded the design of the light source to be changed from a single LED light bar to two LED light bars on the left and right sides of the machine, but since the method of adopting two LED light bars has created difficulty in shrinking the machine's thickness, some vendors have come out with designs that only adopt one light bar, but are packing two LED chips into one package.
The report is quite vague but does touch on an issue that has appeared from other sources as well.
The issue of the the higher resolution screen of the iPad 3 requiring a second light bar for the iPad 3 was also reported by Digitimes. iLounge later reported that the new iPad 3 would end up being 0.7mm thicker than the iPad 2 due to this need to incorporate a dual light bar system to support the higher-resolution display.
Apple is widely believed to be working on an iPad 3 with a "Retina" display that may double the iPad's screen resolution. Persistent rumors have suggested that Apple's partners have had difficulties in mass producing such screens.
Monday September 15, 2025 10:56 am PDT by Juli Clover
In the iOS 26 release notes, Apple is warning iPhone users that installing the new software might have a temporary impact on battery life, which is normal.
A new support document explains that major iOS updates require background setup like indexing data and files for search, downloading new assets, and updating apps.
Further, Apple says that new features could require more resources,...
Monday September 15, 2025 10:50 am PDT by Juli Clover
Apple today released updated firmware for the AirPods Pro 2 and the AirPods 4, introducing support for the new AirPods features that are included in iOS 26, iPadOS 26, and macOS Tahoe.
The firmware has a build number of 8A356, and it replaces the current 7E93 firmware.
With Apple's new software updates, the AirPods Pro 2 and the AirPods 4 support better audio quality for phone calls and...
Tuesday September 16, 2025 11:17 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
iOS 26 was finally released on Monday, but the software train never stops, and the first developer beta of iOS 26.1 will likely be released soon.
iOS 18.1 was an anomaly, as the first developer beta of that version was released in late July last year, to allow for early testing of Apple Intelligence features. The first betas of iOS 15.1, iOS 16.1, and iOS 17.1 were all released in the second ...
Wednesday September 17, 2025 2:56 pm PDT by Juli Clover
It's been two days since iOS 26 was released, and Apple's new Liquid Glass design is even more divisive than expected.
Any major design change can create controversy as people get used to the new look, but the MacRumors forums, Reddit, Apple Support Communities, and social media sites seem to feature more criticism than praise as people discuss the update.
Complaints
There are a long...
Sunday September 14, 2025 8:45 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
Apple's annual September event is now in the rearview mirror, with the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, iPhone Air, Apple Watch Series 11, Apple Watch Ultra 3, Apple Watch SE 3, and AirPods Pro 3 set to launch this Friday, September 19.
As always, there is more to come. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple plans to release many products in the...
Tuesday September 16, 2025 12:26 pm PDT by Juli Clover
Apple released iOS 26 on September 15, and it's now available for all iPhone users with a compatible device. There are a lot of changes and features to learn about, so if you want a quick, easy-to-read list that outlines what's new, we've got you covered.
Design
Liquid Glass design that reflects light and refracts what's underneath. It's system wide, with dynamic tab bars and toolbars...
Tuesday September 16, 2025 5:56 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Apple has now made iOS 26 available to download on compatible iPhone models, and if you just installed the new software, Apple has made some changes and feature additions to the iPhone Lock Screen that you may want to check out.
To download iOS 26 on your iPhone, go to Settings ➝ General ➝ Software Update, then let your device check Apple's servers for the latest software. Wait for the...
"The sources revealed that the major differences of the new tablet PCs compared to the previous model are their size, specifications and technologies."
Wow. Some analysis from those sources!!
Because if the size, specifications and technologies were the same -- we'd have the iPad 2!!
Hahaha... I thought to myself, "What other thing could be added to that list?!"
Since size was mentioned, I wonder if it will be smaller than the current iPad? Maybe 7"?
A tablet PC, rly?
Not quite tablet and not quite a PC.
I picked up on that sly little adjective too...
Let's hope Apple can avoid the need for a dual light bar. It's a compromise I'm sure they'd rather not live with. A thicker iPad would be a step in the wrong direction.
Thicker, yeah, like adding the thickness of a razor blade so you can have a beautiful bright display...no problem.
Screw a 7" iPad, Jobs was right. I just got a Kindle Fire, and the difference in usability of the 7" screen is huge. It's closer to web surfing on a phone than it is on an iPad, it's hard to press buttons and links, in landscape it's too short and in portrait it's too narrow. Granted that has more to do with 16:9 and 1024x600, but 4:3 7" would do away with being able to hold it in one hand, the only advantage to 7". So in short, screw 7", Jobs was right.
I'm going to return the fire, it's a piece of crap, not even worth the sub-manufacturing price it's sold at. It will only appeal to people who care about cost savings above any sense of quality, and those people are not Apples target audience. Anyways...
Rob
The fire will sell like hotcakes leading up to the holiday, and then lead the pack on returns for the next 30 days. Even the least expensive iPad will do a better job of surfing Amazon than the Fire, and that's what the Fire was meant to do.
iPads are, and will always be, awkward products, until they run some form of OS X, or evolve into something as advanced as OS X.
Dude! iOS is OSX, have you been locked up or something?
Screw a 7" iPad, Jobs was right. I just got a Kindle Fire, and the difference in usability of the 7" screen is huge. It's closer to web surfing on a phone than it is on an iPad, it's hard to press buttons and links, in landscape it's too short and in portrait it's too narrow. Granted that has more to do with 16:9 and 1024x600, but 4:3 7" would do away with being able to hold it in one hand, the only advantage to 7". So in short, screw 7", Jobs was right.
I'm going to return the fire, it's a piece of crap, not even worth the sub-manufacturing price it's sold at. It will only appeal to people who care about cost savings above any sense of quality, and those people are not Apples target audience. Anyways...
"The sources revealed that the major differences of the new tablet PCs compared to the previous model are their size, specifications and technologies."
Wow. Some analysis from those sources!!
Because if the size, specifications and technologies were the same -- we'd have the iPad 2!!
"The sources revealed that the major differences of the new tablet PCs compared to the previous model are their size, specifications and technologies."
Wow. Some analysis from those sources!!
Because if the size, specifications and technologies were the same -- we'd have the iPad 2!!
The most shocking discovery of all is that Apple seem to actively be working on an iPad 2 successor right now that is called iPad 3! I definitely thought the iPad project was dropped due to them selling so bad! What would we be without those analysts!
