Apple in 'Crunch Mode' Lining Up Apps for iPad 3 Demo and Commercials?

Rumors continue to swirl about the iPad 3 launch following yesterday's claims that Apple will be holding a media event during the first week of March for the introduction. The Next Web now reports that Apple is currently said to be in "crunch mode" as it works to finalize its plans for the event.

white ipad 2 oblique
According to the report, Apple is working to pin down select third-party apps to be the featured demonstrations at the media event and in commercials for the upcoming device. Apple is said to be emphasizing apps that will show off the iPad 3's high-resolution "Retina" display.

Our sources tell us that this selection process is continuing at an increased rate as Apple looks to finalize the lineup for the iPad 3. There is also emphasis on graphics-oriented applications with high-definition assets, which appears to be in line with the new iPad featuring a ‘Retina’ display.

In addition, some apps that Apple is impressed with are being forwarded on to its long-time advertising partner TWBA/Chiat/Day for possible inclusion in the initial iPad 3 commercial spots. This process is entering its final phase as well, with the company on a tight deadline to deliver assets for playback during the presentation and later, television broadcast.

Apple has been known to bring third-party developers to Cupertino in the weeks and days leading up to a major keynote or media event in order to work through presentation plans for demos and ensure that they will run smoothly. One account from the early days of the App Store related Apple's work with a developer to spend a week's worth of 16-hour days at Apple headquarters porting an app to iOS in time for the company's September 2008 "Let's Rock" event, only to see Steve Jobs nix the demo over concerns that it wasn't "fast-paced" enough.

Related Roundup: iPad
Buyer's Guide: iPad (Neutral)
Related Forum: iPad

Popular Stories

iOS 26

15 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.2

Friday December 5, 2025 9:40 am PST by
Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below. Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.2 to compatible devices sometime between December 8 and December 16. When the update drops, you can check Apple's servers for the ...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature 1

Apple to Make More Foldable iPhones Than Expected

Tuesday December 9, 2025 9:59 am PST by
Apple has ordered 22 million OLED panels from Samsung Display for the first foldable iPhone, signaling a significantly larger production target than the display industry had previously anticipated, ET News reports. In the now-seemingly deleted report, ET News claimed that Samsung plans to mass-produce 11 million inward-folding OLED displays for Apple next year, as well as 11 million...
iPhone 14 Pro Dynamic Island

iPhone 18 Pro Leak Adds New Evidence for Under-Display Face ID

Monday December 8, 2025 4:54 am PST by
Apple is actively testing under-screen Face ID for next year's iPhone 18 Pro models using a special "spliced micro-transparent glass" window built into the display, claims a Chinese leaker. According to "Smart Pikachu," a Weibo account that has previously shared accurate supply-chain details on Chinese Android hardware, Apple is testing the special glass as a way to let the TrueDepth...
iOS 26

Apple Seeds Second iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to Developers and Public Beta Testers

Monday December 8, 2025 10:18 am PST by
Apple today seeded the second release candidate version of iOS 26.2 to developers and public beta testers, with the software coming one week after Apple seeded the first RC. The release candidate represents the final version iOS 26.2 that will be provided to the public if no further bugs are found. Registered developers and public beta testers can download the betas from the Settings app on...
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

10 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Monday December 1, 2025 2:40 am PST by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...
Google maps feaure

Google Maps Quietly Added This Long-Overdue Feature for Drivers

Wednesday December 10, 2025 2:52 am PST by
Google Maps on iOS quietly gained a new feature recently that automatically recognizes where you've parked your vehicle and saves the location for you. Announced on LinkedIn by Rio Akasaka, Google Maps' senior product manager, the new feature auto-detects your parked location even if you don't use the parking pin function, saves it for up to 48 hours, and then automatically removes it once...
Johny Srouji

Apple's Chipmaking Chief Johny Srouji Responds to Report About Him Potentially Leaving

Monday December 8, 2025 9:23 am PST by
Apple's chipmaking chief Johny Srouji has reportedly indicated that he plans to continue working for the company for the foreseeable future. "I love my team, and I love my job at Apple, and I don't plan on leaving anytime soon," said Srouji, in a memo obtained by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Here is Srouji's full memo, as shared by Bloomberg:I know you've been reading all kind of rumors and...
Johny Srouji

Apple Chip Chief Johny Srouji Could Be Next to Go as Exodus Continues

Sunday December 7, 2025 10:41 am PST by
Apple's senior vice president of hardware technologies Johny Srouji could be the next leading executive to leave the company amid an alarming exodus of leading employees, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports. Srouji apparently recently told CEO Tim Cook that he is "seriously considering leaving" in the near future. He intends to join another company if he departs. Srouji leads Apple's chip design ...
Intel Inside iPhone Feature

Apple's Return to Intel Rumored to Extend to iPhone

Friday December 5, 2025 10:08 am PST by
Intel is expected to begin supplying some Mac and iPad chips in a few years, and the latest rumor claims the partnership might extend to the iPhone. In a research note with investment firm GF Securities this week, obtained by MacRumors, analyst Jeff Pu said he and his colleagues "now expect" Intel to reach a supply deal with Apple for at least some non-pro iPhone chips starting in 2028....
google pixel 10

Switching Between iPhone and Android Will Get Easier With New Apple and Google Collaboration

Monday December 8, 2025 11:10 am PST by
Apple and Google are teaming up to make it easier for users to switch between iPhone and Android smartphones, according to 9to5Google. There is a new Android Canary build available today that simplifies data transfer between two smartphones, and Apple is going to implement the functionality in an upcoming iOS 26 beta. Apple already has a Move to iOS app for transferring data from an Android...

Top Rated Comments

HarryKeogh Avatar
181 months ago
Man, I cannot wait.

I use the iPad as a comic reader and everything about is perfect except the fine print. Sometimes it's just illegible. This display will make it beyond great.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
chrmjenkins Avatar
181 months ago
The iPad is worthless without a universal model that will work on AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint, with no contract.
I wondered why iPad sales were so low.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
basesloaded190 Avatar
181 months ago
iBooks, a photography app of some kind, and an app with streaming high definition content (MLB perhaps).

Maybe they have finally done an Aperture app! Perfect time to show something like that off if you ask me.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
gnasher729 Avatar
181 months ago
What is the point of a 2048x1536 resolution if the video streaming apps are all stuck using 480-720p resolution for bandwidth purposes.

It's excellent for reading eBooks with absolutely perfect text rendering. Or websites with absolutely perfect text rendering. Video is actually what I care about the least, because you can't see the pixels in fast moving motion anyway.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Lesser Evets Avatar
181 months ago
128GB, please.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Patriot24 Avatar
181 months ago
I am personally boycotting future Ipad purchases until Apple reigns in on the types of apps being offered on the App store. It has gone from a really bright future of new technology to total garbage in the 2.5 year span since the Ipad 1 came out.

What is the point of a 2048x1536 resolution if the video streaming apps are all stuck using 480-720p resolution for bandwidth purposes.

What is the point of the new higher resolution if 9 out of 10 games that come out are all designed to just milk money out of the user rather than provide a fun experience? Id rather spend $10 on a game than get it for free and have the mechanics broken because they are geared to make me spend money to make the game tolerable.

Sounds to me like the hardware has moved beyond software and I blame it entirely on Apple. They manage the app store and they let companies make free apps with $99 in app purchases.

I don't disagree with your comments regarding quality, but I think we need to examine some key points here.

As a customer, if you put two apps in front of me - one is free with DLC and the other is $99 but includes everything, I am going to choose the freemium app 9 times out of 10. If the full-price app is the only one available, I am less likely to jump in due to the risk/reward ratio ("That's a lot of money for an app I'm not sure I'll like...").

As a developer, I would rather have 9 free downloads of my app with a couple hundred dollars worth of DLC purchases than 1 download of my full-price app.

As Apple, I prefer whatever method customers prefer and are willing to pay for. Why argue with consumers if they are happy and you are still getting your 30% cut?

In the end, the market will determine what is acceptable. If people stop buying freemium apps and upgrades, then developers will need to re-think their strategy. Just realize that there are a lot of folks out there with iDevices that can't jump at every $20 app they see. Freemium makes sense for a lot of people.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)