Over the past few days, Digitimes has posted a series of rumors from its own supply chain sources and other reports out of Asia discussing a number of modifications reportedly being made by Apple on the third-generation iPad. Apple is said to already be making some of the changes, with a public launch of the revised model set for later this year. The changes include:

- As we mentioned in passing earlier this week, Digitimes last week cited a report from Taiwanese publication Apple Daily claiming that Apple is preparing to shift to thinner indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO) display technology for the third-generation iPad. Apple had been rumored to be using IGZO in the new iPad in the months leading up to its launch, but the panels were not ready in time.

ipad 3 hand1
- Just yesterday, Digitimes reported that Apple has already made several tweaks to the third-generation iPad, enlarging the lens hole for the camera and modifying the battery. The changes to the battery are said to be intended to reduce overheating while also allowing for a lighter and thinner design.

The sources said the new iPad's battery is being revised, which will help prevent overheating issues and could possibly make the device slightly lighter and thinner than previously designed. However, no comments were offered as to why the lens is being enlarged.

The report also reiterates claims of IGZO displays coming to the iPad, with the revised models reportedly set for launch in time for the holiday shopping season later this year.

- And now today Digitimes is reporting that Apple is also moving from two LED backlight units to one, an effort that will reduce overheating and along with the battery changes will support the thinner design.

The extra LED is reportedly adding to overheating and that using one LED will help solve overheating issues since more backlights along with more power to heat those backlights is causing overheating.

Sources noted that the one LED backlight module, however, will not affect luminosity and clarity of Apple's Retina Display.

Taken together, all of the changes cited by Digitimes would make for much more than a mere tweak of the existing iPad design, and it seems extremely unlikely that Apple will release an updated model of the iPad before the end of the year.

Many readers may remember that similar claims of a shorter upgrade cycle for the iPad surfaced last year, only to see Apple continue its yearly upgrade cycle and wait until early 2012 to introduce the third-generation iPad.

Digitimes has been under fire in recent months due to its increasing reporting of rumors that have turned out to be inaccurate. While the site has occasionally offered very accurate information, it has become increasingly difficult to determine which claims to believe.

While talk of an "iPad mini" launch later this year has been ramping up, it seems hard to believe that Apple will be making any changes to the current 9.7-inch iPad before next year, and thus we are extremely skeptical of these claims. Consequently, we are posting this on our iOS Blog primarily for interest and discussion.

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

Top Rated Comments

Pakaku Avatar
161 months ago
Could it be...?



;)
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
keysofanxiety Avatar
161 months ago
With the greatest of respect, I get a little annoyed when people cite Digitimes as having 'accurate rumours' in the past. I mean, it's a Retina Display on a MacBook. They did it with the iPhone, then with the iPad. Not to mention all the high-resolution icons leaked in Mountain Lion & Lion. And this is Apple; they're quite obviously going to try to make a laptop thinner.

What I'm trying to say is that anything they've accurately reported has been nothing short of common-sense. Anything vaguely 'out there' that they've suggested has almost never happened.

I'd be willing to suggest that most people on MR are better at speculating about what Apple will do next.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
wickerman1893 Avatar
161 months ago
Too many products was one of the main reasons for Apple's fall in the late 90's. The more products you have leads to more confusion, IMO anyways. If they do make a iPad mini, they are going to have to get rid of the iPod touch as there will be no reason to buy one because the price point will have to be below the iPad. Very few people would buy a 32GB iPod touch instead of a 16GB(or even 8GB) iPad Mini. That's just my two cents. One thing Apple has now that they didn't have in the late 90's is leadership. Hopefully whatever they are doing turns out to be great.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mad-B-One Avatar
161 months ago
I'd be willing to suggest that most people on MR are better at speculating about what Apple will do next.

I'll have a try: They will come out with a new iPhone this fall with a longer display, same width. It will have a metal back, a thinner display, a better battery and quadcore graphics. You can get it in black or white. It will have 4G and a virtual wallet with short distance transactions. The headphone jack will be at the bottom and they come with a new connector. Most likely, they also come out with a smaller sized iPad.

Do I win a prize? Do I get cited all over because I was able to read rumors? Please, please? :D
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iMcLovin Avatar
161 months ago
I dont care. and you know even if apple is gonna make a smaller ipad, it´s gonna be costly, because its Apple. So, I don´t really see what market this will take which they don´t allready own. I dont need anything inbetween my iphone and ipad.

anyway, it´s good rumors. Because I think they are highly unlikely...which makes it seem more probable that Digitimes rumors about the coming october retina imac is untrue - that increase my hop of an earlier release of the iMac.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cvaldes Avatar
161 months ago
I'd be willing to suggest that most people on MR are better at speculating about what Apple will do next.
No, they are not.

A few commenters here and at AppleInsider have more plausible ideas about what Apple might have in terms of product updates, but the vast majority of readers on most technology blogs have zero understanding about the design and manufacturing process of today's consumer electronics and even less understanding about basic economics.

The majority of commenters appear to be teenagers or college students and random other types who have never worked at a Fortune 500 technology company and have zero insight into how a thoughtfully managed publicly-owned corporation would actually go about handling their product lineup and their supply chain partnerships.

Now, I'm not saying that one needs to have worked at Apple, HP, Dell, Oracle, Cisco, etc. to be a contributing member of a technology bboard, however, some of the people who comment here have very tenuous grasp on the real world, i.e., the one that mommy and daddy aren't paying for.

That said, some of these outlandishly unrealistic predictions can be quite amusing. Too bad that those who make them are perpetually disappointed about probably everything in their lives. They're the kind of people who think they should be dating supermodels like Brooklyn Decker or Kate Upton. Even more hilarious is the palpable sense of entitlement that these people exude.

These forums have never been as entertainingly ridiculous as today. MacRumors makes for some great science fiction, far better than Battlestar Galactica, Serenity, whatever.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases Firmware Updates for AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4

Monday November 11, 2024 11:28 am PST by
Apple today released firmware updates for both AirPods 4 models (version number 7B20) and the AirPods Pro 2 with both Lightning and USB-C charging cases (version number 7B21). All of these AirPods models were previously on firmware version 7B19. It is not immediately clear what new features or changes are included in firmware versions 7B20 and 7B21, but we will update this story if we find...
New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18

18 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18.2

Wednesday November 13, 2024 2:09 am PST by
Apple is set to release iOS 18.2 next month, bringing the second round of Apple Intelligence features to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models. This update brings several major advancements to Apple's AI integration, including completely new image generation tools and a range of Visual Intelligence-based enhancements. There are a handful of new non-AI related feature controls incoming as well....
iPhone SE 4 Thumb 1

iPhone SE 4 Camera Modules to Enter Mass Production Next Month

Tuesday November 12, 2024 2:56 am PST by
Apple's camera module supplier for the upcoming iPhone SE 4 is set to begin mass production of the components in December, according to a new report coming out of Korea. Economic newspaper Ajunews reports that LG Innotek will supply the front camera module for the budget-friendly fourth-generation device. Final tests are now said to be underway, with mass production of the module following...
iphone 6 thickness

iPhone 17 'Air' May Not Be Much Thinner Than iPhone 6

Monday November 11, 2024 5:18 am PST by
Next year's iPhone 17 "Air" model may not be as thin as Apple planned, according to a rumor originating in Korea. According to the news aggregator account "yeux1122" on Naver, citing industry sources, Apple has run into problems making the new iPhone 17 model sufficiently thin. The device's reduced thickness is apparently dependent on manufacturing a battery with a thinner substrate, but...
new mac holiday

The Best Early Black Friday Mac Deals

Monday November 11, 2024 7:45 am PST by
Black Friday is getting closer, and prices on MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iMac, and Mac mini computers have started to drop as the shopping holiday nears. These deals include the latest models of the M4 MacBook Pro and iMac. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site...
iOS 18

Here's Everything New in iOS 18.2 Beta 3

Monday November 11, 2024 4:53 pm PST by
Apple seeded the third betas of iOS 18.2 and iPadOS 18.2 to developers for testing today. While the third betas of each update are minor relative to the first two betas, there are still a handful of changes across the Photos app, TV app, and more. A corresponding iOS 18.2 public beta with these changes will likely be released later this week, and Apple previously confirmed that the software...
General Final Cut Pro Feature

Apple Likely to Announce Final Cut Pro Update This Week With These New Features

Sunday November 10, 2024 12:13 pm PST by
In its announcement video for the new Mac mini last month, Apple teased an "upcoming" version of Final Cut Pro for the Mac. Apple will likely announce the update during the annual Final Cut Pro Creative Summit, which begins this Wednesday. The conference is held in association with Apple, and attendees will be visiting Apple Park on the first day. Apple already teased four new features...
iPad iOS 16 WP Display Feature eric edit

Apple to Launch AI-Powered Home 'Command Center' as Soon as March 2025

Tuesday November 12, 2024 1:09 pm PST by
Apple is planning to launch an AI-powered smart home display as soon as March 2025, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The display will measure in at approximately six inches, and while it is similar to an iPad, it is square rather than rectangular and it has thick bezels around the edges. There is a camera at the top front so that it can be used for FaceTime, plus there are internal speakers...