As an expected early March reveal for the third-generation iPad 3 approaches, details are leaking from Chinese sources. New photos detail what is claimed to be the logic board for an iPad 3, sporting an "A5X" processor. Pictures of the rear casing show a more tapered rear panel with what appears to be a lens opening similar to that of the iPhone 4S, suggesting a possible 8MP rear camera. These new leaks support earlier rumors that the iPad 3 would get an improved dual-core processor and a serious bump in camera resolution.
MacRumors published an image discovered on a Chinese forum post of a purported iPad 3 logic board. The board sports a processor labelled "A5X," suggesting that it's a revision of the current dual-core A5 processor used in the iPad 2 and iPhone 4S. Several signs pointed to the possibility that Apple could move to a quad-core design for its next-gen mobile processor, and earlier rumors suggested this was so. However, a recent report from The Verge indicated that the processor would retain the same dual-core processor with improved Imagination Technologies GPU cores. An "A5X" (A5 eXtreme?) would fit in with that description.
The A5 is no slouch in general processing, but improved graphics processing would be especially useful if the iPad 3 contains a 2048 x 1536 pixel "Retina" display. Such a display has long been predicted, and has been all but confirmed by a leak of upcoming display parts sporting doubled linear resolution last week. Whatever other improvements an iPad 3 might have, a Retina display seems a sure bet.
MacRumors also recently highlighted images of the purported rear unibody enclosure of the iPad 3 published by NextMedia, a Taiwanese news source that publishes the Apple Daily tabloid. While NextMedia is not considered a highly reliable rumor source, the images are similar to others of the same purported iPad 3 parts that have leaked out of China.
In particular, the newer images reveal a more gradual taper of the rear of the iPad compared to the iPad 2, as well as a much larger lens opening for the rear-facing camera. Hiding behind that larger lens opening is what looks to be a camera module similar to that of the iPhone 4S. An earlier rumor suggested that the updated iPad would get camera hardware comparable to that of the iPhone 4S, with a 720p front-facing "FaceTime HD" camera, and an 8MP rear-facing camera. These images seem to support that notion, though we're not sure such expensive parts will make it into a $499 device. Consider us cautiously optimistic that this rumor is true.
The next iPad hardware revision is expected to be announced during a special media event on or around March 7.
Further reading
- [iPad&相关]晒下iPad3主板，期待A6处理器的果粉要失望了 (bbs.weiphone.com)
- 新iPad傳3/7開賣 心臟變四核心 鏡頭加大 (tw.nextmedia.com)
- Next-gen iPads with LTE and an 8" version in testing? Magic WSJ-ball says "yes" (arstechnica.com)
Chinese source leaked that the iPad3 may just have the camera power we all asked for
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