iPad 3 March 2012 release looking certain, Apple rumored to have begun production

Latest reports from Bloomberg indicate that Apple is ready to go with the new iPad 3 in March 2012, as manufacturing partners in Asia started ramping up production on the new iPad.  In preparation of its March launch, Apple and partners plan to reach full volumes by February, according to one of the unnamed sources.  This is more evidence on top of earlier rumors that Apple has plans to release two iPads this year.

In addition to the release date rumors, two other sources have confirmed previous features indicating that the iPad 3 will ship with a hi-def screen, work with next-gen wireless networks, and use a quad-core chip that will let users switch between apps more quickly.  This also makes videos play almost instantly, said one of the other unnamed sources.

One source said Apple is bringing LTE to the iPad before the iPhone because of the tablet's bigger battery and the ability to support the power requirements of the new technology.

The same person said the new display has "more pixels on its screen than some hi-def televisions" and that the "pixels are small enough to make the images look like printed material."  If true, this fuels earlier speculation that the iPad 3 will come with a QXGA (1,536×2,048 pixels) display.

The iPad 3 is said to be assembled by Foxconn Technology Group, the same company that builds the iPhone and other Apple products.  It was said that mass production on the iPad 3 started at the beginning of this month, with factories running a questionable 24 hours a day in China.  After a small break during China's Lunar New Year this month, production is going to ramp up in February.

Right now this is all rumor and hearsay as Apple has not officially commented and does not comment on speculation.  Even though these rumors all pretty much point to the same evidence, we must continue to remember that they are still rumors and may not be true.