Apple might be supposedly raising the bar on sales of the iPhone 5 when it announces it this fall, but a report suggests another new iPad, rumored to be coming with its handset counterpart, is getting shelved instead.
Rumor had it that a Retina display-based iPad, with double the resolution of the current 1024×768 dots-per-inch iPad 2 screen, might be on its way this fall. But two new reports, one from Asian tech publication DigiTimes and another from TiPb, suggest that trouble integrating the Retina display with Apple’s powerhouse tablet is postponing the device into 2012, according to a story from 9to5Mac.
DigiTimes’ unnamed sources reportedly come from upstream components suppliers used by Apple in the creation of its products in Asia. According to the story, Apple was on pace to have somewhere between 1.5 million and 2 million Retina iPads manufactured in the third quarter of 2011, plus another 5 million to 6 million in the fourth quarter. DigiTimes says now that those orders have been cancelled, with the speculation putting the Retina iPad on track for a spring release date, mirroring Apple’s yearly product refreshes.
We’ve been hearing off and on about the potential iPad 3 or Retina-enabled iPad since before the release of the iPad 2, way back in the spring. It was rumored a third iPad would be hitting stores in the fall despite Apple only bringing out the amped-up iPad 2 in March. TiPb wasn’t clear on just what might be holding up the Retina iPad, just that its unnamed, anonymous sources claimed that the device was coming, and now is no longer.
Just when it might hit stores isn’t clear, but code hidden in iOS 5, the upcoming update to Apple’s mobile operating system, suggests pretty conclusively that Apple is working on an iPad with a sharper display. References to resolutions of 2048×1536 – the very resolution a double-sharp Retina iPad would carry – are found within the code for the operating system, suggesting that when Apple does complete and release the device, the software will be ready and waiting for it.
Another rumor: iPhone 4G being tested
If you haven’t had enough of Apple rumors just yet, we’ve got another one: Boy Genius Report is reporting that a 4G LTE iPhone is being carrier tested as we speak.
This doesn’t necessarily mean that the next iPhone, which we’re expecting in October (or maybe September), will be 4G LTE-capable, only that BGR says it can confirm that Verizon and AT&T are testing an iPhone on its 4G LTE networks. It could a while before that device makes it to market, maybe as long as next year’s product cycle (which might be summer, might be fall, at this point).
BRG says it has “obtained evidence of an internal iOS test build from one of Apple’s major carrier partners, and buried in the firmware is a property list (.plist file) for LTE.” If it’s true, it means Apple isn’t staying out of the 4G LTE race (too much), which is currently consuming most of Verizon and AT&T’s attention. Both carriers already have 4G devices; Verizon is opening more and more subscribers to the technology, which offers faster data speeds and clearer network connections than the current 3G networks. AT&T says that its hopeful merger with T-Mobile will help it expand its LTE coverage in ways it otherwise couldn’t.
