Tweaked Full-Size iPad with Lightning Connector Coming Next Week

In line with one of the theories explaining two dozen iPad part numbers that appeared earlier this week, 9to5Mac reports that half of those part numbers are indeed for a revised version of the third-generation full-size iPad.

The revised iPads arriving at next Tuesday's media event will reportedly make the switch to Apple's new Lightning connector, and may include other enhancements as well while retaining the same pricing as the current models.

Apple will announce a refreshed version of its full-sized, 9.7-inch Retina display iPad at its media event October 23rd, according to our sources. These people say that the new version of the iPad will retain the same $499, $599, and $699 WiFi-only price points, and the LTE line will retain the current $629, $729, and $829 pricing. With no price changes or additional storage capacities, we believe that the storage options of 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB will also be retained.

ipad 3 revised part numbers
Claims of a revised full-size iPad surfaced in July amid considerable skepticism, but gained momentum with several follow-up reports in subsequent weeks and were fleshed out with additional rumors over the past several months.

Rumors for the tweaked iPad have included a shift to new indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO) display technology, better heat dissipation, backlight changes, 4G LTE support for the UK and other countries using the 1800 MHz frequency band, and perhaps even a move to Apple's new A6 chip found in the iPhone 5. It is, however, unclear just which of the rumored changes will actually be included in the revision.

Related Roundup: iPad
Tag: 9to5Mac
Buyer's Guide: iPad (Caution)
Related Forum: iPad

Popular Stories

iPhone SE 4 Vertical Camera Feature

iPhone SE 4 Rumored to Use Same Rear Chassis as iPhone 16

Friday July 19, 2024 7:16 am PDT by
Apple will adopt the same rear chassis manufacturing process for the iPhone SE 4 that it is using for the upcoming standard iPhone 16, claims a new rumor coming out of China. According to the Weibo-based leaker "Fixed Focus Digital," the backplate manufacturing process for the iPhone SE 4 is "exactly the same" as the standard model in Apple's upcoming iPhone 16 lineup, which is expected to...
iPhone 16 Pro Sizes Feature

iPhone 16 Series Is Just Two Months Away: Everything We Know

Monday July 15, 2024 4:44 am PDT by
Apple typically releases its new iPhone series around mid-September, which means we are about two months out from the launch of the iPhone 16. Like the iPhone 15 series, this year's lineup is expected to stick with four models – iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max – although there are plenty of design differences and new features to take into account. To bring ...
bsod

Crowdstrike Says Global IT Outage Impacting Windows PCs, But Mac and Linux Hosts Not Affected

Friday July 19, 2024 3:12 am PDT by
A widespread system failure is currently affecting numerous Windows devices globally, causing critical boot failures across various industries, including banks, rail networks, airlines, retailers, broadcasters, healthcare, and many more sectors. The issue, manifesting as a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD), is preventing computers from starting up properly and forcing them into continuous recovery...
iphone 14 lineup

Cellebrite Unable to Unlock iPhones on iOS 17.4 or Later, Leak Reveals

Thursday July 18, 2024 4:18 am PDT by
Israel-based mobile forensics company Cellebrite is unable to unlock iPhones running iOS 17.4 or later, according to leaked documents verified by 404 Media. The documents provide a rare glimpse into the capabilities of the company's mobile forensics tools and highlight the ongoing security improvements in Apple's latest devices. The leaked "Cellebrite iOS Support Matrix" obtained by 404 Media...
Apple Watch Series 9

2024 Apple Watch Lineup: Key Changes We're Expecting

Tuesday July 16, 2024 7:59 am PDT by
Apple is seemingly planning a rework of the Apple Watch lineup for 2024, according to a range of reports from over the past year. Here's everything we know so far. Apple is expected to continue to offer three different Apple Watch models in five casing sizes, but the various display sizes will allegedly grow by up to 12% and the casings will get taller. Based on all of the latest rumors,...
tinypod apple watch

TinyPod Turns Your Apple Watch Into an iPod

Wednesday July 17, 2024 3:18 pm PDT by
If you have an old Apple Watch and you're not sure what to do with it, a new product called TinyPod might be the answer. Priced at $79, the TinyPod is a silicone case with a built-in scroll wheel that houses the Apple Watch chassis. When an Apple Watch is placed inside the TinyPod, the click wheel on the case is able to be used to scroll through the Apple Watch interface. The feature works...

Top Rated Comments

darkslide29 Avatar
153 months ago
Damn, owned for 7 months and outdated already. :(
Score: 89 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DakotaGuy Avatar
153 months ago
Why would they not just wait until it is actually redesigned? It seems too soon for a heavily revised model.
Score: 44 Votes (Like | Disagree)
wizard Avatar
153 months ago
We don't know what the revision entails.

There are some really good reasons for a more elaborate tweak though. For example:
[LIST=1]
* The lightening connector needs support. The faster Apple gets people moved to the standard the faster they can get on with other things.
* If the Sharp displays are indeed ready they would offer up a significant power savings which leads to longer battery life. This leads to marketing possibilities.
* Microsoft is coming out with their product, Apples ability to market new and improved devices against MS hardware is a positive thing. Even if the improvements are minor, people respond to new and Improved.
* If Apple does go A6 they will effectively be able to outperform most MS tablets with very good battery life. Not just ARM based MS tablets but even ATOM based tablets. Putting MS in the back seat performance wise would truly destroy any initiative they may have. It is bit of a brutal approach to business but if Apple can trash MS launch it could put MS tablet adoption behind by years.
* The potential for better and more universal LTE support should not be dismissed. apple coming up short here has been a problem in some countries.
* Christmas is coming. This should be self explanatory.
* A major revision at this time could potentially double performance of the iPad. This is huge and frankly as much as I love my iPad 3 it could use a performance boost. At this time it looks like a doubling of performance would be a no brainer for A6.
* Disruption of the rest of the competition. Why let the competition make progress against you.


Why would they not just wait until it is actually redesigned? It seems too soon for a heavily revised model.

Oh I think it is the perfect time. Hit the market right before MS introduces their hardware and right before the holiday shopping season with a device that no one can touch. Brilliant!
Score: 32 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DakotaGuy Avatar
153 months ago
Maybe that's why they didn't call it "iPad 3"...they'll just tweak it and wait another year.

That is a possibility, but there will probably be a few upset people with an iPad that went out of date faster then an Android phone.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
carmenodie Avatar
153 months ago
Ain't going to happen.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Akuratyde Avatar
153 months ago
GOOD. Maybe now they can finally start getting out of this 12-month redesign cycle they and their customers are locked into. Apple should make updates to the iPad and iPhone when they an addition worthy of an update. They don't update the iMac's and Macbook's every 12 months because there's no reason to. They do spec bumps when it's necessary and there's no reason the iPhone or iPad should be different.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)