Apple has sent out invitations to the San Francisco launch of its new iPad 3 this week.
As expected, the device will be unveiled on March 7 at a special even in the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco.
The invitation says, ‘We have something you really have to see. And touch.’
The invitation shows a finger over an iPad screen, pointing to the Calendar app, which is set to March 7.
The new iPad models are expected to offer a much higher resolution Full HD screen.
Bloomberg reports that iPad 3 processor will be a ‘quad-core’ device, a step that would put Apple’s tablet ahead of competing devices such as Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 in terms of computing power, and enable a new generation of high-powered apps.
Tech site MacRumors claims that the new models will also be more expensive.
‘The iPad 3 costs $80 more for the equivalent Wi-Fi models, and $70 more for the equivalent 3G models,’ said MacRumors, reporting on leaks from Chinese factories.
The device is expected to look similar to the current iPad 2, but offer a far sharper HD screen and a next-generation processor capable of impressive visual effects.
The tech blog iMore reported that the new device is also rumoured to feature the anticipated 2048×1536 Retina display, and the quad-core Apple A6 chip to boost its speed and effectiveness.
Ezra Gottheil, an analyst with Technology Business Research said last week that a March debut of the gadget was a ‘sure bet’.
Speaking to Computer World, Mr Gotteil said: ‘It will have a higher-resolution screen’.
‘That’s important to them because it means the iPad will work well with home cinema systems, since it will display full HD.
Leaked images also hint at a casing that looks similar to iPad 2. The validity of those pictures, could not be determined.
All Things D, a blog owned by Dow Jones, reported that the device will be introduced during a special Apple event in San Francisco.
The late Steve Jobs introduced the previous iPad there at about the same time last year.
Various Apple accessory companies were showing off iPad 3 cases behind closed doors at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, all of which hinted at a gadget broadly similar in shape to last year’s.
Popular Apple-watching website iLounge claimed to have seen a prototype behind the scenes at the show.
The site’s editor-in-chief, Jeremy Horwitz said: ‘From the front, the next iPad and iPad 2 appear to look basically the same—apart, of course, from the screen. That’s going to be Apple’s big focus when the new device is announced.’
