iPad 3 to have 8-megapixel camera?

The iPad 3 will have an 8-megapixel camera. That's the latest rumour anyway, according to Next Media. The site also claims to have pictures of the device, showing off the larger camera hole.

But I'm skeptical. While there are bound to be plenty of rumours and purported leaks ahead of a new Apple launch, we sort the wheat from the chaff here at CNET UK.

For a start, it's highly unlikely Apple would let an early model slip out early. Yes, it's happened before, but that was a one-off, and Apple will have tightened its security since that embarrassing leak. I can believe certain parts might fall into bloggers' hands, like with the purported retina display yesterday, but a whole device? It's doubtful, to say the least.

Then there's how Next Media has treated it. If it was the first website in the world to get an iPad 3, surely it would go to town with as many pictures as it could, as it'd be quite the exclusive -- not the rather low-quality shots accompanying its article. Of course someone may have only leaked it these snaps, but why wouldn't the source send all of them over?

And would Apple bother fitting an 8-megapixel snapper to the iPad? How many people do you see taking pictures with the unwieldy device? It didn't put in a 5-megapixel camera until the iPhone 4, so it's doubtful it would go to the trouble and expense of fitting an 8-megapixel effort to the iPad. That would bump up the price of the device too, and it's already pretty pricey.

For my money, I think the iPad 3 will launch on 7 March, rocking a retina display and quad-core A6 processor. But an 8-megapixel camera on the back? I'm not so sure.

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