Images purportedly showing iPad 3 diagnostic info suggest that Apple's next tablet will sport a quad-core A6 processor.
Boy Genius Report cites a source who claims to have an iPad 3 prototype in his possession, and sent the site some sneaky snaps from a diagnostic tool called iBoot.
The most interesting tidbit to be gleaned from the lines of information is what the iPad 3's processor could look like. In one of the images you can spot the text 'DEVELOPMENT_ARM_S5L8945X'. The A4 chip's model number is S5L8930X, and the A5 is S5L8940X, according to BGR, so the iPad 3 looks set to sport Apple's A6 chip, expected to be a quad-core monster wrought in tiny bits of silicon.
Nothing about the next iPad's processor is confirmed at the moment, but we're expecting the iPad 3 to come with a more powerful chip than the A5 nestled inside the current version.
We'd hardly call the iPad 2 underpowered or sluggish, but a processor that packs more grunt will make the third iteration capable of handling more intensive games, and if -- as rumours suggest -- the next iPad packs a higher resolution retina display, it'll need a faster chip to cope with the bump in pixels.
It's reckoned that the iPad 3 is going by the codenames iPad 3,1 and iPad 3,2, to signify the Wi-Fi and network variants.
As for the release date, Apple released its last two tablets in the spring, so we expect to see the iPad 3 unveiled in the next few months. On the other hand, Apple doesn't have much competition in terms of tablets, so perhaps it'll leave the iPad 2 on sale for a bit longer before offering up the next one.
What do you want to see in the next iPad? Tell us in the comments or on our Facebook wall.
Image credit: BGR
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anonymous 2 February, 2012 12:13
The iPad 2's Apple A5 chip was the S5L8940X, while the iPad's A4 processor was labelled the S5L8930X.
S5L8945X coding suggests the new CPU is an upgraded version of the A5 - 940X to 945X, not 940X to 950X - rather than a new generation of processor as far ahead of the A5 as that was above the A4.
This suggests to me that new chip not quad core but maybe suped up version of A5
anonymous 2 February, 2012 14:06
'On the other hand, Apple doesn't have much competition in terms of tablets' The new kindle fire has created competition with all tablets, not just Ipad. Apple wouldn't want to risk loosing the 'tablet war', I do beleive it will be released in March, definitely something will be announced 24 Febuary, Steve Jobs' birthday.
anonymous 3 February, 2012 15:34
Big question: Is the tech really needed? Normally tech involved has to leap or answer specific pains. To an iPad2 owner to be honest am I missing 3D? No. Do I need super processing? No. I just need to be told the short cuts to stop all the programs running in the background. Hey presto runs like wildfire.
I think the only things we miss, we won't get. SD card input, freedom to import and play MP3 and movies we want. I believe that tech isn't looking to come around soon....