iPad 3 Specs Leaked in Japan - Device Is Thicker (Rumor)

A Japanese source with a mixed track record of predicting Apple’s upcoming products claims to have talked to an Asian supplier who is privy of the tech specs pertaining to the Apple iPad 3.

Specifically, Makotacara’s source says the next iPad has the same screen size as the current devices, but that it’s thicker.

While the original Apple Smart Cover accessories will fit, the source said, many third party cases - which also cover the back of the current-generation iPad - won’t.

The image produced by their connects seems to show an iPad 3 protective case, though the report fails to confirm what the object is exactly. Had it borne an Apple logo, one could be fooled it was the actual tablet computer.

We shouldn’t be particularly interested in these rather vague accounts, had it not been for an iLounge report that said pretty much the same thing last month.

The latter blog called its source ‘most reliable’ when it reported that Apple had a thicker iPad scheduled for March 2012.

The report noted that Apple’s third-generation tablet computer was roughly 0.7 mm thicker due to the twin light bar system needed for the higher resolution (Retina) display.

Unlike the more recent Japanese report though, the November rumor said something about a January unveiling.

Suffice to say few people know anything about the next version of the iPad, save for the engineers actively working on the device, and maybe the part manufacturers.

Foxconn, of course, must have received the blueprints already. Terry Gou’s ‘workshops’ are still used by Apple for the assembly of most iDevices.

It’s also worth pointing out that people with access to the latest iOS 5 betas have recently identified a number of designations that refer to unreleased iPads.

Specifically, the code names J1 and J2 were spotted inside code that clearly referenced upcoming versions of the tablet computer.

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