Fall release of iPad 3 canceled due to Retina display issues

By Trevor Mogg August 15, 2011

It seems that rumors of a fall release for the iPad 3 can finally be laid to rest.

Taiwan-based DigiTimes reported late Monday that the iPad 3’s supply schedule for the second half of 2011 has been canceled by Apple. A supply volume of 1.5 to 2 million units for the third quarter and 5 to 6 million units for the fourth quarter had been planned.

It seems that the delay is related to issues concerning the introduction of an improved screen resolution, what Cupertino-based Apple call the Retina display. The high resolution screen was first seen with the release of the iPhone 4 in 2010.

The DigiTimes report says: “The sources believe that the yield rate of the 9.7-inch panel that feature resolution of 2,048 by 1,536 may be the major reason of the supply delay since such panels are mainly supplied by Japan-based Sharp with a high price and Apple’s other supply partners Samsung Electronics and LG Display are both unable to reach a good yield.” The current iPad has a screen resolution of 1024×768.

Also, a higher-resolution iPad would require a significantly larger backlight source and “a single edge light bar is hardly able to reach satisfaction levels,” the report says.

So now that we can say with some assurance that the iPad 3 looks set for release some time in 2012, the rumor mill can once again give its full attention to the launch date of the highly anticipated next-generation iPhone. It’ll likely be happening in the fall but is still, of course, the subject of much speculation….and rumor.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Contributing Editor

Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…

Mobile

Apple overhauled its two best iPad accessories. Here’s what’s new

Apple Pencil Pro

Apple has unveiled two new accessories for the iPad Pro 2024 models, an upgraded Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil that offer significant improvements compared to their previous versions.

The latest version of the Magic Keyboard has undergone a redesign, making it thinner and lighter than its predecessor. It is now available in two colors to complement the new iPad Pro models. Some new features include a function row equipped with screen brightness controls, an aluminum palm rest, and a larger trackpad with haptic feedback.

Mobile

Apple just did something amazing to the iPad

The yellow iPad (2022) lying face-down on a green bush.

Apple's "Let Loose" event just wrapped up, and as expected, there was a lot of iPad news. Just like the rumors suggested, Apple gave us pretty significant overhauls for the new 2024 iPad Air and 2024 iPad Pro. But there was another iPad-related announcement that I didn't expect — and it's the one I'm most excited about.

At the end of its event, Apple announced that the 10th-generation iPad will now be available for just $349. For context, Apple originally launched the 10th-gen iPad in October 2022 for $449. A $100 price cut is nothing to sneeze at, and if you ask me, it completely changes the positioning of this particular iPad.

Mobile

The new iPad Pro is here, and it looks absolutely ridiculous

Official photo of the 2024 iPad Pro.

Apple announced the new iPad Pro series, which seems like the biggest upgrade to an iPad in years, at its Let Loose event on May 7. It brings an all-new processor, design, and display. The new iPad Pros still come in two sizes — 13 inches and 11 inches — and they now carry the "thinnest Apple product ever made" badge. It's a big achievement, considering Apple is dubbing the tablets' M4 processor as a "PC chip." In short, it's a bit more impressive than today's iPad Air news.

The new iPad Pros feature an OLED display for per-pixel brightness precision and greater contrast. It also allows for better immersion in content consumption. The displays can reach 1,000 nits of sustained brightness and 1,600 nits of peak brightness for supported HDR content.