Rumor: iPad 3 to get 2GHz dual-core Samsung CPU

By Trevor Mogg April 19, 2011

ipad-3 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

With millions still waiting patiently for iPad 2 stocks to replenish (the Apple store is still showing a wait time of 2-3 weeks for the popular tablet), attention is already turning to the iPad 3, which of course doesn’t actually exist yet.

TouchReviews has picked up on a report on the South Korean web portal Daum, which quotes an unnamed “high-ranking official” at electronics giant Samsung as saying, “We are planning to release a 2Ghz dual-core CPU-equipped smartphone by next year. This product will have the data processing capacities of a regular PC.” That’s some serious horsepower for a mobile device.

Of course, it’s likely that Apple, who is one of Samsung’s main customers when it comes to parts for its mobile devices, will want a piece of the action. Apple’s A4 and A5 chips used in the iPhone 4 and iPad 2 are made by Samsung, so it’s likely that the folks at Cupertino will want to take a close look at any new chips coming out of the South Korean company’s headquarters.

The two companies are, however, currently involved in a game of litigation-tennis regarding various allegations, so who knows if that will have an effect on dealings between them.

Still, business is business so it’s more likely to be an honorable draw than game-set-and-match to one side regarding the latest set of legal spats. That’s right, more than likely they’ll find the time to get around a nice big shiny table and thrash out some kind of deal where no one loses face and everyone makes a lot of money.

A 2Ghz dual-core processor would significantly boost the current spec of the iPad 2, which operates with a 1Ghz dual-core processor. That’s already a big improvement over the original iPad, with many reviewers commenting on the improved speed performance of the latest tablet, so a processor twice the speed could be something pretty special, allowing for even more demanding apps to be developed.

No official announcements have been made regarding the release of the iPad 3, though recent reports suggest a release in 2012 at the earliest.

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

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