March Launch for Slightly Thicker iPad 3? iPhone with 4-Inch Screen in Summer?

iLounge offers a series of tidbits from its "most reliable source" regarding Apple's product plans for 2012, reporting that the iPad, iPhone, and MacBook Pro will all be receiving redesigns.

- iPad: The source indicates that the iPad 3 is planned to launch in March and that it will be approximately 0.7 mm thicker than the iPad 2 due to the need to incorporate a dual light bar system for the higher-resolution display. The iPad 2 currently checks in 8.8 mm thick, which would make the iPad 3 approximately 8% thicker than the iPad 2 but still substantially thinner than the 13.4 mm original iPad.


Previous "iPhone 5" mockup based on leaked case designs
- iPhone: iLounge's source claims that the next-generation will not resemble the teardrop "iPhone 5" design that circulated ahead of the iPhone 4S introduction last month. The next iPhone is, however, said to carry a 4-inch display (up from 3.5 inches in the current iPhone) and be 8 mm longer than the current form factor. Apple is said to be targeting a summer launch for the device, which would mark a short interval from the iPhone 4S launch last month.

- MacBook Pro: The source indicates that 2012 will indeed see the launch of a thinner MacBook Pro form factor, barring any last-minute problems. We've been hearing for some time that Apple has been finishing up work on just such a redesign, although the company did sneak in one last minor refresh using the current form factor just last month. Recent reports have claimed that an ultra-thin 15" Mac notebook, whether it be a MacBook Pro or MacBook Air, is on target for a March launch with small volumes of components already making their way through the supply chain.