Digitimes has been the source of many supplier rumors for Apple's upcoming products, though their accuracy is always up for some debate. Based on our own record keeping at this time, Digitimes has had about a 55% accuracy on rumors that could later be validated.
A new codename finding by 9to5Mac in the latest iOS 5 betas seems to confirm that Digitimes has been accurate about some of their reporting on the upcoming iPad 3.
The "J2" model listed above corresponds to recent report in which Digitimes discusses two prototype models codenamed J1 and J2 that Apple has been working on.
Apple is currently giving two tablet PC projects codenamed J1 and J2 to its upstream partners for development. The sources revealed that the major differences of the new tablet PCs compared to the previous model are their size, specifications and technologies.
Since the new tablet PCs have a higher resolution, Apple has demanded the design of the light source to be changed from a single LED light bar to two LED light bars on the left and right sides of the machine, but since the method of adopting two LED light bars has created difficulty in shrinking the machine's thickness, some vendors have come out with designs that only adopt one light bar, but are packing two LED chips into one package.
The report is quite vague but does touch on an issue that has appeared from other sources as well.
The issue of the the higher resolution screen of the iPad 3 requiring a second light bar for the iPad 3 was also reported by Digitimes. iLounge later reported that the new iPad 3 would end up being 0.7mm thicker than the iPad 2 due to this need to incorporate a dual light bar system to support the higher-resolution display.
Apple is widely believed to be working on an iPad 3 with a "Retina" display that may double the iPad's screen resolution. Persistent rumors have suggested that Apple's partners have had difficulties in mass producing such screens.
Apple may have canceled the super scratch resistant anti-reflective display coating that it planned to use for the iPhone 17 Pro models, according to a source with reliable information that spoke to MacRumors.
Last spring, Weibo leaker Instant Digital suggested Apple was working on a new anti-reflective display layer that was more scratch resistant than the Ceramic Shield. We haven't heard...
Apple has completed Engineering Validation Testing (EVT) for at least one iPhone 17 model, according to a paywalled preview of an upcoming DigiTimes report.
iPhone 17 Air mockup based on rumored design
The EVT stage involves Apple testing iPhone 17 prototypes to ensure the hardware works as expected. There are still DVT (Design Validation Test) and PVT (Production Validation Test) stages to...
Apple will likely manufacture its 20th anniversary iPhone models in China, despite broader efforts to shift production to India, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
In 2027, Apple is planning a "major shake-up" for the iPhone lineup to mark two decades since the original model launched. Gurman's previous reporting indicates the company will introduce a foldable iPhone alongside a "bold"...
This week marks the 10th anniversary of the Apple Watch, which launched on April 24, 2015. Yesterday, we recapped features rumored for the Apple Watch Series 11, but since 2015, the Apple Watch has also branched out into the Apple Watch Ultra and the Apple Watch SE, so we thought we'd take a look at what's next for those product lines, too.
2025 Apple Watch Ultra 3
Apple didn't update the...
Wednesday April 30, 2025 3:59 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Apple is preparing to launch a dramatically thinner iPhone this September, and if recent leaks are anything to go by, the so-called iPhone 17 Air could boast one of the most radical design shifts in recent years.
iPhone 17 Air dummy model alongside iPhone 16 Pro (credit: AppleTrack)
At just 5.5mm thick (excluding a slightly raised camera bump), the 6.6-inch iPhone 17 Air is expected to become ...
Wednesday April 23, 2025 8:31 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices.
Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025:
Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
Tuesday April 29, 2025 3:36 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
All upcoming iPhone 17 models will come equipped with 12GB of RAM to support Apple Intelligence, according to the Weibo-based leaker Digital Chat Station.
The claim from the Chinese leaker, who has sources within Apple's supply chain, comes a few days after industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that the iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max will all be equipped with 12GB of RAM.
...
Tuesday April 29, 2025 1:30 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...
"The sources revealed that the major differences of the new tablet PCs compared to the previous model are their size, specifications and technologies."
Wow. Some analysis from those sources!!
Because if the size, specifications and technologies were the same -- we'd have the iPad 2!!
Hahaha... I thought to myself, "What other thing could be added to that list?!"
Since size was mentioned, I wonder if it will be smaller than the current iPad? Maybe 7"?
A tablet PC, rly?
Not quite tablet and not quite a PC.
I picked up on that sly little adjective too...
Let's hope Apple can avoid the need for a dual light bar. It's a compromise I'm sure they'd rather not live with. A thicker iPad would be a step in the wrong direction.
Thicker, yeah, like adding the thickness of a razor blade so you can have a beautiful bright display...no problem.
Screw a 7" iPad, Jobs was right. I just got a Kindle Fire, and the difference in usability of the 7" screen is huge. It's closer to web surfing on a phone than it is on an iPad, it's hard to press buttons and links, in landscape it's too short and in portrait it's too narrow. Granted that has more to do with 16:9 and 1024x600, but 4:3 7" would do away with being able to hold it in one hand, the only advantage to 7". So in short, screw 7", Jobs was right.
I'm going to return the fire, it's a piece of crap, not even worth the sub-manufacturing price it's sold at. It will only appeal to people who care about cost savings above any sense of quality, and those people are not Apples target audience. Anyways...
Rob
The fire will sell like hotcakes leading up to the holiday, and then lead the pack on returns for the next 30 days. Even the least expensive iPad will do a better job of surfing Amazon than the Fire, and that's what the Fire was meant to do.
iPads are, and will always be, awkward products, until they run some form of OS X, or evolve into something as advanced as OS X.
Dude! iOS is OSX, have you been locked up or something?
Screw a 7" iPad, Jobs was right. I just got a Kindle Fire, and the difference in usability of the 7" screen is huge. It's closer to web surfing on a phone than it is on an iPad, it's hard to press buttons and links, in landscape it's too short and in portrait it's too narrow. Granted that has more to do with 16:9 and 1024x600, but 4:3 7" would do away with being able to hold it in one hand, the only advantage to 7". So in short, screw 7", Jobs was right.
I'm going to return the fire, it's a piece of crap, not even worth the sub-manufacturing price it's sold at. It will only appeal to people who care about cost savings above any sense of quality, and those people are not Apples target audience. Anyways...
"The sources revealed that the major differences of the new tablet PCs compared to the previous model are their size, specifications and technologies."
Wow. Some analysis from those sources!!
Because if the size, specifications and technologies were the same -- we'd have the iPad 2!!
"The sources revealed that the major differences of the new tablet PCs compared to the previous model are their size, specifications and technologies."
Wow. Some analysis from those sources!!
Because if the size, specifications and technologies were the same -- we'd have the iPad 2!!
The most shocking discovery of all is that Apple seem to actively be working on an iPad 2 successor right now that is called iPad 3! I definitely thought the iPad project was dropped due to them selling so bad! What would we be without those analysts!