Tweaked Full-Size iPad with Lightning Connector Coming Next Week

In line with one of the theories explaining two dozen iPad part numbers that appeared earlier this week, 9to5Mac reports that half of those part numbers are indeed for a revised version of the third-generation full-size iPad.

The revised iPads arriving at next Tuesday's media event will reportedly make the switch to Apple's new Lightning connector, and may include other enhancements as well while retaining the same pricing as the current models.

Apple will announce a refreshed version of its full-sized, 9.7-inch Retina display iPad at its media event October 23rd, according to our sources. These people say that the new version of the iPad will retain the same $499, $599, and $699 WiFi-only price points, and the LTE line will retain the current $629, $729, and $829 pricing. With no price changes or additional storage capacities, we believe that the storage options of 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB will also be retained.

ipad 3 revised part numbers
Claims of a revised full-size iPad surfaced in July amid considerable skepticism, but gained momentum with several follow-up reports in subsequent weeks and were fleshed out with additional rumors over the past several months.

Rumors for the tweaked iPad have included a shift to new indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO) display technology, better heat dissipation, backlight changes, 4G LTE support for the UK and other countries using the 1800 MHz frequency band, and perhaps even a move to Apple's new A6 chip found in the iPhone 5. It is, however, unclear just which of the rumored changes will actually be included in the revision.

Related Roundup: iPad
Tag: 9to5Mac
Buyer's Guide: iPad (Caution)
Related Forum: iPad

Popular Stories

iPhone SE 4 Vertical Camera Feature

iPhone SE 4 Production Will Reportedly Begin Ramping Up in October

Tuesday July 23, 2024 2:00 pm PDT by
Following nearly two years of rumors about a fourth-generation iPhone SE, The Information today reported that Apple suppliers are finally planning to begin ramping up mass production of the device in October of this year. If accurate, that timeframe would mean that the next iPhone SE would not be announced alongside the iPhone 16 series in September, as expected. Instead, the report...
iPhone 17 Plus Feature

iPhone 17 Lineup Specs Detail Display Upgrade and New High-End Model

Monday July 22, 2024 4:33 am PDT by
Key details about the overall specifications of the iPhone 17 lineup have been shared by the leaker known as "Ice Universe," clarifying several important aspects of next year's devices. Reports in recent months have converged in agreement that Apple will discontinue the "Plus" iPhone model in 2025 while introducing an all-new iPhone 17 "Slim" model as an even more high-end option sitting...
Generic iPhone 17 Feature With Full Width Dynamic Island

Kuo: Ultra-Thin iPhone 17 to Feature A19 Chip, Single Rear Camera, Semi-Titanium Frame, and More

Wednesday July 24, 2024 9:06 am PDT by
Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today shared alleged specifications for a new ultra-thin iPhone 17 model rumored to launch next year. Kuo expects the device to be equipped with a 6.6-inch display with a current-size Dynamic Island, a standard A19 chip rather than an A19 Pro chip, a single rear camera, and an Apple-designed 5G chip. He also expects the device to have a...
iPhone 16 Pro Sizes Feature

iPhone 16 Series Is Less Than Two Months Away: Everything We Know

Thursday July 25, 2024 5:43 am PDT by
Apple typically releases its new iPhone series around mid-September, which means we are about two months out from the launch of the iPhone 16. Like the iPhone 15 series, this year's lineup is expected to stick with four models – iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max – although there are plenty of design differences and new features to take into account. To bring ...
icloud private relay outage

iCloud Private Relay Experiencing Outage

Thursday July 25, 2024 3:18 pm PDT by
Apple’s iCloud Private Relay service is down for some users, according to Apple’s System Status page. Apple says that the iCloud Private Relay service may be slow or unavailable. The outage started at 2:34 p.m. Eastern Time, but it does not appear to be affecting all iCloud users. Some impacted users are unable to browse the web without turning iCloud Private Relay off, while others are...

Top Rated Comments

darkslide29 Avatar
154 months ago
Damn, owned for 7 months and outdated already. :(
Score: 89 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DakotaGuy Avatar
154 months ago
Why would they not just wait until it is actually redesigned? It seems too soon for a heavily revised model.
Score: 44 Votes (Like | Disagree)
wizard Avatar
154 months ago
We don't know what the revision entails.

There are some really good reasons for a more elaborate tweak though. For example:
[LIST=1]
* The lightening connector needs support. The faster Apple gets people moved to the standard the faster they can get on with other things.
* If the Sharp displays are indeed ready they would offer up a significant power savings which leads to longer battery life. This leads to marketing possibilities.
* Microsoft is coming out with their product, Apples ability to market new and improved devices against MS hardware is a positive thing. Even if the improvements are minor, people respond to new and Improved.
* If Apple does go A6 they will effectively be able to outperform most MS tablets with very good battery life. Not just ARM based MS tablets but even ATOM based tablets. Putting MS in the back seat performance wise would truly destroy any initiative they may have. It is bit of a brutal approach to business but if Apple can trash MS launch it could put MS tablet adoption behind by years.
* The potential for better and more universal LTE support should not be dismissed. apple coming up short here has been a problem in some countries.
* Christmas is coming. This should be self explanatory.
* A major revision at this time could potentially double performance of the iPad. This is huge and frankly as much as I love my iPad 3 it could use a performance boost. At this time it looks like a doubling of performance would be a no brainer for A6.
* Disruption of the rest of the competition. Why let the competition make progress against you.


Why would they not just wait until it is actually redesigned? It seems too soon for a heavily revised model.

Oh I think it is the perfect time. Hit the market right before MS introduces their hardware and right before the holiday shopping season with a device that no one can touch. Brilliant!
Score: 32 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DakotaGuy Avatar
154 months ago
Maybe that's why they didn't call it "iPad 3"...they'll just tweak it and wait another year.

That is a possibility, but there will probably be a few upset people with an iPad that went out of date faster then an Android phone.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
carmenodie Avatar
154 months ago
Ain't going to happen.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Akuratyde Avatar
154 months ago
GOOD. Maybe now they can finally start getting out of this 12-month redesign cycle they and their customers are locked into. Apple should make updates to the iPad and iPhone when they an addition worthy of an update. They don't update the iMac's and Macbook's every 12 months because there's no reason to. They do spec bumps when it's necessary and there's no reason the iPhone or iPad should be different.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)