New HD iPad To Be Released This Fall? (UPDATE)

For the last two years, Apple has released its iPad in the first few months of the new year. But could that change this year?

Two sources, This Is My Next and Boy Genius Report, suggest that the new iPad could be coming this fall. An unnamed source told This Is My Next that the new iPad's major improvement would be a higher resolution screen. While the iPad 2 sports a 1024 x 768 resolution, the rumored "iPad HD" would double that to 2048 x 1536, making it HD-ready. Boy Genius Report, meanwhile, added fuel to the iPad rumor fire, citing a note to investors written by FBR Capital Markets analyst Craig Berger. The note claimed that Apple had reached out to parts manufacturers in China and that the "iPad2 Plus," as Berger called it, would be available later in the year. The new iPad would not be the iPad 3, Berger warned, but rather a higher-end model of the current iPad 2.

Both This Is My Next and Boy Genius Report agree that the target audience for the new iPad is power users, especially those in film production and photography. The iPad HD (or iPad 2 Plus, or whatever) will be compatible with a professional quality application resembling Final Cut Pro (film editing) or Aperture (photo editing). Is this going to stop Mac-heads from scooping up the new HD-ready iPads like madmen and madwomen? Probably not. The improved screen resolution would be reason enough for many iPad movie-watchers and business travelers to make the switch alone, while the mere rumor of a new iPad should have the true-believer devotees fishing their Apple-store camping tents out of the garage.

Apple has yet to respond to the rumors with an official announcement about a new iPad, though one is expected some time this fall, perhaps during Steve Jobs' September 1 Apple keynote speech.

UPDATE: Adding credence to the rumor, DigiTimes reports that Apple is set to add a second Taiwanese parts manufacturer for its iPad HDs, which are supposedly coming some time between September and December of this year.

Comments

[Mitchman57]

08:15 AM on 07/11/2011

Apple's grasp on business uses, particularly in graphics, has been slipping away. Steve's switch to consumer-level music players, cell phones and now touch screen game consoles is both a stroke of genius, and telling.

Used to be that you couldn't walk into a classroom without seeing a row of Macs. Now it's all PC's. Comp Sci at HS and college is all PC. My son graduated from Illinois Institute of Technology last year. No Apples, none.

Toys, music and games is where the money is these days. If he hadn't gone in this direction, Apple would be just another 15% market share computer maker. I give Steve kudos for being a visionary.

I still hate the hype though.

[centered1]

09:15 AM on 07/11/2011

I see the opposite. I just started back to college and you hardly see ANY PC's around campus. Almost all students have them, and the university is crammed full of Mac's.
Eh, different school, different computers.

[DRaymond]

01:09 PM on 07/11/2011

In the computer lab at the local JC it is all Macs with dual boot. The number of times they are used in OSX? Almost never.

[Raboom1]

02:27 PM on 07/11/2011

Yes, you are incorrect. Maybe it's different where you live but most schools, elementary, middle and high schools in SoCal have a large supply of Mac's for students to use and most kids have Mac's at home. Also, most college kids use Macs as well.

[blackreign]

05:34 PM on 07/10/2011

Uh, still a overly expensive, proprietary device with no usb. No thx,

I'm better off purchasing a droid tablit or full blown laptop. I actually need my devices to allow me to work at my job.

[Neitherpartieslapdog]

09:28 PM on 07/10/2011

Gateway netbook...3 usbs, video, headphone, mic, memory card and cat5 network port....249.00

[Mitchman57]

07:53 AM on 07/11/2011

You miss the point of the product. The 10 most popular free apps are all games, books, radio, movies, solitare......

ipad wasn't made to do work. It's a $700.00 Air laptop without a keyboard, just a little more portable.

http://www.businessinsider.com/the-most-popular-free-ipad-apps-of-2010-2010-12#

Not a 'business' app in the list.

[CaptainObvvious]

09:48 AM on 07/11/2011

No business apps aren't the most popular but that doesn't mean they aren't popular and don't exist.

Look at the adoption rate of iPads at fortune 500 companies. They are doing VERY well.

[AlanBannacheck]

07:35 AM on 07/10/2011

Considering the state of the economy one has to wonder if this is all we have to look forward to, new apple products every year.

[centered1]

09:16 AM on 07/11/2011

At least one company is still innovating.

[CaptainObvvious]

02:42 PM on 07/09/2011

Then don't buy a tablet.

Consumers, businesses and reviewers disagree with you but since you don't like them you disparage the entire concept instead of just accepting that YOU don't like it.

Millions and millions do. Businesses are adopting it in amazing numbers, analysts say it is here to stay. But none of that matters. It must be a toy because YOU don't like it.

[GeorgieMark]

04:14 AM on 07/10/2011

I agree but I have to say that I belong to that group of people that don't like tablets.

I have tested both an Ipad and an Android tablet both have their strong points but they ain't for me. I can't think of any reason why I should get a tablet.

And this is the essence of the discussion, if you want to be an educated consumer who makes conscientious decisions you shouldn't go with the flow or with what's hot and what's not, you should go with your needs, acquire those things that fit your individual needs.

To this point a tablet (any tablet) isn't suited for me. The biggest drawback is the display, it doesn't work well under direct sunlight. e-Ink screens work but they cannot deliver the multimedia richness of TFT LCD/Amoled displays.

[Onutz]

02:48 PM on 07/10/2011

((It must be a toy because YOU don't like it.))

I know exactly how he feels. I don't like pumpkin pie and it was only yesterday that I discovered that I'M in the minority.

Good Lord, how could I have been so blind?!?

[DRaymond]

12:22 AM on 07/09/2011

They can go with more resolution if they like, but since they aren't going to be changing the screen proportions you are still going to have black bars top and bottom.  That is why they have to support such huge resolutions to support HD video, because many of them will be black!

[solid]

01:55 PM on 07/08/2011

This rumor is not going to happen.

[Artamentous]

01:28 PM on 07/08/2011

who needs a tablet running at 2048X1536? That is silly. Most desktops run at 1920x1080. I wonder why kind of processing power it would require for such a resolution, as well as battery charge.

[Genep34]

10:33 AM on 07/09/2011

indeed

[Mitchman57]

07:36 AM on 07/11/2011

The newest Corvette will go 160 mph.... so it's better than last year's model.

Rumors have the 2012 going 165, maybe 167!

They all do it.

[jgeurian21]

12:05 PM on 07/08/2011

There is no way the iPad could run a 2048 x 1536 screen and still have a decent battery. And a jump to that would not be doubling; it would be quadrupled. I think that someone needs to take a math class to understand that if I increase the dimensions of a screen by a factor of 2 at both the width and height, that is 2x2 which by my math equals 4. Funny that a "tech" writer for Huff doesn't seem to understand graphics or screen resolutions. I might see an HD version of 1920x1080, but a 2048x1536 screen is just absurd and illogical.

http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/backstage/comments/reality-check-a-2048x1536-ipad-2-screen-would-trump-macs-hdtvs-unicorns/

[Mitchman57]

07:37 AM on 07/11/2011

But the teenagers playing 'shoot the dot' games don't understand that.

[IndieObama]

12:00 PM on 07/08/2011

While you're at it with the HD upgrade, how about upgrading your cameras to auto-focus? Business card scanner apps don't work without auto-focus.

[Artos]

11:29 AM on 07/08/2011

What they are planning eventually is to make the iPad interface with a Human through a port built into the Human skull. One would voluntarily submit to an operation at Apples on site Medical Lab to have a port with implants set into the brain, installed there.  You would then connect a firewire or some such cabling to the port. Anything you wanted to access could be sent directly into the brain in this fashion. One would no longer have to attend any kind of schooling since all the knowledge about any particular subject would be uploaded into your brain automatically and thereby save loads of time. No longer would you have to be in debt to the Education establishments for the rest of your life. We would have achieved Matrix like potential at this point.

[Artos]

11:10 AM on 07/08/2011

What they need to do with this iPad that would actually serve a useful purpose is to have a means to test your blood on a daily basis and to give the owner results that could help them maintain their health. It could read your blood Pressure, determine the bloods chemistry and then give you a reading of what you needed in the way of nutrients for balance. Then you could ask for suggestions. It might also help if when you went shopping that  you could enter all the items that you bought and then it would keep the inventory and tell you which of the items you already had, would help to balance your chemistry. To do these things would at least be useful rather than all the other junk that this technology is wasted on.

[nevernot]

01:19 PM on 07/08/2011

That's a fantastic idea, I know they have a budding medical device accessory market targeted at Dr's and Nurses but I haven't heard of any targeting normal consumers. A blood glucose meter with tie-ins for cooking and exercise websites for suggestions would really make it a killer app. Can you imagine getting recipe suggestions for dinner right after getting a reading? Someone needs to either patent that or contact Apple asap.

[Artos]

02:45 PM on 07/08/2011

 If I new how to make it work, I would do it myself, but since I don't I would still just be glad to have offered it as a suggestion to someone who could make it work, as long as it was a true boon to humanity. As for most of the rest of the useless junk they offer as apps for this iPad they could dispense with it.

[Onutz]

06:33 PM on 07/08/2011

((To do these things would at least be useful rather than all the other junk that this technology is wasted on.))

Gimme a break. Useless junk is not specific to iPads. Have you been to a mall lately?
I just downloaded a dozen extremely useful language translation apps for my trip to Italy. Drawing apps allow me to sketch proficiently on the fly, anatomy apps are simply superb, and there are tons of music apps for music lovers.
If you're looking for useless junk, you're bound to find it, whether you're at a shopping center, a flea market, or the App Store.

[Artos]

09:05 PM on 07/08/2011

 I didn't say that there was nothing whatsoever useful on the iPad or for that matter any of the pad type platforms, what I merely said was that there is an awful lot of junk too. For every useful thing they sell at the malls there is at least one item that will end up in the thrift stores or the dump. As it is in the malls so too is it on every one of these gadgets.

[RButler]

10:02 AM on 07/08/2011

With all the geniuses using Apple products, you'd think they'd have figured out a way to get us out of this mess of an economy instead of putzing around telling us how great their products are. Put them to good use.

[Artos]

02:50 PM on 07/08/2011

I have a long list of ideas that I would suggest for getting us out of this mess, but in order to do it, it would require some draconian changes which I doubt most Americans would go along with. Republicans would accuse me of being Socialist and Democrats would accuse me of being a Conservative. The changes would require a major sea change in the thinking and behavior of the mass of Americans. Since they wouldn't do it anyway I figure there isn't any reason to bother offering the ideas.

[AbeeCo]

09:15 AM on 07/08/2011

Flash. I don't buy an ounce of Apple's baloney regarding why they avoid flash on the iPad. If the Flash software stinks that much just buy Adobe for crying out loud. Apple could buy Jesus at this point.

[solid]

01:44 PM on 07/08/2011

Then why don't they?

[GeorgieMark]

03:22 PM on 07/08/2011

No single entity holds the Jesus patents perhaps?

[J242]

05:49 PM on 07/08/2011

Ummm, so you "don't buy" the FACT that Adobe was outright demanding special treatment and access to APIs that Apple doesn't give to any other developer? You "don't buy" that Apple has every right to tell Adobe to suck it up and play fair like all the other kids in the sandbox? Adobe still has not been able to develop a mobile version of Flash that is self-contained and doesn't constantly require Proc cycles, dedicated memory and keep running the battery down because of it's drain on hardware acceleration. Apple said: "Do this, this and this and we'll make it happen." Adobe said "What? No, YOU need to just give us all your source code and let us have our way with your platform!"

Apple are NOT the bad guys in this specific case. They certainly are in many other cases but not this one. This is all on Adobe...

Also, why would Apple ever want to buy that bloated company known as Adobe? They are transitioning more and more into a hardware 1st, software 2nd company.

[Johnny Hempseed]

08:53 AM on 07/08/2011

Yes! I fully support a company that has sweat shops, holds billions of cash out of the country, & tells its' workers that the only benefit they should expect is the 'experience' of working at an Apple store.

http://www.alternet.org/economy/151465/mac_stores_tell_workers,_instead_of_giving_you_health_care,_working_for_apple_should_be_looked_at_as_an_experience

[JonBFertippton]

09:50 AM on 07/08/2011

I bet if you bought some Apple stock you'd feel better about your problem with Apple.

[Johnny Hempseed]

10:54 AM on 07/08/2011

Riiiiight. It would totally soothe my conscience to make money off a company like Apple. Money solves all problems, right? I might as well invest in all companies that disregard human rights.

[Silverwolf72]

02:06 PM on 07/08/2011

I guess you don't own an electronics or clothing then. I don't like it but to think that any other company out there is any better is silly

[Ty Summers]

08:48 AM on 07/08/2011

and then the question is, do we buy this third ipad if the fourth one would come out fairly quickly because of the third not being a full update? Apple just needs to release iPad 3 in September and not mess around

[JonBFertippton]

09:49 AM on 07/08/2011

If they skipped 3 and 4 and just called the new one iPad5, would that make you happy?