The big differentiator this year is the “Retina Display” with a staggering 2048-by-1536 pixel screen, likely made by Sharp/Samsung/LG. An Apple employee told The New York Times that the display was “truly amazing” and it must be with a pixel count that lies between the 21- and 27-inch iMacs squeezed into a 9.7-inch display. Consider: You can watch a Blu-ray movie at native resolution with over 100 pixels on the side and nearly 500 pixels below to “play with.”

Oh, by the way: How many megapixels is 2048×1536?  Just over 3. 

That screen sounds like it might take more juice to power, but Apple will add some extra battery capacity, which might make the iPad 3 slightly thicker. The battery life will likely continue with 10 hours as the baseline (why make the case slightly bigger or smaller otherwise?).

One of the unanswered questions is whether the Samsung S5L8945X  inside will be a dual or quad core processor. While this is mostly a “speeds and feeds” type of question and will not relate too much to real-world performance, it would seem that the overwhelming evidence points to quad-core. Apple’s iPad 2 was one of the first dual core tablets and with NVIDIA getting set to announce a group of quad core phones, Apple’s once a year upgrade would suggest a quad. As the S5L8945X name implies above, there will be some extra horsepower on the GPU side as well.

LTE capability is also a big question. The radios for LTE will add some weight and cost, while also acting as a harder hit on the battery. However, with Apple’s once a year release cycle and the overwhelming amount of evidence that has tied Apple to LTE, it would seem that Apple will have a LTE iPad—but perhaps one not available at the launch. Next generation lower power LTE chips are just coming off the assembly lines at Qualcomm.

More, including Bluetooth, Camera, NFC, Gig Wifi, and Thunderbolt below:

Bluetooth 4.0: The iPad will almost certainly come with the next generation Broadcom chips that shipped with the iPhone 4S to allow low-power and speedy Bluetooth coupling.

Siri: One of the bigger questions is whether Siri makes sense on the iPad. People do not generally hold the iPad up to their faces in everyday use, and the microphone would need improvements and somehow re-jiggered to give iPad users an acceptable Siri experience. We think Siri gives the iPad 3 some added wow quality so, that leads to…

Microphone: Microphone housing on iPad 3 parts are different that iPad 2, according to some ‘leaked parts.’ It is unknown how they are implemented but improvements here would almost give Apple a legitimate reason not to include Siri on the iPad 2.

Gig Wi-Fi: This is a long shot, but there are some new Gig Wi-Fi Chips coming from Broadcom that could push the iPad’s wireless capabilities into the stratosphere. Before dismissing the idea, remember that at some point people will need to reliably stream 1080P movies around, which is not always possible on typical congested 802.11N networks.

Thunderbolt: No.

Camera: Rumors indicate that the iPod touch-like cameras on the iPad 2, which are –let’s face it—terrible, will see an upgrade. Something to consider: If you have a 1080P+ display, should you also have 1080P+ cameras to shoot with?  The iPad 3′s screen is 3 Megapixels. I cannot see how both cameras will miss an upgrade with the back camera hopefully hitting somewhere in the 3-5megapixel vicinity including some optics borrowed from the iPhone 4S.  As a gauge, the iPad 2 back camera is roughly the same pixel count as the screen.

Speaker: The outside of the iPad 3 cases look identical to the iPad 2, so true stereo-spaced speakers are probably not going to happen. Look for Apple to make modest improvements here, if at all.

NFC: It sounds like it is a go on the iPhone 5 and the iPad 3 and iPhone 5 likely share a lot of the same chips so why not?  Oh, because there isn’t any use for it yet on a tablet sized device?

New Gorilla Glass: 20% Stronger/lighter than before. Apple started the Gorilla Glass rebirth with the iPhone so…Why not?  Also throw in all of the laminates and sapphire treatments as well.  You don’t want fingerprints, nicks or scratches on your Retina Display.  There are also rumors of waterproofing.

128GB option?: We’re split on this.  Apple is already stuffing a lot of stuff into this device and keeping the price points would be hard with a storage bump as well. With more content moving to the Cloud (Netflix/Hulu/etc) big storage makes less sense. On the other hand, Retina Graphics are going to be huge and require a lot of space.  1080P movies will be multiple Gigabytes each.

According to the SDK, there will be three versions of iPad 3.  Our best guess on this is one will be Wifi available around launch, one will be 3G version available soon after launch and we’re guessing the 4G LTE version is going to take some time.

We also believe Apple will keep the iPad 2 SKUs around after launch with a reduced price tag, perhaps as much as $100 off giving people the option of a $399 iPad 2 (refubs currently come in at $419).

We’d love to know your thoughts and if we’ve missed anything.

(image via Geek.com)

Related articles:

• iPad 3 to not include quad-core processor? (9to5mac.com)
• Purported iPad 3 shells floating around China, here’s a very high-resolution image of the inside (9to5mac.com)
• Supposed iPad 3 case compared to iPad 2, suggests bigger battery and different screen and camera (9to5mac.com)
• High-res Sharp panel spotted, is it for iPad 3? (9to5mac.com)
• iPad announcement coming in less than a month claims AllThingsD (9to5mac.com)
• Debug tool shows quad-core A6 and LTE capabilities on iPad 3 (9to5mac.com)

Apple has aired two new television commercials about the iPhone 4S headline feature, Siri. The first new ad, displayed above, focuses on Siri’s integration with the Yelp, Maps, location, and direction services, while the second ad, embedded after the break, focuses on on how Siri can help you with many aspects of your life. Specifically, the second ad shows how Siri helps a musician learn new notes with Siri’s Wolfram-Alpha integration, dictate a text message to his fellow band members, and find a store to buy a new instrument. The second ad closes with a reference to Siri’s well-known (and sometimes humorous) ability to call the user whatever the user wants; in this case “rock god.”

The United States’ National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (via The Loop) is turning the tide in its IT department. Doing what many companies are doing these days, NOAA plans to ditch RIM’s BlackBerry in favor of Apple’s iPhone and iPad. NOAA’s support for the BlackBerry will end May 12, 2012, according to a memo sent to CIO Joseph F. Klimavicz. NOAA did not give a time frame for the roll out.

This is a broader move in the “consumerization” of IT.  Apple makes very little effort to woo IT departments, instead making products that consumers want to bring to work (Read: the CxOs want iPhones).  Coupled with the crashing market share and outlook for RIM, smart IT departments are getting ahead of the curve by moving to iOS.

Oil company Halliburton is also making similar moves over the next two years by dumping the BlackBerry platform and moving to the iPhone. In an internal memo, Halliburton said after “significant research,” the iPhone is more favorable than Android.

Companies seem to like the iPhone’s ease of controls, smart capabilities, and application designed around security. The iPhone now also offers iMessage, which gives companies a better version of BBM on their iPhones.  The App Store now has half a million Apps, many of which can be tailored to business.

The United States’ Air Force also announced that it would buy up to 18,000 iPads to roll out in its cargo planes. The iPads will replace heavy paper manuals that pilots need to use.

It is not clear how quickly NOAA will roll out the iPhone and iPad across its fleet, but the agency should be sensible enough to wait for the iPad 3 and perhaps iPhone 5.

Apple’s blockbuster holiday quarter sent shares to an all-time high of $431 a share, which is enough to close in on a market valuation of $400 billion. However, that was last month. Today, AAPL briefly passed a record $460 billion market cap with new historical stock price high at $493.97 a share. Exxon Mobil Corporation’s [XOM] market valuation is just $402.72 billion. Analysts featured on Bloomberg Television said Apple is an “absolute phenomenon.”

Both Needham and Canaccord raised their price target for Apple shares to $620 and $650, respectively, maintaining a Buy rating on the stock. At the current market cap, Apple weighs more than 10 percent of NASDAQ and has 52 times Research In Motion’s [RIMM] valuation of just $8.45 billion.

Apple’s market capitalization is double the size of IBM and almost double the size of Microsoft [MSFT]. Heck, it is now almost the size of IBM and MSFT combined, and it surpassed the joint GOOG ($198.9 billion) and MSFT ($256.7 billion) market cap. However, some analysts still deem the company’s valuation “tepid.”

Oil services giant Halliburton reportedly ditched BlackBerrys in favor of Apple recently, and replaced about 4,500 company-issued BlackBerry phones with Apple’s smartphone. At the Oct. 4, 2011 iPhone 4S introduction, Apple CEO Tim Cook underscored that 93 percent of the Fortune 500 companies are testing or deploying the iPhone. Apple saw record sales of Macs, iPhones and iPads in Q4 2011—partly due to pent-up demand and because the quarter spanned 14 weeks. Pundits expect AAPL to outperform due to an iPad 3 introduction in March, iPhone 5 launch around summer, and iPhone 4S launch in China (also hitting China Telecom this month), including the obligatory seasonal product refreshes. The brave ones are also factoring in the alleged iTV rumored to arrive this or next year.

Related articles

• AAPL passes all-time high of $427 a share, market cap closes in on $400B (9to5mac.com)
• AAPL reaches all-time high of $429 a share, market cap closes in on $400B (9to5mac.com)

Federal Bureau of Investigation has posted on its website an interesting and exhaustive file on Apple’s Cofounder and late CEO Steve Jobs. According to Gawker, which first spotted the file, the 191-page document reveals that Jobs was considered for a “sensitive position” in the Bush I White House back in 1991. It also contains results of an investigation into a 1985 bomb threat against Jobs.

How did Jobs do in High School?  2.65 GPA - hallmark of all geniuses.

An excerpt also includes comments from several people who noted Jobs’ reality distortion field, included right below.

Several individuals questioned Mr. Jobs’ honesty stating that Mr. Jobs will twist the truth and distort reality in order to achieve his goals. They also commented that, in the past, Mr. Jobs was not supportive of [redacted] (the mother of his child born out of wedlock) and their daughter; however, recently has become supportive.

As the FBI agents did their background check on Jobs, they interviewed Apple employers and the folks Jobs suggested. Another quote said: “Several individuals commented concerning past drug use on the part of Mr. Jobs.” Apple’s cofounder, of course, famously experimented with LSD back in the early days and never shied away from admitting the fact publicly. He used to claim LSD was one of the “most important experiences” of his life. Here is a quote from CBS’s 60 Minutes Steve Jobs special:

Definitely, taking LSD is one of the most important things in my life. Not the most important, but right up there.

Jobs grew up in California where the 1960s hippy culture prevailed long into the 1970s.

Related articles

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We are so in love with Logitech’s new touch-sensitive Touch Mouse M600 that it would most likely be a replacement if we broke our mouse. Akin to Apple’s Magic Mouse and Microsoft’s Explorer Touch Mouse, the M660 is all about gestures and touch. It also looks great with its sleek design and smooth curvature. Moreover, just like Apple’s mouse, the M600 lets you swipe, scroll, and flip through pages, bookmarks, and websites. The device fetches $70 and it will be available in the United States and Europe beginning in February 2012…

Unfortunately, the Logitech SetPoint software is Windows 7-only so Mac users lose the ability to customize the Touch Mouse’s behavior, including setting the click areas for the right- and left-handed alike (we are sure the drivers will eventually get there). According to The Verge, gestures do work on the Mac. Another major oversight: There is no way to horizontally scroll. The mouse connects to your computer through the tiny Logitech Unifying receiver, which can connect up to six compatible mice and keyboards through one USB port.

“First Week in March,” claimed AllthingsD.

Sources say the company has chosen the first week in March to début the successor to the iPad 2 and will do so at one of its trademark special events. The event will be held in San Francisco, presumably at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Apple’s preferred location for big announcements like these. No word yet on a street date for the iPad 3 (assuming that’s what it’s called), though my guess is retail availability will follow roughly the same schedule as that of the iPad 2: available for purchase a week or so after the event.

As you can see above: Wednesday, March 7 is available at Yerba Buena, which is Apple’s traditional venue for such events. Last year’s announcement was on Wednesday, March 2, and the iPad 2 went on sale about a week later (March 11).

AllThingsD’s sources also backed the prevailing rumors for the iPad 3: HD display, faster GPU/CPU, and similar design to iPad 2. Is anyone excited?

Related articles

• iPad 3 to not include quad-core processor? (9to5mac.com)
• United States Air Force plan purchase of up to 18,000 iPads for flight bag replacements (9to5mac.com)
• Purported iPad 3 shells floating around China, here’s a very high-resolution image of the inside (9to5mac.com)

iPad 3 parts are supposedly cropping up all over China. Following yesterday’s spy shots of a purported iPad 3 enclosure (here and here), Japanese blog Macotakara today published the above photo allegedly depicting a high-resolution panel manufactured by Sharp. According to the blog, the part was obtained by parts reseller Eye Lab Factory, which means take this with a few pinches of salt. It looks like 9.7-inch panel, and Macotakara said its flat cable corresponds to a similar cable connecting the iPad 2′s LCD panel to the motherboard.

The display is said to be a XQGA variety equaling 2,048-by-1,536-pixel resolution. Macotakara claimed last month that Foxconn and Pegatron Technology began assembly of next-generation iPads for an early March launch (and iLounge concurs). Unnamed sources also told Macotakara that Sharp would supply 2048-by-1536 resolution panels for iPad 3, which is a notion in line with earlier reports by DigiTimes and the Wall Street Journal. Meanwhile, another source revealed new iPad 3 replacement parts….

Chinese parts reseller TVC-mall posted images said to depict iPad 3 replacement parts. Specifically, what you are looking at below is an internal earphone audio jack and a Bluetooth antenna flex cable. Both are available on the reseller’s website and are claimed to be replacement parts for Wi-Fi iPad 3. While the latter looks almost identical to its iPad 2 counterpart, the former reveals some differences in the audio jack components. However, it is entirely possible this particular reseller is exploiting the iPad 3 hype to get some attention.

Related articles

• Purported iPad 3 shells floating around China, here’s a very high-resolution image of the inside (9to5mac.com)
• Supposed iPad 3 case compared to iPad 2, suggests bigger battery and different screen and camera (9to5mac.com)
• iPad 3 to not include quad-core processor? (9to5mac.com)
• Pegatron and Foxconn reportedly begin assembly of iPad 3 with Sharp display, launching in early-March (9to5mac.com)
• Rumor: LG and Samsung confirmed as iPad 3 display suppliers as Sharp fails to meet Apple’s approval process (9to5mac.com)
• Rumor: iPad 3 launching in March, “strange” Apple event due February (9to5mac.com)
• Debug tool shows quad-core A6 and LTE capabilities on iPad 3 (9to5mac.com)

Related articles

• Supposed iPad 3 case compared to iPad 2, suggests bigger battery and different screen and camera (9to5mac.com)

Full-sized, below.

Since a purported iPad 3 back-shell image leaked earlier today, we have dug into the story to uncover where it originally came from and some of the intricate details behind the part. For one, there are not only a few of these back-shells floated to repair shops, but there are sizable amounts of these parts built-in China. This gives credence to reports about the iPad 3 is in production, and it likely means things are moving full steam ahead of the rumored-March launch.

Next, the original image comes from a Chinese supplier who provides parts to iPad repair shops across the globe.

Perhaps the best news of the night is that we have a very high-resolution version of the image. Click the image below to view the full super high-res version. The iPad 3 rumors include the device to have a Retina Display, faster processor, improved graphics, and better cameras. As hinted by these back-shells and earlier rumors, the iPad 3 will likely sport a design that closely mirrors the iPad 2 design.

Update: Our friends at Apple.pro also obtained photos of the iPad 3 back shell, and they have a photo of the outer back portion. It appears that the camera lens is larger than the iPad 2 camera lens, and they confirmed the iPad 3 would feature magnets to support the Smart Cover. You can catch that photo after the break as well.

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Click for full-sized

Related articles

• iPad 3 to not include quad-core processor? (9to5mac.com)
• Supposed iPad 3 case compared to iPad 2, suggests bigger battery and different screen and camera (9to5mac.com)
• Rumor: iPad 3 launching in March, “strange” Apple event due February (9to5mac.com)