Report: upgraded iPad 2 to launch in March 2012, iPad 3 later in the year

Apple fans were recently dismayed with the release of an iPhone 4s instead of the highly anticipated iPhone 5, and they may be in for further disappointment when it comes time to release the latest iPad.

According to a report by Digitimes, Apple’s upcoming iPad is set to enter production soon, with an expected launch date of March 2012. The news comes via the publication's supply chain sources, who also indicated that the March iPad will not be a completely new device, but rather an upgrade to the current iPad 2 and a precursor to the release of an iPad 3 in the second half of 2012. 

Furthermore, Digitimes is also hearing that Apple could refresh all their product lines in 2012; including the iMac, iPhone, MacBook Air and of course the iPad. The company has apparently developed a pair of prototype iPad 3s, codenamed J1 and J2, with requests for the development of flat panel modules and LED light bars already sent out to suppliers.

Unfortunately, the sources didn’t have many other details to divulge about the iPad 2s/3, and while they did mention that it could be thinner than the iPad 2 while still managing to improve on battery life, that remains to be seen.

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