"[T]here do not appear to be any significant technical hurdles remaining" to releasing the next-generation tablet, the Citi analyst wrote. Gardner also predicted that Apple's final iPad sales tally for the fourth quarter of this year would be between 12 and 13 million units. Though the pattern might not be meaningful given that the iPad is only in its second generation, Apple did pull in the U.S. release date of the iPad 2 by about three weeks, making it available on March 11, 2011 as compared with the April 3, 2010 launch of the original iPad. Earlier reports put the iPad 3 release date as sometime in March. Cheaper, smaller device like Amazon's Kindle Fire, Barnes & Noble's Nook Tablet, and even a sub-$100 tablet using a MIPS-based chip are starting to appear.
Apple could head off competition from similarly priced Android tablets at the pass by getting its latest, greatest tablet technology out a bit sooner than expected. Rumors of a new iPad continue to grow, with Citigroup now saying Apple's next-generation tablet device is on schedule for a February, 2012 launch. In a research note released on Thursday, Citigroup analyst Richard Gardner says that Apple will be ready to debut the next iteration of the company's hugely successful tablet as early as February, reports Business Insider.
Gardner notes that sources within Apple's Asian supply chain have seen increased iPad parts orders for the March quarter, attributing the ramp-up to the "launch of a new iPad with double the screen resolution on the current model." Rumors have been swirling as to when an anticipated "Retina Display" iPad will break cover, with some alleging that Apple has seen technical setbacks in combining high-resolution panels with LED backlighting.
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