According to information gleaned from Apple's overseas supply chain, a prototype of the iPad 3 already exists. But Apple is anything but in a hurry to ready the third-generation tablet into production for a market release. In fact, it sounds like Apple is going to take its sweet old time getting the iPad 3 ready - a move that will give Apple fanatics plenty of time to savor the iPhone 5 and any additional goodies Cupertino has in store before the end of 2011.
In a research note shared with investors Friday, J.P. Morgan analyst Mark Moskowitz says the iPad 3 likely won't be introduced until well into 2012. "In our view, Apple should be in no rush," he said. "The other tablet entrants have stumbled so far, and that trend-line could persist deep into 2012."
According to Moskowitz, the primary reason why Apple will sit on the iPad 3 for the time being is because there is virtually no competing tablet in the current marketplace that makes Apple nervous. With their touchscreen tablet dominating nearly three-quarters of the global tablet market share, the iPad 3 will all but certainly remain in Apple's tech holster until the need to draw fire against a new competitor next year becomes apparent.
Moskowitz, however, doesn't see any credible threats for the immediate future. In fact, he suggests that the next major tablet push - probably from Sony - could prove an epic failure based on his own impression of Sony's demonstrated device. "To us, Sony's tablet lacks the refined, sleek feel of the iPad and its bezel-like back is not user-friendly," he wrote. "Lastly, the Sony tablet runs on the Android O/S, which has failed to garner as much interest in tablets as it has in smartphones."
Source: Barron's
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