Want CNET to notify you of price drops and the latest stories?
No, thank you Accept
X
Apple WWDC: What We ExpectBest Mattress DealsAssessing Viral Sleep HacksNetflix Password SharingMeal Subscription vs. TakeoutBest Solar CompaniesVerizon 5G Home InternetBest Credit Cards
CNET logo Why You Can Trust CNET

Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks. If you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Reviews ethics statement

Pegatron has iPad 3 order for March, iPad 4 in October, report says

Pegatron Technology, one of the major manufacturers of Apple's iPad, has already begun filling an order of iPad 3 units set to release in March, according to a report from industry Web site DigiTimes.

headshots_Joe_Aimonetti_140x100.jpg
headshots_Joe_Aimonetti_140x100.jpg
Joe Aimonetti MacFixIt Editor
Joe is a seasoned Mac veteran with years of experience on the platform. He reports on Macs, iPods, iPhones and anything else Apple sells. He even has worked in Apple retail stores. He's also a creative professional who knows how to use a Mac to get the job done.
See full bio
Joe Aimonetti
2 min read
Advertiser Disclosure
Advertiser Disclosure
This advertising widget is powered by Navi and contains advertisements that Navi may be paid for in different ways. You will not be charged for engaging with this advertisement. While we strive to provide a wide range of offers, this advertising widget does not include information about every product or service that may be available to you. We make reasonable efforts to ensure that information in the featured advertisements is up to date, each advertiser featured in this widget is responsible for the accuracy and availability of its offer details. It is possible that your actual offer terms from an advertiser may be different than the offer terms in this advertising widget and the advertised offers may be subject to additional terms and conditions of the advertiser which will be presented to you prior to making a purchase. All information is presented without any warranty or guarantee to you.

Pegatron Technology, one of the major manufacturers of Apple's iPad, has already begun filling an order of iPad 3 units to be released in March, according to a report from industry Web site Digi Times.

Apple

The report also states that Pegatron will be producing between 7 million and 10 million iPad 4 units set to be released in October. And, according the DigiTimes' "sources from the upstream supply chain," Apple will be changing its manufacturing strategy, which will shift the manufacturing load of iPads to Pegatron (with iPhones as an auxiliary product) from Foxconn Electronics, which will focus on iPhone production (with iPads as an auxiliary product).

Two iPad models this year sounds great, huh? Well, there are couple of things we should decipher from all this before we get too excited.

First, if there are going to be two iPads, it is unlikely that we will see a limited run of an iPad 3 with a looming iPad 4 in the fall. The more likely scenario (if two iPads are to appear in 2012) is that the March iPad will be an iPad 2S, featuring an upgraded processor, more storage capacity, and perhaps more RAM.

It may also include a better camera package (a la the iPhone 4S) and perhaps Siri integration, but other than that, I don't think Apple would add too many extras. The iPad 4 (or as it would follow the 2S, the iPad 3), to be released in the fall, would then likely be a redesign of sorts and include further hardware advances.

Now, I expect something a little more subtle. I think Apple likes having a spring release of the newest iPad model and a late-summer/early fall iPhone event. So, we'll probably be getting the iPad 3, in all its glory, this spring. It will have the Retina Display, the A6, Siri, more storage, and more RAM. We might get a bit of a redesign to accommodate some of the upgraded insides, but it'll probably be hard to tell the difference from an iPad 2 at any sort of distance.

DigiTimes has already published several iPad rumors that include everything from tech specs to the possibility of a smaller, 7-inch model iPad, and everything in between. What do you think Apple's strategy should be for releasing iPads and iPhones? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!