Edible Apple

The Wall St. Journal relays a research note from CLSA claiming that Apple is working hard to deliver an LTE-based iPad 3 just in time for this year’s holiday shopping season.

While most vendors appear fixated on matching the specs and features of iPad2, our checks suggest Apple will release iPad3 in time for the holiday season, sporting a better display and LTE capabilities.

This is particularly interesting in light of a number of reports that we saw in the weeks leading up to the iPad 2 launch which claimed that Apple would release two iPad models in 2011.

From one vantage point, it’s certainly plausible that Apple will do all it can to further ensure that it maintains its commanding lead in the tablet space. With the RIM PlayBook out, not to mention the impending Xoom 2 and some familiar-looking tablets from Samsung, the market is replete with iPad competitors and is poised to get even more crowded. While the aforementioned tablets will most likely have no significant impact on iPad sales, a new model would effectively force rival manufacturers into a precarious position where they’d barely be able to keep up with Apple’s last-gen iPad.

Though Apple remains faithful to the doctrine that Android fragmentation is inherently inferior to Apple’s integrated approach with iOS, Apple undoubtedly did learn something from how fast Android was able to catch up to the iPhone. That said, another iPad release so shortly after the iPad 2 launch may be Apple’s way of ensuring that history doesn’t repeat itself. Besides if staying one step ahead of the competition has been this fruitful for Apple, staying two steps ahead couldn’t hurt.

AT&T’s LTE rollout is scheduled to get underway later this year while Verizon is already in the mix.  Notably, the upcoming Galaxy Tab 10.1 will be hitting Verizon’s network in just a few weeks.