Edible Apple

Android based smartphones have certainly done an admirable job catching up to the iPhone, and even surpassing it with respect to total marketshare. But Android based tablets, on the other hand, continue to struggle mightily as Apple’s iPad continues its tablet domination.

As it stands now, the biggest threat to the iPad is the Amazon Kindle Fire, which despite an onslaught of poor reviews, has been selling quite briskly. A few days ago, Amazon announced that it had sold over 4 million Kindle Fire units in just 4 weeks.

But Apple’s not one to blindly copy the competition, so that rumored 7.85-inch iPad that’s been making the rounds is likely nothing more than a pipe dream.

But with 2012 now in full swing, the iPad 3 launch is the next big product on Apple’s docket. As it stands now, the only thing we really “know” about the device is that it will feature a Retina Display.

Yesterday, iLounge – which has a tremendous track record with respect to Apple rumors – posted a series of interesting tidbits about what we can expect in Apple’s next-gen iPad.

First and foremost, Jason Horwitz of iLounge notes that both the rear and front cameras on the iPad 3 will be upgraded, with the front facing camera going HD while the back camera will feature the same type of lens as the iPhone 4S.

As for the form factor, Horwitz anticipates that the iPad 3 will remain largely the same but will likely be just a tad thicker (10mm) to account for new parts.

1. Looks likely that iPad 2 will stick around at lower price point, say $399, and next iPad with high-def screen + cameras will sit atop it.
2. Source thinks date will be similar to iPad 2’s. Correctly says a January launch (never likely) would anger holiday 2011 iPad 2 recipients.

So that should certainly flesh out Apple’s product lineup, with the base level iPad 2 starting at $399 and the base level iPad 3 starting at $499. While this certainly provides Amazon with a price umbrella for their Kindle Fire, we don’t think Apple is going to do anything drastic as long as iPads continue to fly off the shelves.