iPad 3 rumored to be launching in February 2012

The world of consumer electronics was forever changed when Apple stepped into the scene and dropped the iPod. The popularity of their portable music player and its evolution throughout the years have changed how people enjoy music. The launch of Apple’s iTunes media store then went on to revolutionise the music retail industry.

But Apple didn’t stop there. It went on to create and launch the iPad, their first foray into tablets. And as many industry experts predicted, it was a smashing success.

Apple has gained quite a following over the years, partly due to the manner in which Steve Jobs ran it, and because they were consistently churning out products that consumers didn’t realise they needed it–until Apple made it. It’s become almost a tradition that the rumour mills become rife with, well, new rumours during breaks and long stretches before an announcement (or non-announcement) of a new Apple product will be made.

It’s kind of like how it was with the iPhone 4S a couple of months back, where so many people were speculating that it was going to be the iPhone 5.

Now the rumours have started up again, but this time, it’s for the iPad 3. Citi analyst Richard Gardner is predicting that the next model for Apple’s series of tablets will feature a retina display which will be able to display an impressive resolution of 2048×1536.

Many sources are zeroing in on the possible thickness (or rather, thinness) of the next-generation device. Some expect that there might be an increase in the thickness since more internal components might be needed to power up the retina display. However, Gardner asserts that “there do not appear to be any significant technical hurdles remaining” when it comes to launching the higher resolution screen.

It is noteworthy that the iPad 2 was released on March 11 of this year. This makes the suggestion of an iPad being launched and sold by February a not very far-fetched idea. Once again, the air is filled with holiday cheer and speculation on yet another highly-anticipated Apple device, which will be known as the iPad 3 all over the world–except maybe for China, that is.