iPad 3 Expected to Launch in Around March-April

Apple fans will wake up to some exciting news this morning. Digitimes is reporting that the iPad 3 will launch in three to four months. Apple will phase out the iPad 2 gradually, declining iPad 2 production in Q1.

According to 9to5Mac, features include “a Retina Display, a faster A6 processor, possible Quad Core and be slightly thicker than the current model.”

I’ve been holding out for the iPad 3 myself, waiting on the iPad 2 after many failed visits to the Apple Store around release time. The hype is only going to grow as we go into the new year and more details are released about the new version.

Considering how well the iPad 2 initially sold, there’s no reason to expect a drop in product demand, even considering the initial success of the Kindle Fire. Simply put, the iPad 3 will be huge.

Kindergartners Receive iPad 2s From School District

The idea began when teachers who owned iPad noticed a significant improvement in kindergartners — who had previously had trouble learning the alphabet — who were exposed to educational software on the iPad.

I would love to be a youngster in Auburn, Maine. Kindergartners and teachers received 285 iPad 2s for classroom use. The goal? To raise the literacy rate from 62% to 90% within a two-year timeframe.

Don't Compare The Motorola Xoom With The iPad 2 Just Yet

Four handicaps that make iPad 2 comparisons unrealistic, according to Joe Wilcox.

1. For most of its sales life, XOOM has been attached to Verizon — first sold unsubsidized for $800. XOOM costs more than the comparable iPad 2.

2. Lower Verizon pricing came later, $600, but with 2-year data commitment. Apple doesn’t require AT&T or Verizon data contracts for iPad.

3. Still later, March 27, the $600 WiFi-only went on sale. So for most of the two-month sales period, the most affordable and comparably attractive to iPad 2 XOOM model wasn’t available.

4. Early adopters will have to send their tablets back to Motorola to be retrofitted with 4G radios. That’s a huge sales deterrent.

True Love: Apple Delivers For Customer When Wife Does Not

Imagine if you stood in a 6am line for a new iPad 2, only to have your significant other demand that you return it upon hearing about your purchase. You’d probably be pretty upset.

According to MacRumors, a similar situation happened to play out:

The story comes by way of an individual close to Apple:

[Apple’s] focus this week has been to troubleshoot all the iPad 2s that customers are returning to the stores. One iPad came back with a post it note on it that said “Wife said no.” It was escalated as something funny, and two of the VPs got wind of it. They sent the guy an iPad 2 with a note on it that said “Apple said yes.”

Yet another reason to love a truly incredible company.