iPad 3 'Leaked Photo' Suggests Faster Processor and 8-Megapixel Shooter

Apple is purportedly weeks away from releasing the iPad 3, and amid the hype surrounding the next-generation tablet, a photo allegedly showing an iPad 3 has been leaked, suggesting the much-anticipated device will boast a Retina Display, an A6 chip and an 8-megapixel shooter.

The Taiwan-based website Apple Daily published on Sunday what it claims, citing special channels, is a photo of the iPad 3. According to the report, the new tablet will have Retina Display, an A6 chip and an 8-megapixel shooter.

Retina Display is expected to be one of the striking features of the new iPad. MacRumors reported last Friday that it has confirmed that the iPad 3 is guaranteed to come with Retina Display (or 2048 x 1536 pixel resolution). The iPhone 4S features Retina Display.

The prospect of an A6 chip is less clear. While Apple Daily claimed the iPad 3 will have quad-core processor, running on the new iOS 5 operating system, another leaked photo suggested the new device will have an A5X chip instead of an A6.

According to the latter report, the model number of the forthcoming tablet is S5L8945X. For reference, the A4 model number was S5L8930X, whereas the A5 chip was S5L8940X. If there is a big jump to A6, the new model number should be S5L8950X rather than S5L8945X.

Whether the iPad 3 will sport an 8-megapixel shooter or not is anyone's guess. The iPad 2 camera system -- the rear-facing 0.7-megapixel camera and a secondary front-facing VGA camera -- could benefit from an upgrade. Moreover, some Android tablets such as Galaxy Tab 10.1V and the Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime already have an 8-megapixel camera.

Meanwhile, no one knows if Apple's new tablet will be named iPad 3 or iPad 2S. The latter could be true if the new device doesn't include a radical redesign.

A similar situation also appeared before the iPhone 4S was unveiled last October. At that time, Apple fans had been speculating that the iPhone 5 was coming. However, the new handset came to be called iPhone 4S, which implies the phone features modest changes rather than the radical redesign that many people expected.

Earlier rumors claimed the new iPad (iPad 3 or iPad 2S) will debut on March 7, possibly at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco.

What do you think? Are these pictures really those of iPad 3? Will iPad 3 boast of an 8-megapixel shooter? Leave your comments below.

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