The RepairLabs website has reportedly obtained digitizer components for the upcoming iPad 3. Essentially, the digitizer is the front panel, including the front glass and the touchscreen. Pictures provided by the source seem to corroborate that Apple’s third-generation tablet will arrive in black and white variants and keep using a traditional Home button. Some speculation based on the photos included in the media invitation to the March 7th iPad 3 press event have seen Apple somehow remove the button.
Images of the reverse side of the digitizer depict a new connector different from that found in the previous-gen iPad. The fact that the RepairLabs parts appear identical to a digitizer shown on leaked late February photos lends credibility to the report. A number of components for the next tablet such as rear shells are thought to be in circulation.
The source also notes that the iPad 3 looks a lot like its predecessor when the digitizer and the rear shell are put together. The upcoming device seems to be just 1mm thicker than the iPad 2. Normally, Apple tries to reduce the size of its devices with each update. However, a combination of expected parts may be pushing for a compromise. The iPad 3 is anticipated to incorporate a faster quad-core chipset, a 2048×1536 Retina Display and 4G LTE support. Apple could supposedly raise storage capacity up to 128GB, repeating the leap of the iPhone 4S up to a maximum 64GB.
