Could the iPad 3 come with a more appealing price tag? According to a DigiTimes report, Apple is exploring the option of adding less expensive component makers into its supply chain to make the price of the third-gen tablet more competitive.
The frequent purveyor of Apple rumors claims Apple is "now more willing" to use integrated circuits from a slew of Taiwan-based design houses to bring the cost of the iPad down as tablets from other companies inevitably enter the market. DigiTimes says the iPad 3 could be made with LCD drivers from Novatek, ambient light sensors from Capella, integrated power management from Richtek Technology, and programmable gamma and Vcom buffer solutions from Integrated Memory Logic.
When Apple launched the second version of its popular tablet in March, CEO Steve Jobs heralded 2011 as the "Year of iPad 2." However, Apple watchers and rumors blogs have hotly debated whether Apple will debut an additional iPad before the end of the year.
There has been some buzz that rather than unveil a fully upgraded iPad 3 this fall, Apple will launch a moderately upgraded version of the iPad 2 dubbed the iPad 2 Plus. But for every source that swears up and down Apple won't roll out another iPad this year, there is another that claims Apple will, in fact break its typical annual product update cycle and launch the third-gen tablet this fall.
There has been quite a bit of chatter about the iPad 3's display, too. The Korea Times said last week that the Apple would push the resolution of the iPad 3's screen beyond HD. Before that, it was also rumored that the device would get a 3D display.