According to Taiwan magazine Digitimes, the new generation iPad mass production will start on March, 2012. This information comes from a person familiar with the matter, working in the top-management of the company providing accessories for Apple devices.
In the meantime, Digitimes said the new Apple tablet computer, is not exactly iPad 3. Just as it happened to iPhone 4S, it will be a modified version of the previous generation. Renovated iPad 2 will be thinner than its predecessor and will be supplied with more powerful accumulator battery. First small runoff the new tablet will be produced in the late 2011, to the celebration of Chinese Lunar New Year.
The production of iPad 3 won’t start till the late 2012, because, as analytics think, iPad 2 is still the most popular tablet on the market and there is no need for Apple to hurry up with launching the new generation model.