RepairLabs has gotten its hands on what is reportedly a back panel for the upcoming iPad 3. While the new housing remains largely identical to its predecessor, this leaked rear panel does suggest several changes to Apple’s third-generation tablet.
The iPad 3 will reportedly feature a bigger battery, updated camera, and hi-res, Retina-like display. Rumors have suggested that Apple is set to introduce a Retina display, super-powered iPad as early as next month.
The purported rear panel features different logic board mounts, meaning that the shape of the board will be different to support different internals.
The width of where the logic board sits on the iPad 2 appears much larger than that of the iPad 3. We have long heard that the iPad 3 was going to provide longer battery life, and this back housing seems to support that.
The camera is different. It is hard to make a judgment just by looking at the casing, but what we can expect is a different camera on the iPad 3 than what we had on the 2.
LCD will be different than what we have had before. Whether or not it will be the super screen we have seen reported will have to wait. But the different mounting does mean that the LCD has been redesigned at the very least.
This rear panel part seems to corroborate our own report that the iPad 3 will be even thinner than the iPad 2. RepairLabs noted that the “housing itself did not seem thicker on the iPad 3 than it does on the 2.” There is still, however, plenty of room for speculation.
Alex Heath is a journalist who works for Tech Insider. He’s the former co-host of The CultCast. He has been quoted by the likes of the BBC, KRON 4 News, and books like “ICONIC: A Photographic Tribute to Apple Innovation.” He lives in Lexington, Kentucky. If you want to pitch a story, share a tip, or just get in touch, additional contact information is available on his personal site. Follow him on Twitter.
