What to expect when you're expecting an iPad 3

What do we know for sure about what Apple will announce March 7? You did say “for sure”? Ah. Well, nothing. But there are many safe guesses to be made, and possibly one or two surprises in store.

The event will unveil the iPad 3. The new iPad will be the same size as the iPad 2 with only marginal cosmetic changes. Its signature feature will be an ultra-high-def display that will render ebooks, websites and nearly every element of every iPad app at twice the resolution of the first and second generation hardware … surpassing even the clarity of an art magazine.

We’ll likely see an upgraded camera. Apple can hardly avoid improving the current hardware, even if only by accident. The biggest surprise could be the pricing. Apple will make sure that the cheapest iPad still costs no more than $499. Will they do this via a $499 iPad 3? Or with a new $600 iPad and a price cut on a still-alive iPad 2?

Andy Ihnatko