The confirmation comes directly from Bloomberg: in March Apple is ready to launch the new tablet model, the iPad 3. The decision probably came after the disappointing iPad 2 performance, which sold between 1 and 2 million fewer units than expected, due to fierce competition from Amazon Kindle Fire which in the last quarter of 2011, according to estimates, placed approximately 5,5 million devices, well beyond the forecasts (which amounted to around 4 million).
Although the result is well below the 13 million sold by Apple with the latest jewel in the same period, the trend is still worrying for the Cupertino house: according to some experts, Amazon will sell 11 million tablets in 2012, placing itself in second place on the market, overtaking Samsung and gradually approaching estimates for the iPad, revised downwards (around 50 million).
The secret of this competition was certainly the price: Kindle Fire is $300 cheaper than iPad 2 (199 vs. 499), and precisely for this reason, Apple's first move in launching the new model will be a substantial reduction in the cost, which will fluctuate between 299 and 399 dollars.
The iPad 3 will therefore be the first tablet of the Tim Cook era, who replaced the late Steve Jobs as number one in Cupertino last August. The new jewel of the bitten apple will first of all have a new, faster processor, which will make its use significantly more fluid. But above all it will be equipped with one high definition screen to better view movies and TV programs, as well as a 4G connection (with Long Term Evolution technology) which will speed up internet navigability.
The first two versions of the iPad have sold more than 40 million units worldwide, generating a turnover of 25,3 billion dollars. Traditional competition (Samsung, Motorola, Blackberry and Sony) is still kept at arm's length, but now, in times of such a severe crisis, Apple, which has always focused on high quality at the expense of prices, will also have to deal with the low cost. The threat, for now, is only called Amazon, but soon, according to rumors, another much more overwhelming one could arrive: Google, and its Android system, after defeating the supremacy of the iPhone (to date, over 50% of smartphones sold in the US are equipped with Android), is preparing to launch the tablet challenge. They also have a 200 euro model ready in Mountain View and, we can swear, it will do much more damage than the Kindle Fire.
