Is the iPad 3 the one to wait for?

Yesterday's highly anticipated iPad 2 announcement showcased a faster, sleeker tablet with many expected upgrades... but none of the big surprises that constitute a "wow factor." Shortly before the launch, the Cult of Mac blog quoted an anonymous Apple staffer saying that the iPad 2 development process had been problematic, and that "the third-generation iPad [rumored to be released this fall] is the one to make a song and a dance about." Really? (Watch a CNBC report about iPad 3 rumors)

Yes, it's likely: The iPad 2 is a definite improvement, but "the iPad 3 is the one that will likely get the jazzed up screen and other necessary components that original iPad owners have made a stink about," says Mike Agerbo at Canoe Tech. It's likely that the iPad 2 is a "stop gap" until Apple can come up with engineering solutions to implement some big changes. Time will tell.

"iPad 3 waiting in the wings?"

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

No, the iPad 2 is awesome: "I'm sure the iPad 3 will be great when it comes out, but for right now, the iPad 2 is a great upgrade," says Leander Kahney at Cult of Mac. Apple has managed to cram in far more power in an "incredibly thin" case — total "rockstar engineering." Most noteworthy, however, is the addition of GarageBand and iMovie and the "astonishing" way they work with the touchscreen. This iPad 2 easily blows every other tablet out of the water.

"Forget the iPad 3, the iPad 2 is awesome right now!"

And Jobs said this was the "year of iPad 2": At yesterday announcement, the Apple CEO called 2011 "the year of iPad 2"; with those words, he effectively killed the iPad 3 rumors, says Daniel Eran Dilger at Apple Insider. "Jobs wouldn't have said that were he planning to introduce another iPad model this summer."

"Apple kills fall iPad 3 rumors by calling 2011 'Year of iPad 2'"

But that doesn't mean anything: Just because Jobs called it the "year of iPad 2," doesn't mean there won't be another iPad released this year, says Dan Frommer at Business Insider. Maybe the iPad they release in the fall won't be called the iPad 3 but rather the iPad 2 Pro or iPad 2 SE (Special Edition)." It wouldn't be the first time Apple had contradicted itself. Plus, it would make "a lot of sense" for Apple to start releasing new iPads in the fall, so shoppers could get fresh devices just in time for the holidays.

"Just because 2011 is the "Year Of The iPad 2," doesn't mean Apple can't release another iPad this fall