Almost a year has past since the iPad 2 was unveiled to the world, now it seems all eyes are focused on the iPad 3. We all know the rumors of what features the next-generation iPad will have and when it will be released. Tech reporters and journalists try so hard to get information about Apple suppliers and reliable sources that will give them a nugget they can report on.

What about the users.. What do the consumers want out of the iPad 3. Here is the top 5 most mentioned feature requests (in no particular order) based on many comments throughout popular tech blogs:

• LTE 4G ready. carriers are ready, now we need Apple to step up and give us an iPad that will take advantage of the fastest mobile internet speeds.
• Retina-Display. A display that would be so crisp and so vibrant, it would knock any of the current Android tablet screens out of the water.
• Longer battery life. 10 Hours is the norm but the longer we can go, the less we’re bothered by having to plug it in all the time.
• A6 quad-core processor with better graphic processing and more RAM to accommodate more demanding apps and games.
• Siri. The voice recognition software named “Siri” is a hit on the iPhone 4S and users would love to have it built in when the iPad 3 ships.

Again, these feature demands are in no particular order. If you believe we’ve missed something, comment! Let us know and let our users know.

The email pushes you to visit a shady website where your sensitive information is asked for. Symantec was the first to report on this today (January 24). It’s important to be careful opening and clicking on any links in emails. If you’ve found an email like this recently, we urge you to use your email service’s “spam” or “report phishing” features to help alert the proper people.

Lets consider past generations of the iPad first, then compare them to the rumors currently circulating the web about the iPad 3. When Apple first launched it’s tablet PC, it was rated at 10 hours of battery life. Of coarse, that’s on a rough estimate, it depends mostly on what you’re doing with the device. Watching HD video hour after hour isn’t going to keep the battery alive 10 hours.

Apple made the same estimate with it’s current generation tablet, the iPad 2. 10 hours of battery life is what the iPad 2 could take. The iPad 3 is nearing closer and closer, rumors are steadily streaming out and with that, one must question what the battery life will be on the iPad 3.

An updated graphics card, higher resolution display, better processor, siri voice control and 4G compatibility all speculated for Apple’s next tablet. Knowing how Apple works, the iPad 3 is, at minimum, going to have 10 hours of battery life. Whether Apple can come up with more efficient components, a larger battery or better battery chemistry to push past that 10 hour rating, remains to be seen.

2011 is just a spec in the rear-view mirror and it’s time to look ahead to what will undoubtedly be a tech-filled year. The iPad 3 will be releasing soon and that means that retailers, bloggers and services will be trying to take full advantage of the hype and attention that the iPad 3 brings. Here are some things you’ll want to keep in-mind when finding and entering free iPad 3 giveaways.

When it comes to social networks, anyone can have a voice, even shady characters. Yea, yea.. Twitter and Facebook are going to have a ton of iPad 3 giveaways but before you get all trigger happy, check out the site that these people are linking to. Make sure the account, whether it be on Twitter, Facebook or YouTube, is a legit person.

Your best bet is to find a site or service that finds giveaways for you (hint hint!). That way there’s less work for you and the site does all the finding, vetting and posting of free iPad 2-3 giveaways. As always, our best and most current giveaway is located at the top of our site!

Many think that the Apple’s iPad has no real competitors. Yes, Andriod tablets have exceeded the iPad in processing power but the iPad holds strong in overall design, quality, user-interface design and content-rich applications. Sense the Kindle Fire has released, some speculate that it may be starting to dig slightly into potential iPad sales.

The Kindle Fire is by no means a comparative to the iPad. Its much smaller in size, has much slower processing power and a tiny (very tiny) set of apps available for it. ..but at $199, it gives a slice of what the iPad is. Rumor has it that Apple may be working on as low-end version of the iPad to fill in the gap where those who can’t afford Apple’s standard tablet.

“Apple is set to unveil its next-generation iPad—which will come in two versions—at the [MacWorld/iWorld expo] scheduled for January 26, 2012,” read a Dec. 29 report, citing unnamed supply-chain sources. “The new models will join the existing iPad 2 to demonstrate Apple’s complete iPad series targeting the entry-level, mid-range and high-end market segments.”

If these rumors are true, Apple may finally unveil a smaller sized iPad or at least a stripped down iPad at a price point that won’t break the bank.

The latest rumor circling the tech blogs, a very special release date for Apple’s third generation iPad. Word is that Apple may be planning to pay respect to Steve Jobs by releasing the iPad 3 on February 24th, Jobs birthday. Although the thought of the iPad 3 releasing on such a date is endearing, is it reasonable, or even do-able.

Apple, as a company, has never been one to rush a product out. Speculation and rumors in the past month suggest that Apple is working close with suppliers to produce the next iPad but could they make a February 24th deadline? Others counter this thought by pointing out that this isn’t when Apple normally releases it’s tablet PC and that it, at most, will be an announcement of the iPad 3, not a release. Are you ready for free iPad 3 offers, giveaways and contests? Stay tuned!

Reports came in over the weekend that a shanghai supply factory for Apple experienced an explosion injuring 61 workers and hospitalizing 27 works. No life-threatening injuries we reported.

“Our hearts go out to the people who were hurt in Songjiang. We are working closely with Pegatron to understand the cause of this accident,” Carolyn Wu, a spokeswoman for Apple in China expressed to the Associated Press.

Riteng Computer Accessory Co., the factory where the explosion took place, is a subsidiary of Apple supplier Pegatron Corp. Riteng explains that the explosion was caused by a build-up of aluminum dust in dust collection equipment.

[via NBC]

Apple’s iPad sales in China may quickly come to a screeching halt. Proview Technology and Apple have been in and out of court for some time on the matter of who owns the ‘iPad’ trademark. A Chinese court ruled recently that Apple is not entitled to use the iPad trademark. This means that Apple will either change the name of it’s tablet PC or pay a huge sum of money to Proview Technology.

Between 2002 and 2004, Proview trademarked IPAD in European Union, China, Mexico, South Korea, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam. In 2006 Proview sold the trademark to a 3rd-party which turned out to be a company working under Apple. Soon after the deal was struck, the two companies began to argue whether China was included in the deal.

This was a result of Apple suing Proview for the IPAD trademark in China. Now that Proview has won, the company has stated that they will begin to take legal action against iPad resellers as well as consider suing Apple for trademark infringement in return.

Read the whole story at China Briefing

Rumors made their way around the various tech blogs not to long ago. The word was that Apple may be bringing LTE to the iPad 3 in Japan by summer 2012. LTE is one of the top wished for features for the iPad 3. Recent reports may have put that flame out though.

The Japanese carrier NTT DoCoMo, in a statement to 9to5Mac bluntly explains that they will not be carrying the iPhone or iPad and they aren’t in any substantial negotiations to do so in the future. So where does this leave us now? Tim Cook, active CEO of Apple, recently stated that LTE on the iPhone would have compromised the design but what about the iPad? Time will tell.

[via WashingtonPost]

It seems as though a new Apple rumors comes out every week. This week the press and rumor sites are putting their sites on just how thick the iPad 3 will be. Speculation seems to point to a thicker iPad 3, as compared to the iPad 3. iLounge reports, .7 mm thicker than the iPad 2.

The reason; twin light-bars are needed to support the next-gen iPad’s higher resolution and brighter screen. There have been multiple reports in the past claiming Apple planned to use a LED light-bar to up the brightness and clarity of the iPad 3′s screen.

[via Washington Post]