Stefan Mileschin

Rumor-mongers start your engines, because it's January and the beginning of iPad rumor season. The next-gen iPad is well on its way, according to sources speaking to iLounge, with upgraded cameras, a higher-resolution display, and a launch date early this year—likely in March or April as with the past two iPads.

The next-generation iPad (which is widely being referred to as the "iPad 3," but in reality, no one knows) has long been rumored to carry a high-resolution, "retina" class display like the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S. In June of 2011, images were found within an iOS 5 developer SDK that implied the iPad's screen would be able to support images that were twice the normal size in each direction—1536x2048 instead of 768x1024—adding fuel to the fire. Other than the display and the completely obvious expected launch date, however, we have heard very little about the iPad 3, making iLounge's info even more interesting.

According to iLounge, both front and rear iPad cameras will get an upgrade, with the front-facing camera going HD and the rear-facing camera possibly matching the one found in the iPhone 4S. Because of these upgrades, however, the body of the iPad will supposedly get thicker—"1mm give or take," according to iLounge—and the curvature on the back will change slightly. More interesting is the claim that the current iPad 2 will remain in the lineup at a lowered price point of $399, while the newer iPad will claim the current price points of $499 and up. And although there have been some unrealistic rumors of an iPad launch this month, these sources insist that Apple will likely stick to its original iPad launch schedule, which has happened around March or April for the last two years.

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