The iPad 3 is still weeks away from being announced, but Chinese tech blog M.I.C.gadget managed to snag a back shell for the iPad 3 from “one of our most reliable sources.” As you can see from the pics after the jump the case is slightly thicker than the svelte iPad 2 back panel. The next-gen tablet still has the tapered styling of its predecessor. It just looks like a slightly overweight iPad 2.
The iPad 3 is said to be thicker than the iPad 2. That should be considered as a fact now. Everything from LTE to the high-resolution screen to the predictably larger battery is cited as the cause for the thicker case. But outside of fanboy flame wars, an extra couple of millimeters doesn’t matter. M.I.C.gadget even found several iPad 2 cases still worked with the thicker casing. The addition of the aforementioned specs should more than justify the additional thickness — and that’s coming from a guy that doesn’t want the damn thing.
There is of course a chance that this isn’t the back case of the iPad 3. It’s entirely plausible M.I.C.gadgets is trolling the Internet. But I doubt it. I’ve found the site to be reliable in the past and the timing is about right. If the site had posted this, say, even a month ago, I would have a lot more doubts. But the iPad 3 is said to be launching in the coming weeks. Components are already being made. Case makers already have the specs. Expect more leaks to hit the interwebs prior to the official launch.
M.I.C.gadget also notes that the iPad 3’s back panel has room for a larger camera lens. This is in line with previous rumors that place a higher-resolution camera within the next iPad. But of course these are all rumors. Nothing is 100% confirmed yet. Apple is said to be announcing the next iPad the first week of March, but that’s still a rumor too at this point.
