With Lion, iCloud, and iOS 5 out of the way, it was only a matter of time until the next juicy rumor hit the web. According to our good friend Dave Caolo over at TUAW, iOS 5 has some firmware code hinting at two iPad 3 models (3,1 and 3,2), as well as two iPhone 5 models, but no mention of a next generation iPod touch.
While the possibility of two editions of the iPad 3 may be real, the second edition could also be for internal, testing purposes, or a second version of the same device, albeit in a slightly different format. For all we know, Apple could be A/B testing two next-generation iPad models in an attempt to figure out what device ends up going to market. Earlier this year we saw a reference to an iPhone 3,1 edition, 3,2 as well as a 3,3 device. iPhone 3,2 never made it to market, and may have been abandoned entirely. So, like we said, this could be some hubbub over nothing, or it could be two distinct iPad 3 models.
On the note of the iPod touch, I’m not really surprised. The device seems to be on an entirely different release schedule, often skipping a year for major updates. While small iterations are rolled out on a yearly basis, it took Apple a while to release the camera edition or make drastic improvements.
What do you think? Two distinct iPad 3 models, or two slight variations (i.e. carrier specific chipsets)? We’re leaning towards the latter. There were some rumors floating around that the iPhone 3,2 edition that never made it to manufacturing could have been a Sprint specific device, and that deal ended up falling through at the last minute. This iPad 3,2 could be something similar at this point.
