Gary Marshall: What to expect from the iPad 3

It's coming! It's coming! Fire up your eBay account and get that iPad 2 listed pronto, because the iPad 3 is here!

Details? You want details? OK! I've got details! I've got them straight from the horse's mouth, and by "horse's mouth" I mean "launch invitation, leaked case designs from no-name Chinese case firms and a whole bunch of ill-informed speculation".

So what can we expect from the iPad 3?

iPad 3 display

First up, the iPad 3 display will be blurrier than Alex James' underpants. If you look at the launch invitation the Calendar app icon is nice and clear and Retina-y, but just look at the Keynote icon to the right. It's so blurry you can barely make it out.

It's clear what Apple's doing here: because its Retina display is so powerful and awesome and amazing, it probably uses quite a lot of battery power. Apple's solution? Make the bits you aren't looking at go blurry to save pixels. Thinking like this is why Android can never win.

iPad 3 multi-touch

Next up, there's touch. Apple even mentions it in the invitation: "And touch," it says. See? Told you. If you look at Tim Cook's hand - because it is definitely Tim Cook's, or maybe Jonathan Ive's, or Phil Schiller, or one of the other top Apple guys nobody can remember the name of, like Bert McThingy - you'll see that Apple's clearly taking multi-touch into a whole new dimension.

We've had touch. We've had multi-touch. Are you thinking what I'm thinking? If you're thinking "knuckles" then you are thinking what I'm thinking: there's clearly some knuckle control going on here. Nobody outside Apple is thinking about knuckle-controlled computers, and that's why Android can never win.

iPad 3: button-free

Last but not least, the iPad 3 won't have any buttons. The internet has decided this based on the text of the launch invitation, which says "We have something you really have to see. And touch."

That, clearly, means that the iPad 3 doesn't have a home button, because "touch" means "touch the border" and "see" means "you can't see the button, because there isn't one. See?"

Android fans don't indulge in this kind of speculation when there's a new Asus Transformer en route, and that's why Android can never win.

iPad 3: what's really going on

I have no idea, and neither does anybody else. The Retina display looks likely, of course, but the only thing we know for certain is that that iPad 3 - if indeed it's called the iPad 3 - will have an Apple logo on it and a nice box.

Speculation is fun, but it's purely speculation: while some stuff is pretty predictable - let's face it, Apple's not going to unveil a device that's like the current model but rubbish - the only people who know for sure what Tim Cook's going to show off - at least, until Apple does its traditional leak-to-the-Wall-Street-Journal thing - are the chosen few inside Apple.

It's like Christmas Eve: instead of going to bed and letting Santa do his stuff, Apple fans and observers are hiding under the blankets, trying to divine from the lumps and bumps whether we're getting a shiny new bicycle and a glow in the dark Buzz Lightyear or a sack of coal.

In fact, it's worse than that: while Dad's sticking a top-end skateboard under the tree we're imagining nuclear-powered hoverboards that totally fire laser beams and control robots and stuff.

I suspect that whatever Tim Cook unveils, it'll be the iPhone 4S all over again: a great product that isn't quite as great as a completely imaginary one.

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In Depth: PC tech in 2012: what to expect

PC tech in 2012: what to expect

With 2011 drawing to a close, it's time to look forward to the technological delights heading our way courtesy of the most resilient and consistent innovative computing platform of them all, the trusty old PC.

This time last year, we got it right on Intel's Sandy Bridge and a relatively stagnant year for PC graphics, were let down by AMD's Bulldozer and jumped the gun on tablets and apps.

For 2012, it's looking like the roles are set to reverse for CPUs and GPUs, laptops PCs are going to be better than ever and the tablets will finally make the mainstream. No really, this time it's true.

Not a vintage year for CPUs

The great hope for the end of 2011 and in turn 2012 and onwards was the arrival of AMD's long awaited – almost mythical - Bulldozer chip, otherwise known as the AMD FX processor. It duly arrived and utterly disappointed.

Not long after, Intel unleashed its latest high chip, the Core i7-3960X, and our worst fears were confirmed. Without any competition at the high end, Intel is taking its foot off the gas. The Core i7-3960X is the fastest PC processor on the planet. But it's only a little quicker than Intel's existing Core i7-990X. More to the point, it could have been much faster. Intel has switched off two of the cores.

Intel says that was always the plan. But we've little doubt things would have been different had Bulldozer presented a stiffer challenge. Anyhow, the prospects for a big leap in high end CPU performance in 2012 are pretty much zero.

At first glance, things don't look much better back in the mainstream. Details of Intel's upcoming Ivy Bridge generation of 22nm CPUs have been trickling out. The bad news is that neither core count nor clocks are due for a big change. Four cores remains your lot and clock speeds will top out at 3.5GHz nominally and 3.9GHz with a little Turbo action.

However, the shrink to 22nm will also bring a much more powerful integrated graphics core. If nothing else, that should mean Intel's QuickSync video encode engine gets an upgrade and that should mean insanely quick encode times.

As for AMD, well, we can't see anything too exciting on the horizon for desktop PCs. It'll be all about pricing its new Bulldozer processors to make them as competitive as possible.

Graphics glut

If processor power isn't on the up, at least 2012 should be a good year for graphics. AMD's Radeon HD 6 Series GPUs haven't exactly set the world alight. But we're just days away from dishing the dirt on the new 7 Series and it looks very promising indeed.

Admittedly, AMD's new high-end GPU won't be cheap. But it will put downward pressure on the prices of run out 6 Series boards in the first half of 2012. As more affordable 7 Series cards come on steam, your bang for buck will only improve.

Ultrabooks are coming

Grudgingly we must concede that while Apple perhaps didn't invent the ultra-slim, ultra-light notebook computer, it did establish it as the next big in laptop computing. But like so many Apple products, the MacBook Air has never been particularly affordable until relatively recently. But it's still a Mac.

The good news is that 2012 should see the arrival of whole armies of MacBook Air trampling Ultrabooks from the big names in PC manufacturing. Te Ultrabook is an Intel concoction and the idea behind it isn't terribly radical. At its simplest, it's a thin and light laptop PC with solid state storage.

But as prices for SSDs come down and advances in chip manufacturing make desktop performance possible in ultra-compact form factors while extending battery life towards the al-day ideal, the ultrabook adds the final ingredient to the recipe Apple has been simmering with the Air. Affordability.

Intel wants Ultrabooks to top out at $1,000. In the UK that's means something around £800. That's slightly less than the £849 starting price of the Apple MacBook Air. It's also much cheaper than current high-performance thin and light systems such as the Sony Z. For an idea of what an Ultrabook looks like, check out Asus's delightful Zenbook UX21 .

Of course, Intel's major contribution to the Ultrabook sector in 2012 will be mobile processors from the upcoming 22nm Ivy Bridge family. These won't have a huge impact in terms of performance. But at a given performance point, they'll put the kybosh on both prices and power consumption.

By the end of 2012, you'll be able to choose from a wide range of superlight, relatively highperformance laptop PCs that go all day on a single charge and delivering a computing experience that's indistinguishable from most desktop PCs.

Windows 8 makes the PC tablet-friendly

The tablet PC is the idea that just won't die. In fact, last year we prgonosticated 2011 could be the tablet transition happened, what with Intel's Atom maturing and Apple's iPad 2 pushing the basic tablet concept into the mainstream.

Needless to say, it didn't happen. Is there any reason to think 2012 will be any different? Yes, actually, there is. Microsoft is finally taking mobile platforms seriously and the next release of Windows will include a proper touch interface, not the feeble, half baked efforts we've seen up to and including Windows 7.

If that sounds like a familiar refrain involving promises from Microsoft that never make the transition into reality, may we point you in the direction of Windows Phone and its cutting edge Metro UI. This tile-based interface forms the starting point for Windows 8's tablet edition and it's on another level to anything Microsoft has previously achieved. It even makes Apple's iOS look a little old and crusty.

ARM vs x86

Of course, the arrival of Windows 8 also presages the emergence of an even biger question for the future of the PC. Can it survive death by a thousand cuts from a swarm of ARM-powered chips and devices. Moreover, can a PC be a PC without an x86 processor?

The issue here is the arrival of the first version of Windows with support for ARM rather than x86 processors. It would be a bold prediction to suggest Windows on ARM was going to be the next best thing. But it does add to the general momentum towards a blurring between conventional x86 PCs and ultra mobile ARM-powered devices.

In Depth: CES 2012: what to expect

CES 2012: Home Entertainment

The world's greatest tech show is just over a month away – CES 2012 takes place in the second week of January (if you're a show obsessive, note that's a week later than usual).

Running from 9 - 13 January, the show will see the entire tech world descend on Las Vegas. We'll be hearing from the biggest names in tech to talk about their plans for 2012.

As for every CES, TechRadar will be there getting hands on with the hardware that matters and bringing you the latest breaking news from the show.

So what are we expecting to be launched at CES 2012? Here are our complete predictions for the show.

Home entertainment

While some brands like Philips prefer to use IFA in September to show new wares, most of the consumer electronics giants choose CES to showcase their forthcoming gear for 2012.

For this reason, the big names like Sony, Panasonic and Samsung always have huge stands packed full of new products and exciting new prototypes.

For a couple of years there was an element of stagnation as iterations of new products failed to truly innovate or inspire but recently that trend has started to turn around.

For the last two years Samsung has led the way in terms of TV design. The bezel-less look of the D8000 range is simply stunning, and we fully expect other brands to make strides in this field in the coming year. LG in particular are nailed on to ape Samsung's design with its new Nano and Plasma ranges, but we'd put money on some of the other big brands also following suit. Bezels are just so last millennium.

OLED

OLED was the 'next big thing' a few years ago but viable products failed to materialise other than in the form of Sony and LG's small-sized super-expensive vanity panels a few years ago. But in 2012 we're expecting to see OLED make a comeback. The problem has been the expense – the yield rate for OLED panels has been so poor that the working products were subsequently prohibitively expensive. But new production techniques are thought to be more promising and so we're likely to see the likes of Samsung and LG show off some large new OLED prototypes – probably 55-inch.

3D, 4K and Smart TV

As ever we'll be inundated by new 3D TVs and it's likely that the majority, if not all the new TVs from the big names at 32-inches and above will be at least 3D-ready.

But the exciting 3D innovation will be elsewhere... We're also expecting to see improved crosstalk-free flagship 3D TV models, universal active 3D glasses, and maybe even the appearance of some glasses-free active 3D prototypes which do the shuttering inside the screen. There will certainly be plenty of lenticular glasses-free 3D TVs on show, though if Toshiba's first-generation models are anything to go by they won't be terribly exciting.

The next big step on the roadmap for TVs is the introduction of 4K panels. While full HD TVs have a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, 4K panels are much sharper with a resolution of 3840 x 2160. Toshiba's 55ZL2 glasses-free TV, which launched at IFA in September, has a 4K 2D resolution, and we're expecting a lot more new sets to emerge from the other big names in 2012.

It's even possible that we might see the announcement of a new storage medium for 4K sources. Just maybe…

Of course Smart TV is another area of innovation in this field, and we're likely to see some bold new interfaces and features.

Gaming

It's very possible that we'll see the reappearance of the Nintendo Wii U at CES, although it's anyone's guess whether that would be the prototype we've already seen or if it'll be an updated version.

And of course, there are also rumours circulating the web that we may even see Microsoft show off a prototype or at least announce the Xbox 720. It's fairly obvious that Microsoft would want to get the next Xbox out before the PlayStation 4 – doing so with the 360 saw it gain a huge head start, but whether it's anywhere near showing its hand seems a bit far-fetched. But who knows?

CES 2012: Computing

The big thing we're expecting from CES 2012 is yet more details on Windows 8. Steve Ballmer is yet again doing the opening keynote of CES 2012, so we're expecting more versions of the OS to be shown off and possibly some more prototype hardware.

We've only so far seen a developer preview of the new OS – we're now expecting a fuller Beta to be available from CES and, if the gestation of Windows 7 is anything to go by, it will be a Public Beta too.

At last year's CES we were invited to a briefing with Microsoft at which it announced ARM support for Windows 8 – and we're really hoping we'll get more clarity on this at the show. How will Microsoft differentiate ARM and Intel-based tablets and PCs, for example?

This will become an even bigger issue as traditional x86-based software will not be backwards compatible on ARM-based installs of Windows 8.

After launching its Sandy Bridge range of Intel Core processors at last year's CES, Intel will showcase its die-shrink successor – Ivy Bridge.

Intel chief Paul Otellini is set to deliver one of the main keynotes at CES 2012 and, while his keynotes have delivered little in the past, we'd expect him to at least show off some Ivy Bridge hardware designs – probably an Ultrabook. Ivy Bridge itself won't be with us until later in 2012.

We'll certainly see a lot more Ultrabook laptops at CES 2012 – not least because Intel is actively encouraging kit manufacturers to create designs for the platform. And, if we're lucky, we might experience some running versions of Windows 8.

There are also rumours that several large manufacturers could launch ARM-based laptop designs at the show – most likely ready for the launch of Windows 8. It wouldn't be the first time we've seen kit like this: 2010's Lenovo Skylight used a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor.

These could be the new netbooks - netbooks as we've known them for the last couple of years are dying out as customers demand more features and basic full-fat laptops reduce in price.

Of course, tablets are also an area we'll be hearing a lot more from at CES – read on for a lot more on that.

CES 2012: Mobile phones and tablets

The mobile industry traditionally launches its new phones and tablets during February's Mobile World Congress, but such is the fierce and deadly competition to make bigger, faster phones with more cores than ever before, we expect many manufacturers to steal a few weeks of publicity and go big at CES 2012.

Tablets will be huge news. Most high-end models will have moved on from the Tegra 2 chipset that's inside many popular Android models today, so we ought to see plenty of quad-core Tegra 3 tablets at the show.

HTC

HTC still hasn't released a version of its Jetstream tablet in the UK, so we won't get too excited about the company's next rumoured tablet - currently known as the HTC Quattro. It's your usual 10.1" format, only updated with a quad-core processor.

As for mobiles, quite a few possible HTC models for 2012 have leaked in recent weeks, any of which may show up at CES. There's the quad-core HTC Edge and the dual-core HTC Ville, but HTC likes to release separate models for the US market - so any CES HTC releases are more likely to be US-only products.

OUTED: Is this the HTC Ville?[Image credit: BGR]

Acer

A possible new Acer tablet has also leaked online recently, with Acer's Iconia 700 said to be the company's attempt to impress us a little more than it did with the boring Iconia A500, this time with a quad-core processor update. The A700 is also said to feature a 1080p resolution display, which ought to grab it a few headlines.

Samsung and LG

Samsung is guaranteed to be launching a Galaxy S III in 2012, with plenty of internet leaks underlining its existence. Samsung could show it off at CES. This would make us literally sob with joy.

And if Samsung's there, LG won't be far behind. There's recently been a leak of a possible Android 4.0 LG phone called the LG Optimus U1, which, although looking rather bland, could be something to get excited about if LG manages to get the Ice Cream Sandwich OS to market quicker than the competition.

Sony Ericsson

We could see Sony Ericsson show off its previously leaked Xperia Arc HD at the CES event. Sony will want to make its recent acquisition of Ericsson's share of the business look like it's paying off, so a prompt unveiling of a new flagship Android phone would go some way to reassuring its shareholders that it was a good buy.

And there could be many more. Recent reports claim Samsung, LG and Motorola have been sourcing quad-core processors for future smartphone use, so expect multi-core mobiles and tablets to be big news in early 2012.

CES 2012: Cameras

CES 2012 is going to be especially interesting for photographers because it is also hosting the PMA (Photo Marketing Association) trade show. Unlike CES, all the major camera manufacturers have traditionally attended PMA.

As usual, all the camera manufacturers are playing their cards very close to their chests, but there are a few products that we hope to see at the show.

Canon

Canon's EOS 5D Mark II is getting on a bit now and a replacement is hotly tipped for early 2012. This full-frame camera straddles the boundary between high-end enthusiast and professional-level models and is a firm favourite with those who want to shoot still and high quality video footage.

Canon recently announced that it is developing a full-frame SLR capable of shooting 4K video at 24P (with APS-H cropping). As yet we don't know the name of this model, could it be the EOS 5D Mark III or EOS 6D replacement for the EOS 5D MK II?

CANON EOS 5D MK II: Can we expect the successor to the MKII at CES?

Canon is the only major camera manufacturer to not have a compact system camera (CSC). It's bound to announce one soon and perhaps CES will be when it chooses to reveal its first CSC to the world.

Nikon

We've been expecting Nikon to update its top-end SLRs for ages now and perhaps CES 2012 could be the company's launchpad.

The 12-million pixel full-frame D700 is particularly long in the tooth, with a D800 being widely rumoured to be coming soon. It may feature a 36Mp sensor, which would make it the highest resolution SLR around.

It's also been a while since the Nikon D3 series has seen a refresh and with the Olympics coming next summer a D4, or perhaps a D4S, could be on the cards.

Looking a little lower down the Nikon SLR line-up the D300S is looking out of step with the competition with only 12 million pixels on its APS-C format sensor. Perhaps we will see a D400?

Sony

When Sony announced its 24-million pixel Alpha 77 a slip of the tongue seemed to suggest that there could be a full-frame SLT waiting in the wings. If so, this would replace the Alpha 900 and it's most likely to be called Alpha 950.

This would be the first full-frame digital camera to feature a fixed translucent mirror to enable full-time phase detection autofocus in live view mode and blistering-fast continuous shooting rates. It would also be the first full-frame SLR to have an electronic viewfinder (EVF).

It's widely known that Sony produces Nikon's sensors and if Nikon is about to use a 36MP device, it seems likely that Sony is too.

Compact system cameras

It seems that 2011 has been the year of the compact system camera (CSC) with models being announced by Panasonic, Olympus, Samsung, Sony and Nikon.

Our contacts suggest that Panasonic will be making CSC announcements at Photokina in September 2012, rather than January, but the other manufacturers may have something up their sleeves. Could Canon join the party as well?

Now that Sony has revealed the NEX-7's impressive EVF, the other manufacturers have some ground to make up. Olympus has promised a massive improvement in its optional external EVFs in 2012.

We'll be watching developments - rest assured we'll be keeping you posted about what new cameras and other kit we expect to see at CES.

In Depth: Apple WWDC 2011: what to expect

Apple's uncharacteristically detailed announcement hasn't just confirmed that next week's WWDC will be a Stevenote: it's also told us what he'll be talking about.

So what can we expect?

New hardware? Probably not

Apple doesn't usually tell us what Steve Jobs will introduce.

While it's nice to imagine a One More Thing where Jobs unveils a solar-powered iPad that can turn base metals into gold, the detail in the PR announcement suggests that Apple's trying to manage expectations here.

This one's about the software.

iCloud

The rumours were right: iCloud is Apple's new streaming service. Will it deliver some, all or none of the items on our wish list?

The music locker and music streaming appear to be a given, with Businessweek reporting that it will scan your iTunes library and let you access the same songs from any Apple device.

OS X Lion

We've been excited about this for ages: Lion promises to bring the best iPad ideas back to the Mac, with full-screen, autosaving apps, more multi-touch, a brand new version of Mail and file versioning.

Factor in AirDrop wireless sharing, Safari's new Reading List, the new Resume feature, Mission Control and Launchpad and you've got enough to keep Steve Jobs saying "boom" for days.

iOS 5

We're expecting a major upgrade of Apple's iPod, iPad and iPhone OS in the form of iOS 5, although we don't expect to get our hands on it before September. iCloud integration is a given, and it'll be interesting to see if the purported "deep voice control" makes an appearance.

Improved notifications should remove one of the more annoying things about iOS, and it's possible that Spaces and Widgets will make their merry way from OS X to iOS. Bad news for iPhone 3GS owners, though: that model's expected to drop off the iOS Happy List.

We're sure some of you are doing the Sad Mac Face at the apparent lack of hardware announcements, but if you take a step back and look at the combination of iCloud, iOS and OS X Lion you're looking at something really, really big.

After all, these are really major changes to Apple's desktop and mobile OSes that blur the line between Macs and iPod/Phone/Pad and connect everything to the cloud. And that's much more interesting than an iPhone 4S or iPhone 5.

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Tags: iOS, Apple, iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, mobile phones, mobile

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