New iPad 3 appears in code with A6 processor onboard

It would appear that if indeed Apple is going to show a new iPad mini inside the next few weeks, it'll be released right alongside a new iPad (3rd gen) as well, complete with A6 processing power under the hood. A developer has discovered in their standard Apple developer's logs that a brand new iPad – designation iPad 3,6 – pointing towards a modified version of the latest iPad on the market today. This release would come alongside an iPad mini at an iTunes-centered event inside October.

This iPad 3,6 comes after the three current-generation iPad 3's on the market today, those being iPad 3,1, iPad 3,2, and iPad 3,3, each of them with their own specifications centered around the mobile carrier they are or are not with. This alongside a report shown earlier this month that there were two other iPads appearing in logs – iPad 2,5 and iPad 2,6 – have us wondering if Apple intends on updating their whole iPad line at once. With these "iPad 2" releases it would appear that either Apple will be sticking with the low-resolution 9.7-inch tablet still on the market today for more inexpensive choices for the public, or the iPad mini will be appearing in the iPad 2 lineup.

If the iPad mini does appear in the iPad 2 lineup, this would work extremely well with the note from a few weeks ago that said the model would have essentially the same specifications as the 2nd-gen iPad, but that it'd have a 7.58-inch display instead. Several sources have spoken to this suggestion, saying the iPad mini would replace the iPad 2 as the cheaper choice for iOS lovers not needing the larger screen real-estate that the iPad 3 provides. The iPad mini has also been tipped as being a significantly less expensive device, this raising questions about how or if the device will be subsidized with mobile carriers.

Have a peek at our timeline of iPad mini stories from the past few weeks to get up to date on all things futuristic. This device has been dismissed as a cannibal of Apple device sales in the past, but with tip after tip saying the 10th of October will be the invite date while the actual Apple event will be the 17th, we're guessing it's the real deal. Apple will quite likely update their whole mobile range to the 8-pin dock real soon – with more power, too!

[via MacRumors]