( CNN ) -- You may have just unwrapped your new iPad 2 , but rumors are already swirling about the iPad 3 . The always-fertile field of Apple rumors is once again blossoming furiously , as tech observers pore over the most minute tidbits of information to speculate on the future of the market-leading Apple tablet . While much of the chatter is just that , there are a few details to be gleaned in all the usual fervor that precedes an Apple `` iLaunch . '' It was January 2010 when Apple unveiled the `` magical '' iPad , introducing much of the general public to the concept of a tablet computer for the first time . With the massive Consumer Electronics Show set for January 10-13 and MacWorld/iWorld -- billed as `` the world 's ultimate fan event '' for Apple lovers -- scheduled for January 26-28 , observers are wondering whether Apple could soon roll out the third generation of the device . On Thursday morning , the conventional wisdom in the blogosphere seemed virtually sure that Apple would do so . But by Friday , many tech pundits were saying there 's no way it will happen . Tomorrow ? Who knows ? `` We 've entered a post-iPhone news cycle , when iPad rumors are surfacing with full force , '' wrote Leslie Horn for PC Magazine . `` Of course the launch date has been discussed quite a bit , as it goes with any anticipated Apple device . ... But the reality with an Apple gadget is that we 'll have to wait and see . '' Other tidbits making the rounds ? That a new model will be rolled out February 24 , which would have been Steve Jobs ' birthday , or in March , the same month the iPad 2 was introduced . Richard Shim , an analyst at research firm DisplaySearch , told CNET that a January release date might be wishful thinking . January is `` a little suspect , '' Shim told the blog . `` When they make them available they want to have as many as possible . And my sense is that they will wait rather than make them immediately available . '' But from folks who monitor the supply chain of Apple components in Asia and other analysts , a few plausible details have emerged : . Faster processor . Several reports have suggested that the new iPads will have a new , faster processor that will offer quicker browsing , gaming and other activity . Apple recently started using a plant in Austin , Texas , to manufacture computer chips , according to a Reuters report and other sources . Analysts have speculated that facility , owned by Samsung , could be the source of the new processors . Sharper screen . It 's also a relatively safe bet to expect a higher-resolution screen , an upgrade that 's been a staple in most new permutations of Apple 's mobile products . Reports of a much stronger battery have also surfaced in multiple places and seem to have some merit . Voice control . One ca n't help wonder whether Apple will add Siri , the iPhone 4S 's voice-control `` virtual assistant , '' to the new iPad as well . A cheaper iPad . Also possible is that Apple will attempt to address , in some way , the recent success of the smaller , simpler Kindle Fire tablet from Amazon , which costs $ 300 less than the entry-level iPad 2 . No single tablet computer from Apple 's competitors had gained much traction until Amazon rolled out the Fire this holiday season . The company says it sold more than 4 million Kindles in December , and most of those are believed to be Kindle Fires . How Apple may address that competition has prognosticators split . Taiwan-based DigiTimes , which sparked much of Thursday 's speculation with a report that the new iPad will be unveiled in January , also reported that the company will roll out two new tablets and that the iPad 2 would get a price cut to let it compete more directly with the Fire . ( It should be noted that DigiTimes has a somewhat spotty track record , doing pretty well with reports out of its native Taiwan but missing the mark more often on other news ) . The same site quoted unnamed sources just two weeks ago saying that Apple would be unveiling a 7-inch tablet to match the Fire , a departure that would seem unlikely unless it was in the works well before Amazon 's new gadget was announced . Shim attempted to throw cold water on the concept that Apple will take a step back in features to try to snuff Amazon . `` They do n't want to create any hint of a second-class product , '' he told CNET . `` They have no reason . They 're selling as many as they can make . And this next-generation device is going to reinforce that supply-demand dynamic . ''
Rumors about the iPad 3 are heating up as January 2010 dawns . The original iPad was unveiled in March , iPad One in 2012 . Sources expect a higher-resolution screen and faster processor . Many wonder whether Apple plans to go after the cheaper , smaller Kindle Fire market .