Quad core CPU and LTE confirmed for iPad 3, claims leak

Apple’s iPad 3 will feature a quad core Apple A6 CPU and built-in LTE-support, according to some recently leaked images.

The images come via a source that claims to be in possession of an iPad 3. Now this is a pretty bold claim and if it is indeed true we’d expect that this person is in fact somebody that actually works at Apple – who else would have an iPad 3?

The source provided several screenshots of the purported iPad 3 running iBoot – a development and debug tool. Unfortunately the source, despite getting their hands on the iPad 3, failed to take any images of the device proper, which makes us question the validity of the claims.

Nonetheless the screenshots from iBoot do reveal some pretty interesting facts about the said device. For starters, says BGR, ‘the model numbers are J1 and J2 (iPad3,1 and iPad3,2), and while DigiTimes reported this a few weeks ago, these two models are not different devices, just a single iPad available in two versions — one with Wi-Fi only and one with Wi-Fi and embedded GSM/CDMA/LTE for all carriers.’

It added: ‘Also included in the photos is, for the first time, confirmation of which processor Apple will be using in the iPad 3: an A6 processor with model number S5L8945X. For reference, the Apple A4 model was S5L8930X and the A5 is S5L8940X.’

What this means – if true, of course – is that not only will Apple’s third-generation tablet device feature a quad-core A6 processor, which will no doubt run rings around the Snapdragon and Tegra 3’s of the world (just as Apple’s A5 CPU did), but the device also comes equipped with support for LTE – AKA: 4G connectivity.

Here are the said images: 

1.

2.

3.

4.