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Original URL: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/02/09/apple_ipad_3_shell_shots_spied_on_web/

iPad 3 shell shots spied on web

Snaps point to bigger battery. Possibly

By Tony Smith

Posted in Tablets, 9th February 2012 11:58 GMT

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Snaps are circulating Apple and iPad fansites revealing that the upcoming iPad 3 will hold a larger battery than its predecessor… probably.

One shot, from repair site Fix-iPhones, shows the inside of what's claimed to be the back of the iPad 3's casing [1]. The site infers that the re-sited screw holes and such mean the new tablet will contain a different sized motherboard in order to make room for the bigger power cell.

A larger battery has been mooted before, primarily to support the tablet's anticipated 2048 x 1536 display [2] but also for the LTE support [3] the gadget has more recently been said to feature.

Indeed, LTE is proving something of a battery hammerer where it has been implemented in smartphones in the States, so it's no surprise Apple would want to pack in as big a power pack as possible.

Past rumours have claimed the iPad 3 will be fractionally thicker than the iPad 2 as a result. Heavier too, we suspect.

The snap shows some slight differences in the positioning of the iPad 3's rear-facing camera, but nothing that will seemingly make any practical difference when the product is available for use. Expect a similar-sized speaker as the current model sports.

A second shot, this time posted by Asian website Apple.Pro, shows the external face of the iPad 3's rear [4], which reveals the differences between it and the iPad 2's backplate are of the 'blink and you'll miss them' type.