According to reports in from the Far East, Apple are working with suppliers and their partners in Asia for the trial production of the iPad 3.

Apple have been ordering display panels and other components in the last couple of weeks aiming to launch the iPad 3 in early 2012. There are still talks about the upcoming screen, dubbed the ‘retina' thanks to the super high resolution of 2048×1536 pixels – a huge update when compared to the current model which features a 1024×768 resolution panel. Apple have apparently placed a lot of orders for a 9.7 inch screen.

According to The Wall Street Journal, one component manufacturer has said that Apple have placed an order for parts, to produce 1.5 million iPad 3's in the fourth quarter of 2011.

“Suppliers will ramp up production and try to improve the yield rate for the new iPad in the fourth quarter before its official launch in early 2012” said the unnamed source.

Apple have yet to get a serious challenger in the tablet market, with their dominance showing through on many research figures and reports in recent weeks. Apple have reported record sales figures, selling 9.3 iPad's in the quarter, triple what they sold the year before.

The iPad 3 however should assure a new raft of sales for Apple, and by then they may be facing more challengers from companies such as Amazon, who plan on releasing a Google Android powered tablet in the coming months.

Kitguru says: Will Apple be able to hold the current pricing for the iPad 3? It may prove difficult, especially with a super high resolution screen.

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