Rumors swirl around iPad 3's processor

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SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 20 (UPI) -- An image of the iPad 3's purported logic board has leaked and the chipset pictured is not the A6 processor many assumed would power it, analysts say.

A post on the Chinese Web site WeiPhone includes an image of the next-generation iPad's circuit board with a system-on-a-chip labeled "A5X," PC Magazine reported Monday.

The chip appears to have been produced in November 2011.

Apple watchers had assumed to company's next tablet would be named the A6 since the first iPad had the A4 and the iPad 2 had the A5.

Early rumors had the iPad 3 running a quad-core chip since Apple's iOS 5.1 beta code contained references to core management capabilities for quad-core processors. The latest rumors join those of improved displays, better cameras, and even a smaller 8-inch-display model to accompany the normal 9.7-inch iPad.

Apple is expected to hold an introduction event for the next iPad during the first week of March in San Francisco.