iPad 3 price hike is rumored

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SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 27 (UPI) -- The upcoming iPad 3 -- expected to be announced in a little more than a week-- could carry a $70-$80 price hike over its iPad 2 predecessor, analysts say.

The MacRumors Web site posted an image Monday of a purported pricing sheet found on the popular Chinese microblogging site Sina Weibo showing a list price for the iPad 3 of $579 for the 16 gigabyte WiFi only model, an increase from the $499 for a similar iPad 2, PC Magazine reported.

The 32GB and 64GB models will list for $679 and $799, the price sheet showed.

IPad 3 models with 3G wireless connectivity will be priced at $699, $799 and $899 with 16, 32 and 65 gigabytes of storage respectively, it showed.

In the meantime, a purported shipping manifest posted by the Web site Apple.pro is said to show a major international cargo charter flight departing Apple supplier Foxconn from the airport in Chengdu International Airport in China.

The alleged manifest shows deliveries scheduled for March 9 in Chicago, New York and Los Angeles, suggesting Apple will make the iPad 3 available shortly after its expected unveiling March 7, PC Magazine said.