Grapevine: iPad 3 is imminent

CUPERTINO, Calif., Dec. 30 (UPI) -- While Apple is still selling millions of the iPad 2 tablet, speculation is already swirling about an iPad 3, tech industry observers say.

With the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show and MacWorld/iWorld -- billed as "the world's ultimate fan event" for Apple lovers -- both scheduled for January, observers are debating whether Apple could soon roll out the third generation of the device, CNN reported.

Apple debuted the iPad, introducing the world to the concept of a tablet computer, in January 2010.

"We've entered a post-iPhone news cycle, when iPad rumors are surfacing with full force," Leslie Horn at PC Magazine wrote. "Of course the launch date has been discussed quite a bit, as it goes with any anticipated Apple device. ... But the reality with an Apple gadget is that we'll have to wait and see."

Some tech watchers said a January release date might be wishful thinking.

January is "a little suspect," Richard Shim, an analyst at research firm DisplaySearch, said.

"When they make them available they want to have as many as possible," Shim said. "And my sense is that they will wait rather than make them immediately available."

Rumors on hardware upgrades center on a faster processor, a sharper screen, and perhaps even voice control similar to the Siri "virtual assistant" on the iPhone 4S.