Apple iPad 3 'to launch in February 2012'

Apple will launch the third generation of the iPad in early 2012, an analyst has claimed.

Citi analyst Richard Gardner cited "several sources" as indicating that the iPad 3 will be officially confirmed by Apple next February.

Business Insider reports Gardiner as saying that the much-anticipated tablet will sport a screen resolution double that of the current iPad 2.

He added that "there do not appear to be any significant technical hurdles remaining" to prevent the launch of the iPad 3.

The claim about screen resolution dovetails with previous reports about the iPad 3, indicating that the product will have a 2048 x 1536 pixel resolution, a massive rise on the 1024 x 768 in the current model.

It is thought that this will mean the iPad 3 will be 0.7mm thicker than the iPad 2 due to the need for stronger backlighting technology.

However, the iPad 3 could be up against a considerable competitor next year in the shape of a rumoured 11.6-inch tablet from Samsung, which could offer a whopping 2560 x 1600 resolution.

Meanwhile, Gardiner has also predicted that Apple will sell 12-13 million iPads in the final quarter of 2011, a big increase on the 7.33m sold in the same period in 2010.