Is Apple Launching the iPad 3 on Steve Jobs’ Birthday?

The latest Apple news is that iPad 3 production is being ramped up in anticipation of Steve Jobs’ birthday Feb. 24, 2011. But can an iPad 3 be delivered on time in such short notice? Maybe. Here’s why …

A tip of the hat goes to the English edition of Focus Taiwan, which published an article based on a report in a local Chinese newspaper, which stated the iPad 3 could arrive Feb. 24, 2012, because of employee vacation limitations.

“To meet the iPad 3 delivery date, the sources said, main assembler Hon Hai Precision Industry’s iPad division will only allow its employees to take five days off during the Lunar New Year holiday …”

The report goes on to say that other employees not working in the iPad division would be given longer vacations and that other supply chain manufacturers will also have employees working overtime.

Hmm. I think there’s truth in this speculation. Here’s what I think based on Apple’s previous moves:

It’s Going to Happen

I railed against the idea that Apple would release a Verizon iPhone, and if it did, Apple wouldn’t release it outside its normal routine of a summer iPhone release, but sure enough, Apple launched the Verizon iPhone in January 2011. That kind of turnaround with solid device availability was impressive. Now that the iPhone 4S is out, we also know that leaked iPhone 4 frames in January 2011 with CDMA antenna positions and SIM card slots were actually frames for the iPhone 4S, which means Apple plans incredibly far in advance. More than likely, the iPhone 6 is about to move off the drawing board and into prototyping. With that kind of foresight, I fully expect Apple to be able to pull off whatever it needs to do to launch an iPad 3 in February 2012, especially with a Google tablet looming. Feb. 24 is on a Friday in 2012, which could make a perfect launch day.

Don’t Count on It

Apple hasn’t ever focused on being the biggest, the fastest or the company with the largest market share. It has always focused simply on being the best. With that in mind, it doesn’t seem like Apple would want to cut any corners just to meet such an early deadline. Perfection is not something that can be attained quickly. More than likely, Apple would announce the iPad 3 on Steve Jobs’ birthday, but the actual launch would more closely coincide with a March-April 2012 timeframe, like iPad launches of past.

I’m happy to be wrong, of course. If you’re looking for more dirt on what the iPad 3 could bring to the IT industry, be sure to check out our extensive coverage.