According to iMore's "sources who have been reliable in the past", March 7 is the day that Apple will unveil the iPad 3, which seems highly likely to feature a retina resolution display, a quad-core A6 chip, and 4G LTE networking capabilities.

A consensus seems to be forming around an early March reveal for the device - which would be during the Game Developers Conference - and iMore isn't the first to suggest that the iPad 3 will boast a 9.7 inch 2,048 x 1,536 display, either.

The report goes on to suggest that a quad-core A6 system-on-a-chip is likely, but questions whether it's too soon for Apple to roll out a 4G LTE device, with worldwide support for the networking standard still sparse.

iPad nano

Finally, while persistent rumours of an iPad 4 arriving in 2012 were recently rubbished by tech-blogger John Gruber, a report published by The Wall Street Journal Online today claims that Apple may be working with component suppliers in Asia on an 8-inch tablet.

Such a device would compete directly with Samsung's 5.3-inch Galaxy Note and the 7-inch Kindle Fire. If priced competitively an 8-inch iPad could also help Apple gain traction in emerging markets.

[source: iMore]