Imminent? Rumours Buzzing About Apple iPad 3

The rumour mill is getting fired up with the possibility that Apple will launch its new iPad next month.

Sources within the company say it has chosen the first week in March to show its replacement for the iPad 2, apparently in San Francisco.

However, it is unclear if the device will be called the iPad 3 - before the launch of the iPhone 4S, rumours were rife that Apple was debuting an "iPhone 5".

That phone ended up with the '4S' title because it only had minor improvements over the iPhone 4. It could be a similar story with the latest iPad.

Sources close to Apple say the new iPad will look almost identical to the iPad 2, but will have a faster chip - probably a quad-core A6 - and a much higher resolution Retina display, as seen in the iPhones 4 and 4S.

Battery life will probably need to be improved to power such a high quality screen.

There is speculation that its maximum memory might be doubled to 128GB too, from the iPad 2's maximum 64GB.

Apple usually updates its mobile products roughly once a year. The iPad 2 was launched on March 2 last year.

The company has yet to make an official announcement and its official line is that it does not comment on rumours and speculation.

However, the tech site AllThingsD, the source of much of the speculation, is considered to be a reasonably reliable source.

The iPad has been a huge success for Apple, with more than 55 million sold to date.