iPad 3 Release Date: Tablet to Feature Qualcomm 4G LTE Chips (VIDEO)
Qualcomm has announced the commercial availability of its new Gobi 4000 chips that could possibly be used in the upcoming iPad 3.
“In August we discovered Apple had possibly begun field texting a next-generation LTE iPads with LTE code floating around the iOS builds, and it’s likely Apple would go with Qualcomm’s chip,” said technology website 9to5Mac concerning the new technology.
Almost every device made after Verizon’s iPhone used the Gobi platform, except the AT&T iPad that used the older Infineon chip.
Gobi allows devices to use both 3G and 4G technology simultaneously.
“Based on Qualcomm’s leading multimode 3G/4G wireless modems, the MCM9600 and MDM 9200, and a common software interface (Gobi API) for connection management development, the Gobi 4000 platform allows customers to offer both LTE/HSPA+ and LTE/EV-DO designs to meet the growing demand for embedded 3G/4G connectivity in mobile devices worldwide,” said Qualcomm’s press release.
Qualcomm also promised to provide customers with a quality product.
“Embedded modules based on our new Gobi 4000 technology are designed to give consumers an uncompromised mobile connectivity experience,” the release said. “Both in terms of download speeds and flexibility.”
The company designed the new technology so it can be used on multiple platforms including personal computing, tablet, and e-reader operating systems.
This means its compatible with Android, Windows 8, and hardware such as Snapdragon dual-core and quad-core processors, according to Cristiano Amon, senior vice president of product management for Qualcomm CDMA technologies.
The iPad is expected to hit stores sometime in 2012.
LG is rumored to be manufacturing screens for the upcoming device.
The device is also rumored to run on a quad-core processor and be 4G LTE ready with Qualcomm’s new technologies.
In a statement Wednesday, Qualcomm said that the Gobi 4000 will allow “customers to offer both LTE and HSPA+ and LTE/EV-DO designs to meet the growing demand for embedded 3G and 4G connectivity in mobile devises worldwide.”