Japanese tech blog Macotakara reports that they’ve purchased several iPad 3 parts found at a Chinese online retailer, revealing slight differences from iPad 2 versions of the same components.
The parts were purchased from TVC-Mall, which is somewhat significant in that they also stocked legitimate iPhone 4S parts significantly before the device was unveiled.
While the parts themselves aren’t particularly interesting, revealing no important differences from their iPad 2 counterparts, the fact that iPad 3 parts continue to leak (and fairly frequently) suggests that the next-gen iPad is already being manufactured, or at least getting ready to be manufactured.
The iPad 3 is widely expected to be released sometime early next year, with rumored release dates ranging from January to March. The next-gen tablet is expected to feature a new custom “A6” chip from Apple, as well as a high-resolution Retina display.