Apple iPad 3 'announcement on March 7'

Apple will announce the launch of the iPad 3 on March 7, and the new tablet computer is expected to support 4G LTE high-speed mobile services, according to reports.

The iMore website reports sources which have "proved reliable in the past" as confirming the date of the official announcement of the third iteration of the iPad at Apple's Cupertino base in California.

This fits with previous reports that the announcement will occur in the first full week of March, and then the product will go on sale, most likely in the US, UK and other selected countries, two weeks later.

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The iPad 3 is expected to come with various enhancements on its predecessor, including a high resolution Retina Display, a quad-core A6 processor and a larger battery.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the new tablet will also be available in a 4G LTE version, utilising next-generation mobile technology that supports mobile broadband up to 100Mbps and a variety of superfast services.

The Rupert Murdoch-owned newspaper cites "people familiar with the matter" as saying that US networks Verizon and AT&T will be getting the 4G-equipped iPad 3 to run on their "newest fourth-generation wireless networks".

There are currently no 4G services commercially available to mobile users in the UK, but Ofcom will run a massive auction of spectrum later in the year that will allow operators to start offering 4G LTE.

Barring any major regulatory or operational hurdles, it is expected that the mobile operators will launch the first 4G services in the UK in late 2013, or early 2014.

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