It’s that time again, when the rumor mill starts running at full capacity and speculations start bubbling up through the tech world. News-mongers everywhere area already busy guessing as to what Apple will deliver on the upcoming iPad 3.

Widespread belief among Apple-watchers is that the next-generation iPad will probably launch in March 2012, however a Citigroup analyst believes it could be earlier than that. According to Business Insider, Citigroup’s Richard Gardner said in a research note that he expects the device to launch in February. Gardner says that several of his sources have confirmed the slightly earlier release date and that “there do not appear to be any significant technical hurdles remaining”.

Macotakara, a Japanese technology blog with an arguably sketchy track record on Apple rumors, added that an Asian supplier which is providing parts for the next-generation iPad hinted that the screen size will be the same as the iPad 2 but will be thicker for an “unknown reason”.

The word on the street

The iPad’s fiercest competition comes today comes in the form of an inexpensive 7-inch tablets, such as the Amazon Kindle Fire. Research firm IHS iSuppli has estimated that Amazon will ship about 3.9 million Kindle Fire tablets before the end of the year.  Apple surely isn’t ignoring this growing threat and will have to think of lower cost alternatives to the iPad. To add to the guesswork, there have been conflicting reports that Apple will launch a smaller 7.85” version of the iPad.

The iPhone 4s’ key selling point can be summed up in one word, Siri. Apple’s breakthrough voice recognition user interface for the iPhone 4S is already being perceived as a game changer. Assuming that Siri be included in the upcoming iPad 3 would be a safe assumption to make.

iPad 3 Videos and Concept Art

I’ll be the first to say that the upcoming iPad 3 will not look anything like these videos or concept art, but does that stop me from getting your excitement juices flowing? Heck no.

iPad 3 (fake) Commercial – tip: Tom Anderson

The fact is, no one really knows what Apple has up their sleves this time, but personally, I hope we see the “what’s inside Herry” concept materialize…

Turning it back over to you

What would you like to see included in the upcoming iPad 3? Better screen quality? Siri? Faster processor? All of the above? And will you be selling your iPad 2 in preparation for the new model? Let us know what you think in the comments or reach out to me via Twitter @OrenTodoros