Apple is expected by many to break from its typical cycle of releasing new mobile device models annually when it launches the iPad 3 ahead of the holiday season this year. The new iPad model will supposedly feature a high-resolution Retina Display, and earlier reports suggested that the new tablet would be an “iPad Pro” model that would compliment the iPad 2 rather than replacing it. A new report from Taiwan Economic News claims that Apple’s third-generation iPad could launch at the iPad 2′s current price points, however, and Apple will then discount the iPad 2 in order to clear inventory. Apple’s original iPad models were discounted by $100 each — and by as much as $300 by third-party retailers — following the launch of the iPad 2, and Taiwan Economic News cites anonymous industry executives in claiming that Apple may use a similar formula to clear iPad 2 inventory once the next-generation tablet launches. The report also notes that Apple’s iPad 3 will launch “by this Thanksgiving or next year.”
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