New side-by-side photos of the supposed rear casing of the iPad 3 next to the iPad 2 casing help put its design differences with the iPad 2 in perspective, showing a slightly thicker profile with a more tapered edge than its predecessor.
The above image, posted by MIC Gadget (via MacRumors) shows what is likely the iPad 3 casing on top of an iPad 2 casing, showing that the iPad 3 does indeed appear to have more tapering around the edges, and a noticeable (although very slight) increase in thickness, likely to accomodate a larger battery.
The difference in thickness is only 1-1.5mm, which is barely noticeable when the two casings are placed side-by-side. The front glass assembly also appears to be thinner than that of the iPad 2, suggesting that Apple may have used Corning’s new Gorilla Glass 2 for the device’s front glass.
MIC Gadget’s report also confirms that the iPad 3’s camera lens hole is significantly larger than the iPad 2 camera hole, reaffirming rumors that Apple’s next-gen iPad will have an improved camera, although its unclear whether the 8MP camera previously reported will actually make it to the iPad 3.
Considering that these same enclosures have been leaked numerous times by several different publications, it seems that the casing is very likely to be authentic. Of course, we won’t know for sure until the device is officially announced, which is expected to occur on March 7th.
