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High-res Sharp panel spotted, is it for iPad 3?

iPad 3 parts are supposedly cropping up all over China. Following yesterday’s spy shots of a purported iPad 3 enclosure (here and here), Japanese blog Macotakara today published the above photo allegedly depicting a high-resolution panel manufactured by Sharp. According to the blog, the part was obtained by parts reseller Eye Lab Factory, which means take this with a few pinches of salt. It looks like 9.7-inch panel, and Macotakara said its flat cable corresponds to a similar cable connecting the iPad 2’s LCD panel to the motherboard.

The display is said to be a XQGA variety equaling 2,048-by-1,536-pixel resolution. Macotakara claimed last month that Foxconn and Pegatron Technology began assembly of next-generation iPads for an early March launch (and iLounge concurs). Unnamed sources also told Macotakara that Sharp would supply 2048-by-1536 resolution panels for iPad 3, which is a notion in line with earlier reports by DigiTimes and the Wall Street Journal. Meanwhile, another source revealed new iPad 3 replacement parts….

Chinese parts reseller TVC-mall posted images said to depict iPad 3 replacement parts. Specifically, what you are looking at below is an internal earphone audio jack and a Bluetooth antenna flex cable. Both are available on the reseller’s website and are claimed to be replacement parts for Wi-Fi iPad 3. While the latter looks almost identical to its iPad 2 counterpart, the former reveals some differences in the audio jack components. However, it is entirely possible this particular reseller is exploiting the iPad 3 hype to get some attention.

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