According to several reports as well as the projections of tech industry analysts, Apple will likely launch its much-rumored and highly-anticipated next-generation iPad - the iPad 3, as it may be dubbed - in the first week of March; with the sale of the device to commence in the second week of the month.

The expected March release of the iPad 3 was first reported by the AllThingsD blog, which cited unidentified `inside' sources to reveal that a launch event for the forthcoming tablet will be held by Apple in March first-week, at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco

It is being speculated that, in case Apple decided to follow the timeline of the previous iPad for the iPad 3, the new version of the popular tablet will, in all probability, be introduced during the March 5-9 week, with the sales to commence the following week.

Going by the rumors which have been in circulation for several weeks now, the iPad 3 will boast a number of notable changes - including a quad-core processor and a higher-resolution screen - over its predecessor.

Noting that a higher-resolution screen - which will be dubbed Retina Display by Apple - will be one of the most significant changes to come aboard iPad 3, Technology Business Research's analyst Ezra Gottheil said that such a screen would enable the tablet to "work well in their home theater play, since it will display full HD;" and will be "an important differentiator [between the iPad and rival tablets] going forward."