iPad 3 to be Delayed, iPad HD in its Place?

Apple is expected to make an unusual announcement this Wednesday, March 7 at 1pm ET (check back tomorrow for live coverage).

Instead of unveiling the long-awaited iPad 3, the Mac maker will show off a tablet that will be simply known as the iPad HD. That's according to

(via

), which doesn't believe that the iPad HD is necessarily any different from the so-called iPad 3. The tech publication merely thinks that Apple

will choose a different name to highlight the device's shiny new screen. Is this smart marketing, or is Apple pulling a fast one? The company purposely chose a similar path last fall when it unveiled the iPhone 4S. Initially, many Apple loyalists responded to complaints about the phone by saying that the 4S was essentially the iPhone 5 with a different name. But many believe that the iPhone 5 – and not the iPhone 6 or some other model – is on its way later this year. The iPhone 5 is also expected to receive more significant changes than the 4S. Could that be what we can expect from the next iPad? In many ways, the iPad 2 was a 4S-style upgrade; the device was smaller and faster but largely similar to the original iPad. If that's what we get from the iPad HD, some consumers will inevitably be disappointed. In the months leading up to the release of the new iPad, consumers, bloggers, and Apple enthusiasts alike have come up with an

of things they hope the device includes. While a Retina Display is among them, users have also been hoping for a faster connection (4G LTE), a superior processor, an improved camera, Siri voice recognition, and a battery with

. Any one of these features could make it into the iPad HD. But if there aren't any radical changes to accompany them, the tablet may still be viewed as an upgrade and not a true successor to the iPad 2. Regardless of the features Apple chooses to include, it might be better for the company to choose an iPad name that doesn't include a “3” at the end. While numbering schemes are more appealing than silly titles (“Windows 8” sounds cooler than “Windows Vista” or “Windows XP”), they can create a bit of trouble as the upgrades pile on. In 20 years, we'll surely be using the 15th-generation iPhone. But don't expect it to be called the iPhone 15. Granted, Apple has plenty of time to concoct a whole host of new names before this becomes an issue. But when it does, most consumers won't care. Apple is so good at branding that it could launch a new product called “Big Ugly Splotch” and consumers would still take notice. In act, a title that unappealing might actually go a long way in promoting Apple's boldness. By

hyping a particular product as being sleek and stylish, Apple bloggers would quickly rush to the company's defense to tell us that “Big Ugly Splotch” is, in fact, sleek and stylish. And as I noted before, the tablet market is young enough to sustain a minor iPad upgrade. While the iPhone 4S wouldn't have been able to sell 37 million units

Siri, the next iPad could probably sell a record-breaking number without a single groundbreaking feature. It's not because consumers are more tablet-hungry, but because not everyone who wants one has yet to make a purchase. Smartphones are much more plentiful; to get consumers to upgrade or switch brands, tech companies need to really impress the masses. One day, the same will be true for tablets. When that day comes, the resulting iPad upgrade should be phenomenal because Apple will have to fight extra hard to compete. Until then, who knows? Apple is a company that's known for surprises. Tomorrow's unveiling could be mind-blowing – or it could be more of the same. Either way, the world will be watching. And that's all Apple really cares about.