iPad 3 Parts Reportedly In Production Now

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It was probably way too much to ask that 2011 prove to be both the year of the iPad 2 and the iPad 3, but 2012 is shaping up to be pretty good for the iPad 3, thanks to very early stage reports that parts for the newest tablet are starting to hit assembly lines throughout Asia.

The circuit boards for the iPad 3 have already begun production, say reports, which gives plenty of credence to the thought that 2011 will see the release of the newest tablet. With these new components, word is that tablet manufacture levels are on par with what they were this summer, suggesting that earlier reports from our own J. Angelo Racoma that said Apple was looking to make the unusual move of cutting back on its iPad 2 orders going into the Christmas shopping season were indeed true, which is pretty much the opposite of what you’d expect.

But given this fact, those reports make an extra note of sense. This fact would be strange by any normal measure–normally when you’re going into a big shopping season like Christmas (which is always at least comparatively big), you get more product, not less–but if Apple’s looking to bring in a new tablet for 2012, especially if they’re looking at a first or second quarter release, it doesn’t surprise me at all that they’d start dialing back on their orders for the end of 2011. This lets the Christmas shopping rushes take care of the excess inventory (and possibly even offer up some impressive Black Friday and post-Christmas sale specials), and gets the deck about as clear as it can get for a whole new tablet launch.

So things are in the very earliest stages of shaping up for an iPad 3 tablet launch possibly next year, with the first components already rolling off the lines as we speak. But what do you guys think of all this? Will you be rushing out to get an iPad 3 when they finally make their appearance? Or are you satisfied with your iPad or your iPad 2? Either way, we want to hear from you, and the comments section below is just waiting to make that happen.