Original Fakes: The Top 5 iPad 3 Concepts We've Seen So Far

The rumor mill has Apple announcing the long-awaited iPad 3 on Steve Jobs birthday next month, February 24—serving as a tribute to the late tech mastermind behind the most dominate tablet on the market. Though very few people have yet to catch a sneak peak of the gadget, as with every major Apple release, the anticipation has inspired a number of graphic designers to craft their own mock-ups highlighting key features and hardware specs that have prematurely surfaced online. We've even singled out the most promising in our Top Apple Rumors We Hope Come in 2012. As we approach the end of the month, we heighten our expectations of Apple's next major product announcement by checking out the Top 5 iPad Concepts We've Seen So Far.

We've had Guilherme on our radar for the past two years after peeping his amazing iPhone mock-ups. This time he targets the iPad 3—lacing it with some amazing hardware like a new Retina Display, FaceTime HD front-facing camera, and an upgraded 5MP rear shooter that captures full HD 1080 clips. The newly integrated antennas could suggest LTE service and the enhanced touchscreen implies a boost in RAM, storage, and processing power. Let’s not forget the protruding, curved-glass posterior and striking 0.29-inch thickness. Dude knows what we like.

This anonymous designer envisions the next iPad flaunting a number of industry-leading specs: including a 3D AMOLED display, 3D applications, A6 quad-core CPU, and a slimmer chassis. Judging by the edge-to-edge display and missing home button, we’re looking at a prototype that embraces some of the recent iPhone 5 speculations circling the Net. Sounds good to us.

This particular prototype has made its rounds on the Web. The glossy finish hints at a new Retina Display with doubled resolution (2,048 pixels x 1,536 pixels) or a QXGA resolution screen with dual LED light-bar solution—both are ranked high on the iPad 3 rumor mill. Other standout attributes we wouldn't mind seeing here are a Thunderbolt port, along with iCloud and Siri capability.

Apple's tablet gets the green and diet treatment: This is the slimmest profile of any concept we've peeped thus far. The tag line "Faster, better and ecological" implies performance and eco-centric upgrades all across the board. Seeing how creator RVanhauwere hasn't listed any details. we're guessing the heavily rumored Sharp low-powered Retina Display, recycled aluminum enclosure, and energy boosting 14,000mAH battery here. Sound dope? Of course it does.

What’s so major about a 64GB iPad 3? Apple’s been there and done that with its previous two models, right? Not one constructed with the same stainless steel frame and two-panel aluminosilicate glass sheath encased on the iPhone 4 and 4S. With that much memory, you can bet on a dual-core A6 CPU under the hood. The mock-up also hints at a possible iOS 5.1 update with new features and wallpapers, alongside a more powerful shooter in the form of an 8MP camera.