Is Apple planning an event next month to announce the iPad 3? That’s what Japanese blog Macotakara is claiming. Specifically, they are reporting that Apple is planning the event to be held in the first few weeks of February. Furthermore, Macotakara states that the event will include the release of iOS 5.1, which is currently in developer testing.

According to asian supplier and a source in the United States, Apple seems to be prepared to hold Special Event in February

Because Chinese factory will be in holiday of New Year, then new product is considered to be released in February.

This would be a quick launch timeframe, but not unreasonable considering the iPad 2 was available merely days after it’s announcement. All signs are currently pointing towards a March release, it will be interesting to see if the rumor heats up in the coming days an weeks.

Thursday is the day folks, Apple is widely expected to announce one or more game changers for the education community.  Arstechnica is reporting that part of this suite is going to be a “garage band for e-books”:

At the same time, however, authoring standards-compliant e-books (despite some promises to the contrary) is not as simple as running a Word document of a manuscript through a filter. The current state of software tools continues to frustrate authors and publishers alike, with several authors telling Ars that they wish Apple or some other vendor would make a simple app that makes the process as easy as creating a song in GarageBand.

Other announcements are expected revolve around a distribution platform designed to take advantage of the fact that Apple is putting a lot of iPads and Apple-branded devices in the hands of young children at schools around the nation.  The idea is that, like iTunes, Apple is not the content creator but merely a facilitator using the hardware and software expertise to help publishers deliver new content in the digital paradigm.  Stay tuned, Thursday is going to be BIG for this industry!

So how many of you out there have been in quiet place and accidentally (or intentionally) brought up Siri and been startled by just how loud she is at the default setting?  Well your in luck because you can adjust her volume (even shut her up if need be)!  We just posted another video in our quick tip video series, check it out below – be sure to comment and let us know what you think!

Digitimes is at it again, stirring up the Apple News with their latest rumor regarding the iPad 3 and the, wait for it, iPad 4?! Now they are claiming that Apple with indeed release the iPad 3 in the February or March timeframe we are so used to hearing about – but that will only be an interim product and that the iPad 4 will be released in October 2012.

Of course when speaking to the iPad 3 they refer to the usual bout of features and enhancements, namely a Retina display and better battery life.

Apple will ship the so-called “iPad 3″ with a full HD display in March and then “iPad 4″ – named so by its component suppliers – with killer applications in October, according to industry sources in Taiwan.

The iPad 3 will come with a QXGA (1,536×2,048 pixels) display and longer battery life although its other hardware specifications may not be so amazing as expected, said the sources. But Apple will take the advantage of the iPad 3 launch to slash the price of its iPad 2 to US$399, the sources claimed.

The March launch of iPad 3 as well as the price cutting for iPad 2 will enable Apple to fend off competition from non-iPad vendors including Sony, Motorola Mobility and Samsung Electronics, who currently price their tablet PCs at US$359 or above, commented the sources.

However, the competition in the segment may continue to heat up in the second quarter of 2012 as Google reportedly may also launch an own-brand tablet PC in April, competing with Kindle Fire in the entry-level segment, noted the sources.

But a true battle for market share will arrive in the second half of the year when Apple ships its iPad 4 in October, about the time when Microsoft releases its Window 8 and Intel unveils its Clover Trail-W platform, the sources commented.

The 9.7-inch iPad 4 is expected to come with much upgraded hardware specifications and integrated applications so as to compete with an array of Android-, Wintel- or WoA (Windows on ARM)-based tablet PCs to be released in the fourth quarter, said the sources

Digitmes has a lackluster track record, and you have to believe that the next iPad generation will be a significant upgrade from the current generation iPad 2.  However, the iPad does dominate the tablet market so Apple may feel they have time to fine-tune a device that represents a bigger jump forward – time will tell on this one.

Apple TV IN 2012?  Well according to USA Today the wizards at Apple are hard at work on their next foray deep in the labs of Jonathan Ive:

Apple is said to be looking at a 42-inch or larger LCD TV with built-in Wi-Fi. Inside the locked-down studio of Jonathan Ive, senior vice president of industrial design at Apple, there’s a slick 50-inch TV, according to the source who worked at Apple.

Further fueling the speculation is our good friend Steve Wozniak stating he firmly believes there will ne such a product:

I do expect Apple to make an attempt, since I expect the living room to remain a center for family entertainment, and that touches on all areas of consumer products that Apple is already making.

If you do dig deep this makes sense as Steve Jobs loved to tackle markets he felt they could disrupt – and Apple definitely has the technology to disrupt this market.  Siri has been a huge success for the iPhone, and it fits perfectly into the TV setting.  Bundle all of that with Apple’s word class software and interface design and I think you’ve got an instant winner in this market place that is in desperate need of some innovation.

AllThingsD initially broke the news that Apple was planning a large event in New York city here in a few weeks – not related to hardware or software but more geared towards Apple’s publishing/advertising efforts.  Of course now news has developed and we are starting to get a clearer picture about what this event will entail.  Of course Steve Jobs was quoted several times in Walter Isaacson’s biography regarding his desire to place digital versions of textbooks on the iPad.These rumors grew as Clayton Morris of Fox news weighed in, saying that he believes the event will have an educational focus:

Speculation has started about a January Apple event in New York City. Back in mid-December I reported on Ken Ray’s Day 6 show that a January event was happening. Kara Swisher reports that it has to do with a media-related announcement. Here is what I know from sources involved:

• This event will focus on iTunes University and Apple in education
• I learned of the event back in September when it was originally scheduled for late Fall in New York but it was eventually postponed.
• The event will be in New York rather than in the Silicon Valley because New York is more centrally located for textbook and publishing.
• This initiative has been in the making for years.
• The announcement will be small in size but large in scope: a big announcement in a demure space.
• I expect at least two large project announcements as they relate to Apple in education.
• Steve Jobs was intimately involved with this project before his passing. He gave a hat tip to the textbook side of this project in the Isaacson biography.
• This will not be a hardware-related announcement.