(Image Source: Top 10 List 101)

BY MEREDITH BALDWIN

ANCHOR CHRISTINA HARTMAN

People are going bananas over Apple’s rumored iPad 3 possibly coming out this spring. Rumors started flying before Santa’s reindeer and holiday cheer, but soon died down. Then Thursday, AllThingsD reported the iPad3 could be out  -- next month.

 “Apple’s not holding an event in February — strange, unusual or otherwise. But it is holding one in March — to launch its next iPad.”

That has the techie world all worked up. People are already wondering what improvements Apple has up its sleeve. Cult of Mac supposedly got its hands on photos of the new design, and says no major changes will be made to the exterior of the iPad. Instead, it says Apple’s only tinkering with the inside.

 “These images strengthen reports that claim the iPad 3 will boast the same design as its predecessor, but with improved internals. The third-generation device is expected to be an ‘incremental’ upgrade, much like the iPhone 4S is to the iPhone 4, with Apple’s A6 quad-core processor, a Retina display, and a better rear-facing camera.”

Gizmodo agreed, saying Apple shouldn’t change the basic design of the tablet. But it’s also skeptical that anyone knows what changes Apple’s making to the design, other than the company execs themselves.

 “Take all of these with the usual large piles of salt grains. Oh, and remember: The iPad may only be two years old, but it's already such an institution that any radical shifts in design or philosophy are almost definitely out of the question (sorry, 7-inch believers).”

And now we’re left to guess when Apple will show us the newest model. Wired takes a final stab at when that could be.

 “If Apple wanted to get cute, the company could hold its announcement the last day of February, the 29th. Apple iPad announcements are normally on Wednesdays, and as The Verge‘s Joshua Topolsky pointed out on Twitter … that’s the same day Microsoft is planning to release its consumer preview of Windows 8. If the Cupertino company wanted to really stick it to Microsoft, that’d be the day to pick.

And so, we wait.