Apple might be following its earlier iPhone strategy with next week’s iPad 3 announcement, according to a new report.Citing sources, Digitimes is reporting today that Apple could unveil an 8GB iPad 2 at its iPad 3 event on March 7. The move, the publication’s sources say, would allow it to “cover different segments” of the market, including those currently controlled by cheaper alternatives, like the Amazon Kindle Fire or Barnes & Noble Nook Tablet.When Apple announced the iPhone 4S in October, the company also said that it would offer an 8GB iPhone 4 for $99 with a two-year agreement. The iPhone 4, which previously came in 16GB and 32GB flavors, was on sale for $199 prior to that announcement.With new pressure from cheap alternatives, it only makes sense for Apple to offer a more affordable iPad to those who want it. If the company follows its iPhone model, it’ll offer the iPad 3 at full price and some sort of iPad 2 at a discounted rate. The question, then, is will it be the 8GB model Digitimes claims will launch or something else?At first glance, 8GB of storage seems awfully minimal on a tablet that can house a user’s music, movies, apps, and other content. The iPad 2 currently comes in 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB models.
Why Apple wouldn’t just discount those options rather than develop an 8GB option is unknown.Of course, there’s always a chance Apple might do something else. The company could finally launch that long-rumored 7-inch iPad at a discount. It might also decide against a cheaper iPad altogether and only offer the iPad 3.Given Apple’s penchant for secrecy, it’s unlikely the company will even come close to divulging its plans, but CNET has reached out to the iPhone maker for comment.
Expect to wait until next week to find out once and for all what Apple has planned for tablet customers this year.A new iPad is on the horizon. Apple sent out invites today to an event next Wednesday at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, where it promises to “have something you really have to see. And touch.” The event is set to go down at 10am, and is widely speculated to be the announcement of the iPad 3.The tablet is rumored to have an updated 2048 x 1536 “Retina” display, faster processor , LTE, and an 8-megapixel camera. The invite for the event also seems to imply that the iPad 3 may be button-less, with the photo on the invite showing either a button-free iPad or the tablet in landscape mode.CNBC reported this morning on Twitter that the device would have a quad-core processor and 4G LTE. However, its source also indicated the announcement of the tablet would go down in NYC, a rumor which has 
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