The iPad is a line of tablet computers designed, developed and marketed by Apple Inc., primarily as a platform for audio-visual media including books, periodicals, movies, music, games, apps and web content.

The US technology blog "All ThingsD" and the Wall Street newspaper report that "sources" say Apple will announce the next iPad at a special event early next month.

Apple typically updates it products annually and the iPad 2 was announced on March 2 last year so this would fit the schedule. All ThingsD suggests that, as last year, Apple will put the device on sale a week or two later.

Earlier, blogs circulated a photo that appeared to show the back of the next iPad. The picture, which suggested that the new tablet had already entered production, ignited rumours about the iPad 3.

The photograph shows only slight differences from the iPad 2 back and it is possible that the part is not from an 'iPad 3' but instead from a rejected prototype or even a fake.