iPad 3 and Quattro get Q1 2012 Release Dates: HTC vs Apple Grudge Match Inevitable

With internet gossip slapping both Apple's iPad 3 and HTC's Quattro with Q1 2012 release dates, the tech community has once again begun speculating about a new Android vs. iOS battle of the tablets.

The new Quattro "leak" emerged Tuesday from Far Eastern tech rumour-mill The Digitimes. Citing an unnamed supply chain source, The Digitimes reported that consumers will not get a glimpse of the, currently unconfirmed, 10.1-inch tablet until Q1 2012.

If true, then the report places the Quattro in the same rumoured release window as Apple's also unconfirmed iPad 3. Tech site CNET reported Tuesday that the company was already in the process of producing the device's new super-high-resolution "retina" display. The site went on to suggest that industry analyst Richard Shim had reported that the news indicated Apple planned to release the tablet in the same Q1 2012 time period as HTC's Quattro.

"I would imagine there would be concerns about supply given the resolution of the display," said Shim. "But you've got three different suppliers at this point. They should have enough to launch the product."

"It takes a couple of weeks for the production to go to the manufacturers. Then the manufacturer puts them in the housing. Then, that goes off to shipment. We could start seeing finished devices produced in December. And then being ready to be shipped in January. With volumes gearing up in February and March."

Unfortunately, given the fact neither Apple nor HTC have yet confirmed the existence of either tablet, information regarding each device spec remains vague.

At the time this article was written Apple had not responded to requests for comment and HTC had released a statement clarifying "HTC does not comment on rumour and speculation."