Apple follows strict product release cycles, these cycles are usually twelve months apart. The third generation iPad was announced back in March 2012 and its successor is likely to be announced in March 2013. However the rumor mill has recently been abuzz and there has been much talk about an upcoming iPad model expected to be released later this month. It is believed that Apple will launch a new model of the third generation iPad which would come with minor tweaks.

The fruit company is also expected to announce its 7.85 inch iPad Mini on October 17 and start shipping it out to customers later this month. The iPad Mini remains a mystery to this day with not much being known about its specifications. On the other hand, rumor has it that a tweaked third generation new iPad will be released this month, which will be powered by Apple's A6 processor.

A previously unknown iPad model, iPad3,6 to be precise, showed up in the app analytics of a developer. It is expected that iPad 3,6 could be that tweaked third generation iPad we have been hearing about, as known models of third generation iPad are referred to as iPad3,1 , iPad3,2 and iPad3,3. While it can not be said for sure, there exists a huge possibility that this particular iPad model could tout Apple's latest and greatest dual-core A6 processor.

It has nearly been seven months since Apple released third generation iPad and as per their strict release cycles, a new iPad is not due until March next year. Nevertheless there have been rumors of a minor tweaked version which would tout the new Lightening dock connector and possibly this new processor. The A6, which powers iPhone 5, has lived up to its expectations as this dual-core processor outperforms many quad-core processors.

Something does seem amiss though. It is not like Apple to drop a new processor after just seven months of a product being released. For all we know, iPad3,6 could be a prototype which is being used to test out this processor. The A6 will definitely be powering fourth generation new iPad due to be released in March next year.