This rendering looks better than the ones we saw yesterday. The Rounder corners make it feel more Apple.

When I first saw the new “news” that it would have the uneven bezel like the Nexus 7 (and iPods and iPhones) I originally hated it. I know see that I hated the first mockups because they were wrong. The home button will remain the same size on all devices and the corner radii is big. The first mockups also looked too “flat”, the back needed to be rounder, even though I prefer the flush sides of the iPad 1 the best despite it being bigger.

I’m still cringing at the idea that there might not be a $500 retina LTE version next to the $250 WiFi version. The A5X necessary to drive this thing is small and power sipping enough. The “problem” with the iPad 3 is that merely powering that many pixels takes a lot of battery. Still, if we think of this as four iPod Touches taped together it should be possible. I can live without LTE, maybe even 3G on it if hotspot tethering is part of the package with AT&Ts shared data plans. But without a retina display I’m not sure this will become my snuggle (AKA bed or couch) reader.

Regardless of specs, I can guarantee that I’m getting it, first edition, and stuffing it in my coat pocket this winter. I’ve long since discovered the secret to capacitive touch screens with gloves: the Cosmonaut Stylus. There’s just something I love about being outside in the middle of a forest (or swamp) during the cold months. First, there’s less human traffic. There’s also less bug traffic as they disappear for winter.