iPad 3 in Early 2012, World Domination Forever?

We have heard the countless iPad 3 rumors, but it looks like we finally have a concrete date for the next tablet from Apple AAPL. The Wall Street Journal is reporting Steve Jobs and the rest of his team in Cupertino, Calif. are planning to launch the third version of the iPad in early 2012, less than a year after the iPad launched. The newest version of the iPad will have a higher resolution display than its predecessor according to the Journal. The iPad 3 will be 2048 by 1536, compared with 1024 by 768 in the iPad 2. As per the Journal, Apple's suppliers have already started to ship small quantities of components for iPad 3 beta testing. The screen will be 9.7 inches. According to one supplier, Apple has already placed parts for 1.5 million iPad 3s in the fourth quarter. "Suppliers will ramp up production and try to improve the yield rate for the new iPad in the fourth quarter before its official launch in early 2012," said a person at the supplier who declined to be named. On top of this news is the breaking news from yesterday that Steve Jobs met with China Mobile CHL executives to discuss bringing the iPhone to the world's largest cellular network. For over ten years now, Apple has been a company that can do no wrong. Even the Apple TV, which some see as a flop, never gets mentioned as a failure. It is thought as a cool product with tons of potential, but Apple is so focused on Macs, iPhones, and iPads, that it does not really devote any resources to Apple TV. No one cares though. Apple, Jobs, Tim Cook, and others at the company are talked about like they are some kind of deity, and perhaps that is well deserved. The company has transformed the way we communicated with each other, and has made technology cool for everyone, not just geeks. Its products are incredibly easy to use, and actually make work a little more fun. For me, (and I'm biased because I own an iPhone), checking work email is more enjoyable on an iPhone then it would be on, say a Blackberry. The company is a control freak, and the world domination title is a little shot at that, but no one seems to mind. People hate Microsoft MSFT for the way it acted in the 1990's, being the big bully. Apple is doing the same thing, but nobody gives it any thought. That is what happens when you have the greatest salesman of the 21st century as your CEO. He created a market that did not exist just a few short years ago, and has seen companies like Hewlett-Packard HPQ fail, and fail miserably trying to compete. The company is growing like a weed, and has made its shareholders billions upon billions since 2001. It has transformed itself from a company that was on the brink of bankruptcy at the end of the last century, to briefly being the world's largest company by market cap, just last week. Last quarter, the company sold 9.3 million iPads and more than 22 million iPhones. With the move into China, and the eventual agreement with China Mobile, those numbers are likely to be far exceeded in the coming months and years ahead. With over $76 billion in cash, and trading at a forward multiple that could be reserved for a utility company, Apple continues to defy all skeptics. It is essentially growing at 100% year-over-year, which is unfathomable for a company worth $337 billion. For a country built on democracy, we sure do like to be told what to do and how to do it. And for that, I say, "Thank you Steve." ACTION ITEMS:

Bullish:
Traders who believe that Apple's "world domination" will continue might want to consider the following trades:

• Go long Apple and go long hard. Even if 5% of China Mobile's subscribers get the iPhone, that's another 30 million phones. That's a lot of untapped potential revenue.

• The iPad 3 will benefit the suppliers, like Qualcomm QCOM, ARM Holdings ARMH and OmniVision Technologies, Inc. OVTI.

Bearish:
This is bearish for all who do not succumb to the Apple empire (joking, of course). Seriously though, this is bearish for all other competitors as they try to compete with something they can not. Brand cache. You can not buy brand cache. It is built. Apple has done that better than anyone.

Neither Benzinga nor its staff recommend that you buy, sell, or hold any security. We do not offer investment advice, personalized or otherwise. Benzinga recommends that you conduct your own due diligence and consult a certified financial professional for personalized advice about your financial situation.