If this was any other year, Apple shall and will usually try hard to push aside iPad 2 while agressively promoting iPad 3. We’ve already said there might be a possibility both iPads will be offered side by side, and here’s more confirmation.

“According to the report, production of the “Retina” resolution iPad 3 display panels at 2048×1536 pixels will surpass that of the lower-resolution 1024×768 iPad 2 panels by the second quarter of this year, but Apple’s suppliers will still push out approximately 25 million iPad 2 panels in 2012.”

If this indeed becomes true, this will be Apple’s response to the cost effective Kindle Fire which is slowly gaining momentum and user base. The whole tablet price ecosystem seems to be falling generally, so this can be Apple’s way of maintaining their market lead.

From Digitimes:

With fewer than one million panels shipped in the fourth quarter of 2011, Apple will keep increasing the shipment volume of panels for use in the new version of iPad to 6.0-7.0 million panels in the first quarter and 10.0 million units in the third quarter of 2012, the sources pointed out.

In the meantime, Apple has downwardly adjusted shipments of iPad 2 panels from the peak of 16.0 million panels in the third quarter to 10.0 million units in the fourth quarter of 2011 and further to 7.0-8.0 million units in the first quarter of 2012, the sources indicated. Thus, the shipment volume of panels for use in the new version of iPad will surpass that of iPad 2 panels in the second quarter of 2012, the sources noted.

Some people have suggested current iPad 2 prices might be slashed at least $100 throughout the board. Assuming iPad 3 will be offered around current iPad 2 prices, which one would you prefer to pick up? the 2 or 3?