Apple iPad 3: AppleCare+ and an iPad HD name?

The Apple iPad rumor mill is an unyielding beast, spawning new speculation even mere hours before product unveils, and the iPad 3, which is expected to debut Wednesday at 10 a.m., is no different.

The absolute latest such rumor is that Apple’s next iPad will be offered with a $99 warranty called AppleCare+ that will cover any damage, including something as simple as dropping your iPad and cracking the glass display on the face of the device.

If AppleCare+, which made its debut with the iPhone 4S last fall, is offered for the next iPad, it would be a step up from the two-year repair service warranty currently offered for $79 under the standard AppleCare warranty that doesn’t cover such painfully damaging mistakes.

PHOTOS: Apple unveils new iPad

The rumor, as first reported by the aptly named website MacRumors and later the sites 9to5mac and The Verge, is a fresh one, coming in less than 24 hours before Apple was expected to unveil its next iPad, which many believe will be called the iPad 3.

But the name -- iPad 3 -- is a source of debate as well.

Gizmodo and The Verge have both reported that Apple’s next iPad won’t be called the iPad 3, but rather iPad HD in an effort to really get across the idea that the new tablet has a much higher resolution display.

Most of the rumors about the iPad 3 (or iPad HD) point to a screen with double the resolution of previous iPads -- up to 2,048 x 1,536 pixels from the 1,024 x 768 pixel resolution found in the first generation iPad and the iPad 2.

With all this and many other rumors bounding about, keeping track of the speculation can be a bit tough -- which is why we’ve broken down what to expect and rounded up the rumors on the next iPad.

Hopefully our questions will be answered at 10 a.m. as Times tech reporter David Sarno live blogs Apple’s expected iPad 3 launch event Wednesday. Stay tuned to the Technology blog for the latest.

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