Simplo Technology and Dynapack International Technology have been awarded contracts to produce the battery for the Apple iPad 3, according to the Taiwan Economic News. Both companies are already suppliers for the current iPad and Apple's MacBook laptops.

The new battery has been changed up. It will be thinner and lighter--which may or may not mean the iPad 3 will also be thinner and lighter. The battery will also have a longer service life than the iPad 2's, though specifics on that weren't provided.

Additionally, the new battery pack will be required to meet the CTIA IEEE 1625 standard. This standard provides a basis for creating higher quality batteries that meat higher safety requirements. Apple would be conforming to a trend in this respect, as suppliers such as AT&T won't sell devices that don't conform to the new standard.

Thinner, lighter, longer-lasting--this all sounds too good to be true, right? Well, it sort of is.

According to the Taiwan Economic News, the iPad 3's battery will cost Apple 20% to 30% more to make. No one can say if that extra cost will eat into Apple's profit margins and the company will maintain the current set of price points, or if Apple will pass the extra cost along to the consumer. We won't know until Apple gets around to announcing this unannounced tablet.

As for timing, the battery is to begin mass production late in the fourth quarter of this year, and the tablet is expected to reach full production during the first quarter of 2012. This puts the iPad 3 on store shelves at about the one-year mark from the launch of the iPad 2.

The bigger question on the minds of potential iPad 3 buyers is more likely to concern the iPad 3's display. Will this tablet have the same Retina display that the iPhone 4 has?

AppleInsider believes so. It reports that no fewer than three manufacturers have been tapped to supply the LCD panels in question. The suppliers include LG Display, Samsung Electronics, and Sharp, though Samsung's role is questionable given the increasingly nasty lawsuits between Apple and Samsung.

See the latest IT solutions at Interop New York. Learn to leverage business technology innovations--including cloud, virtualization, security, mobility, and data center advances--that cut costs, increase productivity, and drive business value. Save 25% on Flex and Conference Passes or get a Free Expo Pass with code CPFHNY25. It happens in New York City, Oct. 3-7, 2011. Register now.