The much-awaited iPad 3 is one of the most widely hyped devices of the year so far and will be unveiled at an Apple media event next week on March 7. Reports and speculation about the next-generation iPad are rife as you can imagine, so today we wanted to focus instead on the name of the next iPad, the iPad 3 vs. the iPad HD, and we’d like you to cast your votes on this.

The iPad 3 specs and features are not yet confirmed but it has been widely rumored that the tablet will have an A6 or A5X processor, improved camera, better battery life and a Retina Display, leading to the possibility that instead of being called the iPad 3 as we’ve all been expecting, it may be the iPad HD instead. Other recent speculation on the iPad 3 has included talk of a Qualcomm Gobi chip being used and whether enough displays have been produced to provide sufficient stocks of the tablet.

However coming back to the name of the next iPad, news now suggests that it could be called the iPad HD. Accessories manufacturers are often the last of those who need to know about forthcoming major Apple products. Often they may be supplied with physical specs and dimensions although not the actual products, in order to design the right accessories. However, when it comes to names of new devices the usual procedure is that Apple would tell accessory manufacturers only very shortly before release so that packaging can be readied, according to Gizmodo.

Famous case makers Griffin and Belkin may now have given the game away as the company has now listed new cases for the ‘iPad HD (3)’ rather than ‘iPad 3.’ As the next iPad now seems so close to launch it’s not unreasonable to think that Griffin and Belkin has received confirmation of the name as the iPad HD. As further back up Gizmodo updated its report to say that the name iPad HD has appeared in usage data from the Tapatalk application and a graphic of access data showing the use of the name can be shown on the prior Gizmodo link.

Certainly it does seem then as though the iPad 3 could actually be called the iPad HD although of course it will be less than a week before we finally find out for sure. We’d really like to know what you think about the name of the next iPad. Should it be iPad 3, iPad HD or do you think there may even be an alternative? Let us know by giving us your votes via the comments area below.