New iPads in Time for Christmas?

iPhone 5 and iPad 3 to debut in October? That’s the rumor.

October is a little late for a new iPhone intro. The usually come out in June, but as you can see it’s a little late for that now. But iPad 3 would be five months early if Apple brings it out alongside the new iPhone. Remember, there’s still not one fully-fledged competitor yet to the iPad 1.

Don’t believe me? Check eBay, where a used iPad 1 goes for about the same price as any brand-new “competitor.” For Samsung or RIM or HTC or anyone, that’s just embarrassing.

But here’s the thing. If Apple had come out with the iPhone 4 two years ago (when they should have — iPhone 3GS was a rare example of Apple resting on its laurels) and had made it available on Verizon at the same time (when they should have), then Android would have been stopped cold. If the iPad 3 really is ready to drop this fall — and I still think that’s a very big if — then Android 3 really will be shut out.

Even HP’s TouchPad debuted this week to mediocre reviews. The WebOS is great, most everyone agrees, but the hardware doesn’t measure up to Apple’s. And that’s a shame, because it really does look like a sweet tablet OS.

But for now, Apple defines and owns the market — even if the new iPad doesn’t come out until March.