iPad 3 delayed until 2012, report suggests. With TouchPads and PlayBooks dying, what's the rush?

It's been long rumored that Apple would shortern its tablet product cycle and unleash the iPad 3 this year, capitalizing on holiday sales.

But JP Morgan analyst Mark Moskowitz says the device won't be out until 2012.

Is it parts delays or a production issue? A major glitch with new software? Such things are always a possibility, but the real reason may just be that Apple realizes there is no point in launching a third-generation tablet when the iPad 2 is still killing it. The HP TouchPad has died, and RIM's BlackBerry PlayBook sales are ghastly. With the competition dropping like flies, what's the rush?

"In our view, Apple should be in no rush," Mark noted in his report. "The other tablet entrants have stumbled so far, and that trend-line could persist deep into 2012."

By now, the tech world must be asking: do consumers even want tablets… or do they just want iPads?