Some people must be sitting there vacuuming  up Apple iPad 3 news like a Dyson. Last week alone demand for the iPad 3 information reached its peak as one in every 2000 searches online were iPad 3 related.

Although the general consensus is that the news Apple will anounce is iPad related there has also been a spike in searches around Apple TV. Looking at the fast moving search terms containing the word ‘apple’ in the last week, the third and fourth fastest moving  terms by volume were ‘apple tv 3’ and ‘new apple tv’ which doubled in search volume in the last week.

‘ipad 3’ also accounted for 18.5% of all searches containing the word ‘ipad’ – six times more searches than there were for ‘ipad 2’.

Having grouped together all of the iPad 3 search terms into a portfolio the recurring terms which people were searching for were for: release dates, news, specs and prices. First and foremost among the UK consumer queries was when the iPad 3 would be released, with 19% of all iPad 3 searches in the 12 weeks ending 3 March containing the word ‘release’.

News and rumours accounted for 1.5% of all iPad 3 searches, whereas 0.1% of the searches specifically asked if the new device would have flash on it.

Experian’s data shows who were the top recipients last week from all iPad 3 searches. Unsurprisingly, as Apple itself keeps its cards very close to its chest, the amount of traffic it received is relatively low at less than 0.5% of iPad 3 search clicks. In the absence of official confirmation from Apple, the sites which are seen as authorities on rumours, news and gossip for the iPad 3 are techradar, CNET, the Daily Mail and BBC News.

It is also worth noting that the last time Apple geared up to make a big announcement in October 2011 consumers were convinced that this would be the heralding of the iPhone 5….not so much what we got was the iPhone 4S.

Ultimately only Apple know what is going to happen later on today. It could be the iPad 3, we certainly all want one like the Apple dones we are, but equally it might be a less momentous release of a software upgrade. Downer, huh?