The internet loves Apple and it loves ill-founded speculation, so it’s hardly surprising that iPad 2 rumours were flying before the first iPad even reached the UK.
With only weeks to go before its expected unveiling the iPad 2 release date, specs and price are still closely guarded secrets, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t some juicy rumours, inspired guesses and possibly even Apple leaks to consider.
Reports suggest Apple is also expecting massive demand for the new device and has ordered six million units per month.
Here’s our pick of the latest iPad 2 rumours.
UPDATE: iPad 2 has apparently been spotted. Reuters reports on a “source with knowledge of the device” who spotted the new iPad at the launch of News Corp’s The Daily.
iPad 2 specs: cameras and a gyroscope
Gizmodo reckons that FaceTime support’s a given, and that means a front-facing camera like the iPhone 4. BuzzBizzNews echoes the camera story, suggesting twin cameras. It also suggests that there’ll be a three-axis gyroscope like there is in the iPhone 4. EETimes says Apple has been testing gyroscopes but decided not to put one in the original iPad.
On 10 December 2010, images of a new iPad case appeared online, suggesting that the iPad 2 will feature a rear-facing camera.
On 17 January 2011, we heard word of not only a rear camera, but a front one too… it seems more likely that FaceTime will be coming to the iPad 2 as well.
iPad 2 specs: a USB port and SD card slot
Rumours suggest that the iPad 2 will have a USB port, which BuzzBizzNews says will enable users to “upload movies, documents and photos”. We’re not convinced it’s for that, because Apple is moving increasingly to wireless. The iPad prints wirelessly. The iPad streams media wirelessly. Why add USB? More likely, we think, is a MicroUSB port or adapter so the iPad meets new EU regulations on mobile device chargers.
Images of a new iPad case have appeared online that seem to show space for an SD card slot.
On 17 January 2011, we also reported on said SD clard slot – it would be a dramatic move for Apple to go with such expandable memory, but a clever one if true.
iPad 2 specs: GSM and CDMA
AllThingsDigital quotes analyst Brian Blair, who says that Apple may be readying a “world iPad” that uses both GSM and CDMA networks, enabling it to get online anywhere in the world. CDMA, incidentally, is the technology used by Verizon in the US.
iPad 2 case: thinner and more like a MacBook
Brian Blair also says: “the new iPad is thinner than the existing model and is essentially made from one piece of metal with no pins needed. We understand it requires a new type of manufacturing process as a result, similar to the company’s unibody approach seen in MacBooks.”
iPad 2 specs: retina display
Will the gorgeous screen from the iPhone 4 make its way to the iPad? The Apple Blog thinks so: “You can be sure that Apple’s Retina Display, or something very close, will make its way to iPad”.
Then again, such a screen would massively increase the number of pixels, increasing the demands on both the iPad’s processor and its battery, so a nine-inch Retina Display is a challenge. If Apple’s solved it we’ll see you down the Apple Store the second it goes on sale.
iPad 2 specs: a seven-inch screen?
All of Apple’s rivals have plumped for 7-inch displays, which means their tablets are lighter than the iPad. Will Apple follow them into seven-inch territory?
iLounge says prototypes exist, while earlier this year DigiTimes predicted not just a seven-inch iPad 2, but a 5.6-inch iPad 2. Apparently the smaller iPads would target ebooks while the current iPad would target multimedia entertainment, “sources stated”. We’re doubtful. Apple already does a mini-iPad with a retina display. It’s the iPod touch.
The idea of a smaller iPad 2 took another knock in November, when 9to5Mac reported that the iPad 2 adverts have already been shot – with current-generation iPads playing the role of iPad 2s. The iPad 2s will be digitally added nearer the time, and of course that’s much harder to do if the iPad 2 is smaller than the iPads the actors are actually holding.
iPad 2 specs: a faster processor
KitGuru “has been hearing rumours from the Far East” that the iPad 2 will be a seven-inch job with a 2GHz processor and an HD video camera. It reckons the processor will be based on ARM’s Cortex A9, the 1GHz dual-core processor that you’ll find in the BlackBerry PlayBook.
On 18 January, we also reported the iPad 2 will have a boosted dual core GPU, based on an upgraded graphical core from Apple. This will allow better pixel management, lending weight the theory that the iPad 2 will have a much higher-res screen.
iPad 2 specs: more memory
This is a no-brainer: the iPhone 4 has twice the memory of the iPad (512MB compared to 256MB), largely because the iPhone does multitasking. Since the iOS 4.2 release, iPads do multitasking too. 256MB already seems a little bit stingy.
iPad 2 specs: no home button
Boy Genius Report says a source has told it that Apple has employees testing iPads with no home buttons, but we’re inclined to agree with ZDNet, which says “don’t bet on it”.
iPad 2 features: Find My Friends
On 13 January 2011 we reported that Apple seems to have a location-based tool called Find My Friends in the works for its iOS 4.3 iPhone and iPad update.
The iPad 2 release date is probably in the Spring
Rumours suggested that the iPad 2 would be rushed out in time for Christmas, but if that’s Apple’s plan they’re being awfully last-minute about it. Early 2011 seems like a much better bet, and it fits with Apple’s annual product cycle: the first iPad was announced in January and shipped in the spring.
On 7 December we reported on rumours that Apple would be shipping iPad 2 units out to warehouses in February 2011. If that date is correct, it suggests an iPad 2 release date of some time around April.
This has been corroborated by our report on 17 January, with the April UK release date backed up by ‘insiders’.
On 20 January 2011 we reported that the iPad 2 release date could be 9 February, after images leaked showing that date on the home screen (the original iPad launch promotional material had a 27 January 2010 date on the home screen – the date the first iPad launched).
On 7 February 2011, Elton John, speaking on BBC Breakfast, said he is looking forward to buying an iPad 2 in April so he can make video calls using Skype. Did he just out the iPad 2 release date or has he been hearing the same rumours that we have?
The iPad 2 price won’t change much
Unless there’s a new seven-inch model we’ll be amazed if the iPad 2 price is dramatically lower than the model it replaces: Apple isn’t struggling to shift units and rivals are charging similar prices. Cheapo tablets do exist, but they’re rubbish.
By Gary Marshall
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Google Trends Hot List shows you the hottest searches on the web right now. Close to real time, this is probably the single greatest indicator as to what people are searching for now. Google trends of course also allows you to track buzz of any given keyword across time.
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