iPad 2 Getting Closer – Rumor Roundup

One of the hot gadgets of 2010 has been the Apple iPad. Ever since it was first revealed back in January of 2010, rumors of the iPad 2 started. Most notably, it was pointed out that no cameras were to be included on the original which then made a good point to start with the iPad 2 rumors.

This post is intends to track all the rumors including what size screen it will have, what type of screen as well as many hardware changes. Also, iPad 2 release dates, or rumored release dates we should say, will be mentioned.

A lot of the rumors start with comparisons against the iPhone 4. This includes the Retina Display, front (and back) facing cameras as well as the flat back.

iPad 2 Retina Display Rumor

With the iPhone 4 getting the high pixel density Retina Display earlier this year, rumors point towards the next gen tablet getting this same technology. Apple created an amazing screen on the iPhone 4 which has a 326 ppi (pixels per inch) density. By increasing the density up to 326 PPI, it makes it very difficult to distinguish the pixels when holding the phone at the usual 1 to 2 feet away from your eyes. This in turn, makes text appear incredibly clear, even when the text is zoomed way out.

Could the Retina Display land on the tablet? Possibly, but keep in mind that it’s a 9.7 inch screen as opposed to just a 3.5 inch screen which essentially makes a heck of a lot of pixels. GDGT did some calculations on the Retina Display on a 9.7 inch screen, and with the pixel density of 326 (330 as GDGT referrers to it as) they calculated that a 9.7 inch iPad Retina Display would have 2560 x 1920 pixels. That seems like a lot, and it is. The iMac that I am using right now to write this on has a resolution of 2560 x 1440… this screen I use is 27 inches… cram the same amount of pixels across and more pixels down in to a 9.7 inch display and you have an incredible resolution.

Is it likely to happen? Possibly not (also think hardware requirements to run a screen of that resolution), but we suspect that they will go full HD as in 1920 x 1080 at a guess.

iPad 2 Gyro

One of the new sensors added to the iPhone 4 was the gyroscope. What this allows the iPhone 4 to do is achieve far more accuracy when detecting movement. Could this be included in the new tablet? We think it probably will be included and we don’t think this rumor is far fetched.

iPad 2 Dual Cameras for FaceTime Calling

When the iPhone 4 was announced, we heard about FaceTime. Apple said… “People have been dreaming about video calling for decades. iPhone 4 makes it a reality”. Although video calling has been around for several years in the UK and other countries, Apple were the first company who seemed to be able to push the service forwards due to their sheer amount of customers.

One problem with the original tablet is that it lacks camera(s), and thus, cannot be used for FaceTime. Apple is pushing FaceTime across devices and has since, added an application for download on the Mac so you can call from Mac to iPhone and vice-versa. Adding camera(s) to the second gen model would let Apple reach out even further.

Do we think FaceTime is coming to the iPad 2… yes we do. People have wanted cameras since the first model was announced, so it really does seem to make sense here.

iPad 2 Landscape Dock

Some patents were dug up a few months back that hint towards the iPad 2 getting a second dock connector on the long side. This would allow you to dock the device in either portrait or landscape mode.

Having a patent for something doesn’t guarantee that it will be included in a future model, but some people think the idea is great and would love for a second dock connector to be added. Personally, I don’t use a dock so for me it’s just another hole in the side of the iPad.

iPad 2 to Get USB Port and SD Card Slot

File this one under “probably not”. We heard rumors a few weeks back saying that the new model will get a USB port as well as an SD card slot (or microSD). This is a big move away for Apple from the traditional 30 pin dock connector although it could possibly happen due to regulations trying to push devices to a standard micro USB connector. As for the SD card slot, we doubt this one will happen either. Apple hasn’t gone down the route of expandable storage on any iOS device that we can remember, so we doubt they will change the model here.

iPad 2 to Come in Both 9.7 and 7 inch Models

The rumors of a tablet with a 7 inch display have been passed around for a few months now. Steve Jobs answered this in a Q&A at an event and basically said no, it wont happen. However, the rumor still wont die with some claims that an Apple tablet with a 7 inch display is currently being ordered by Apple.

Although Steve Jobs said no to it, this doesn’t mean it wont happen. We feel it is unlikely to happen although the 7 inch Samsung Galaxy Tab has been a popular device and has a screen size that many people prefer. It’s easy to carry around and a large enough size to browse comfortably on it. So, expect that Apple might announce a 7 inch iPad, but we are more like 40/60 on this in that it is less likely to happen.

New Form Factor – iPad 2 to Have Flat Back

A new rumor started just today indicates that the new iPad 2 will have a flat back like the iPhone 4. When we say like the iPhone 4, we could just mean in that it’s flat and not necessarily a large sheet of glass. Could Apple change the form factor already? We are inclined to think they will slim it down a little in the middle, but as for a complete smooth and flat back, we are not completely convinced yet of this one.

iPad 2 Technical Specs

We have heard that the second gen model will get a boost in technical specs. This is one we certainly believe. Apple will more than likely put a faster processor inside along with more RAM. Right now the iPad has 256MB RAM, expect this to double to 512MB or perhaps even bump up even higher if a high res screen is included. As for the processor, there have been rumors that the iPad 2 will get a 2GHz ARM Cortex A9 variant. When we say variant here, what we mean is that Apple will modify the ARM Cortex A9 to do what they want it to do which is how ARM processor work.

iPad 2 Release Date

Here is one for a bit of confusion. We’ve heard all sorts of dates as to when the iPad 2 release date will be with some hinting that it will be any time from now and the 1st Quarter of 2011. What we think is that Apple will announce the new iPad in March and will release it in April 2011 which is a year after the original launch. We don’t see any particular reason why Apple will try rush the next model out.

So, where does this leave us? There’s lots of juicy information being passed around the web, some of it believable, some obvious and some of it far fetched. All we can say is that it will be better than the original in a few ways, but don’t expect something too drastically different.