The new Apple iPad is on the way

The iPad 2 is coming soon, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal that said the next-generation device is currently in production.

The fact that the iPad 2 is coming isn't groundbreaking news, however. Apple has a pretty consistent history of sticking to a one-year update cycle for many of its products. The first iPad hit stores last April, so it could be logically assumed that the new version is on its way.

What's new on the iPad 2 ?
The new tablet will feature a faster processor and a built-in camera for videoconferencing, but it will have the same display resolution as the first model, according to the report, which cited people familiar with the matter. The new model will reportedly be sold through current partners AT&T and Verizon Wireless --suggesting it might be dual mode for both GSM and CDMA networks. However, the report did not indicate when the new iPad might be hitting store shelves or what the pricing might be.

The first generation of iPad specifiction

The iPad's touchscreen display is a 9.7 in (25 cm) liquid crystal display (1024 × 768 pixels) with fingerprint-resistant and scratch-resistant glass. Like the iPhone, the iPad is designed to be controlled by bare fingers; normal gloves and styli that prevent electrical conductivity may not be used, although there are special gloves and capacitive styli designed for this use.

The display responds to two other sensors: an ambient light sensor to adjust screen brightness and a 3-axis accelerometer to sense iPad orientation and switch between portrait and landscape modes. Unlike the iPhone and iPod touch built-in applications, which work in three orientations (portrait, landscape-left and landscape-right), the iPad built-in applications support screen rotation in all four orientations (the three aforementioned ones along with upside-down), meaning that the device has no intrinsic "native" orientation; only the relative position of the home button changes.

In total there are four physical switches on the iPad, including a home button below the display that returns the user to the main menu, and three plastic physical switches on the sides: wake/sleep and volume up/down, plus a third which, as of iOS 4.2, acts as a mute switch. Initially this switch was utalised to lock out the screen rotation function (reportedly to prevent unintended rotation when the user is lying down). However, with the iOS 4.2 update, this functionality was removed and rotation lock is now controlled with a software toggle via the iOS task switcher. There is no means to reassign the physical switches functionality in the official iOS release.

Ars Technica noted the similarity between the iPad and Star Trek's fictional PADD tablet computer, both in name and functionality.

iPad 2 specifiction rumors

Some of the features that were predicted by the report are as follows:

Processor: Cortex-A9 dual core 1.2GHz
GPU: Imagination’s SGX543 dual core graphics technology
RAM: 512MB
Resolution: 1,024×768
Clock: 1,066 MHz
Chip: GSM iPad: Infineon chip, CDMA iPad: Qualcomm chip
Camera: Front: 0.3 mega-pixels VGA (usable for Facetime and Phone Booth), Back: 1 mega-pixels (video recording and augmented reality)

Additional Features: No retinal display, better quality display, faster chips, separate CDMA and GSM versions, anti-reflection (better sunlight readable experience), Multi-tasking and on-device video editing.

Also see