Tomorrowa4‚¬a4„s iPad 2 launch isna4‚¬a4„t the one that we should be getting excited about, instead we should reserve our enthusiasm for the iPad 3, which is apparently due later this year, an Apple employee tells the Cult of Mac.
The Apple staffer reportedly says that the iPad 2 will serve as a slight speed bump, while the iPad 3 will be a more significant redesign coming this fall.
While it may sound crazy, this isna4‚¬a4„t the first time that wea4‚¬a4„ve heard talk of another iPad coming later this year. TechCruncha4‚¬a4„s MG Siegler reported last month that an iPad 3 may make its way to consumers by the end of the year. Ita4‚¬a4„s not inconceivable for Apple to launch another tablet this year, especially if it didna4‚¬a4„t manage to include all of the hardware updates it wanted to in the iPad 2.
Recent rumors have also placed the iPad 2 with the same 1024 by 768 resolution as the original iPad, which pales in comparison to higher display resolutions wea4‚¬a4„re seeing from Android tablets like the Motorola Xoom. Many had expected Apple to introduce some sort of Retina Display in the iPad 2, similar to the high-resolution display ita4‚¬a4„s using in the iPhone 4, but that doesna4‚¬a4„t appear to be happening now. Now it seems like that high-resolution display may be destined for the iPad 3, especially since Apple will likely need a revamped tablet to compete with the plethora of Android 3.0-powered slates coming this year.
The Apple employee mentions that the iPad 2a4‚¬a4„s most interesting new feature may not even be hardware related: Apple may use the devicea4‚¬a4„s release to show off its revamped MobileMe service, which is expected to be free and store user media in the cloud.
Hardware-wise, it looks like the iPad 2 will likely sport front and rear cameras tomorrow, as wea4‚¬a4„ve reported endlessly. It will also likely be thinner and lighter than the current iPad, which is cumbersome to hold for prolonged periods. And of course, it will pack-in a faster processor &8212' likely Applea4‚¬a4„s rumored A5 dual-core chip &8212' and more RAM. The iPad 2 is also expected to work across both AT&'T and Verizona4‚¬a4„s cellular networks.
A report from the weekend speculated that Apple may surprise everyone by having the iPad 2 ready for consumers to purchase tomorrow, but I don&'t think there&'s a good chance of that happening.
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Companies: Apple
Companies: Apple
Devindra Hardawar is VentureBeat's lead mobile writer and East Coast correspondent. He studied philosophy at Amherst College, worked in IT support for several years, and has been writing about technology since 2004. He now lives in Brooklyn, New York. You can reach him at devindra@venturebeat.com (all story pitches should also be sent to tips@venturebeat.com), and on Twitter at @Devindra.
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