Apple : Updated: iPad 2 rumours: what you need to know |
| Updated: iPad 2 rumours: what you need to know Posted: 20 Dec 2010 07:22 AM PST  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 2G rumours. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. |
| In Depth: Apple in 2011: 10 things to expect Posted: 20 Dec 2010 05:05 AM PST  There's every chance Steve Jobs will at some point pull the tech industry equivalent of a rabbit out of a hat in 2011, unleashing an amazing gadget no-one had thought of but that everyone will want (or, if they're a competitor, want to copy). However, through existing Apple announcements, the company's previous form and some cunning and incisive guesswork, we can be pretty sure we'll see the following ten things from the Cupertino giant over the coming months. 1. Mac App Store The Mac App Store is likely to be the first of Apple's major products to appear in 2011. Announced during Apple's unveiling of Mac OS X 10.7 (Lion), but also compatible with 10.6 (Snow Leopard), it will bring a streamlined app-purchase, download and update model to the Mac, much like the one for iOS devices.
APPY DAYS: Apple's Mac App Store will simplify application purchase and installation in 2011 There will be restrictions, too, but standard Mac installation will still be permitted; therefore, we expect the Mac App Store to be a great system for kick-starting a thriving ecosystem of smaller apps and games on the Mac, with industry giants - initially, at least - sticking with traditional distribution methods. 2. iPad 2 Apple's tight-lipped about what iPad 2 will or won't include, but it's a safe bet it'll incorporate FaceTime, and Jobs's dismissal of the 7-inch form factor of rival tablets suggests iPad 2 will differ from the original little in that regard. Elsewhere, more RAM and storage are likely, and a USB port and a Retina display have been mooted as other new features. Whatever we end up with, expect iPad 2 to land a year after the original's debut, in April 2011. 3. iOS magazine rack Rumoured to be imminent for months, along with the Rupert Murdoch-backed iPad-only newspaper The Daily, iOS 4.3 is said to include functionality that will enable Apple to provide a digital magazine rack, including subscriptions.
RACK IT UP: Apps like Wired could be on borrowed time as an 'iBooks for magazines' system comes to iOS This is surely a cert for 2011, complementing iBooks nicely, and enabling publishers to free themselves from relying on apps with in-app purchases or services like Zinio for digital magazine distribution for iOS. 4. iPhone 5 Apple's iPhone release schedule is reassuringly regular, and you can expect the iPhone 5 to appear by early July. Unless Apple's been at the crazy juice, you can guarantee that the antennae will work flawlessly, regardless of how you jam the device into your hands, and you can also expect bumps to speed, storage and performance. In terms of functionality, a few rumours have surfaced, and Apple's reportedly been experimenting with Near Field Communication, potentially enabling a device to be used for making payments. Elsewhere, it's possible US customers will finally be able to escape AT&T, with the iPhone 5 becoming available on Verizon. 5. Mac OS X 10.7 In October, Apple gave everyone a sneak peak of Mac OS X 10.7, also known as Lion. The eighth major version of Mac OS X was part of a 'back to the Mac' event, showcasing how iOS devices are now influencing Apple's desktop and laptop products. Lion includes the iOS homescreen-style Launchpad, full-screen apps, auto-save and auto-resume, auto-hiding scrollbars, and more fully utilises multitouch gestures.
iOS INSPIRED: Mac OS X 10.7 takes inspiration from iOS, in order to enhance usability and utilise multitouch During his presentation, Steve Jobs noted that these features were just a taste of what the finished software (due 'summer' 2011) will contain; other rumoured features include a resolution-independent and/or unified interface and an upgraded QuickTime X. 6. Increased focus on iOS With Lion's release, expect Apple to again switch its attention to iOS, perhaps starting to preview aspects of the next major revision to the mobile operating system. It's also fairly likely that a shift will take place in 2011, with Apple very obviously considering iOS the 'default' operating system for Apple products, with Mac OS X repositioned as something more for professionals and anyone else with demanding requirements. Don't be shocked if you hear nothing at all about Mac OS X 10.8 in 2011, but plenty about iOS 4.x and perhaps even iOS 5. 7. Opening up AirPlay AirPlay is a potentially revolutionary technology for the media obsessed, but it's currently hugely constrained. At present, you can live-stream video and audio from an iOS device to an Apple TV, but only from a very limited number of Apple's own apps. Developers have shown this limitation has been imposed by Apple itself, for reasons unknown; happily, when responding to a MacRumors reader's query regarding AirPlay video working in Safari and third-party apps, Steve Jobs reportedly said: "Yep, hope to add these features to Airplay in 2011". 8. Improvements to MobileMe MobileMe hasn't exactly set the world on fire. Many users cite that it's unstable and unreliable, often bettered by free solutions available from Apple's competitors. In iOS 4.2, Apple surprisingly freed Find My iPhone from the paid MobileMe (at least for owners of 2010 iOS devices- cynically, anyone with an older device was blocked from creating the required free account), and in response to another MacRumors reader's email about MobileMe products, Steve Jobs reportedly replied: "Yes, it will get a lot better in 2011".
IT'S HERE: Find My iPhone is now free for 2010 iOS device owners; MobileMe in general might offer more free tools in 2011 Given that Apple's building a massive data centre, there's hope MobileMe might become an integrated part of its operating systems, becoming the backbone for enabling you access to your content from any Apple device or computer. 9. iTunes streaming It's the rumour that never dies, but perhaps 2011 will finally be the year Apple augments its existing iTunes Store music purchase options with some kind of streaming service. This could come in the form of Spotify-like streaming, but that would potentially eat into Apple's iTunes Store sales; therefore, we could see an alternative service, such as enabling you to stream your own collection to a device, using the Lala technology Apple acquired, in combination with the in-progress giant data centre. 10. Doomsayers rebuffed Despite all of these things and, perhaps, the odd surprise or two, doomsayers will continue to predict Apple's imminent death, ignoring the massive profits the company's generating, the boost in headcount and store outlets, and the innovative products it's producing.
STAIRY EYED: Apple's Covent Garden store wowed the public. Expect many more new stores to open in 2011 Unless Steve Jobs goes crazy and turns Macs into Windows boxes or has the iPhone 5 made out of puppies, this cycle will continue into 2011 and beyond, with Apple offering modest expectations, analysts providing bizarre predictions that bear little relation to what Apple stated, Apple revealing new and huge piles of cash every quarter, Wall Street going berserk at Apple having not revealed a pile of cash 50 times bigger than the moon, hacks saying Apple is doomed for some spurious reason, and Apple stockholders and board members happily watching Apple shares continue their upward trajectory. |
| You are subscribed to email updates from TechRadar: All Apple feeds To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
No comments:
Post a Comment