Isaiah's Tech

There may not have been enough iPad 2's for the US but that's not stopping the international launch. Apple has just announced that the iPad 2 is launching in 25 more countries this Friday, March 25th and that includes: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the UK.

Today is March 11 and that could only mean one thing. Apple releases their next-generation tablet, the iPad 2 to much fanfare and line-ups. This will be available at 5PM in your timezone and you'll be able to snatch one at Apple Stores, Best Buy, Target, Walmart, AT&T, and even Verizon stores. Of course, there's no LTE (4G) model ready so you're stuck with 3G for probably another year. If you don't want to leave your house into the horrible weather outside then you go online at 1AM PT to order it off of Apple's website. Let's see how many they sell.

Update: Check it out on Apple to order yours right now. It'll ship in 3 to 5 business days but you won't have to wait in line. Don't forget that there's a limit to two per order.

Steve Jobs made a surprise appearance introducing the iPad 2 today. After talking about how great and magical the iPad is they talked about all of the copcats launching tablets this year. Oh yeah, they've sold 100 million iPhones so far. Getting on to the good stuff, the iPad 2 features a new dual-core A5 CPU (probably supplied by Samsung again), a rear-facing camera, a front-facing camera, a gyroscope, an HDMI output (cable costs $39), and an 8.8mm thin body (thinner than the iPhone 4) that weighs just 1.3 pounds. Battery life is still 10 hours and that's great considering how thin the device is.

Of course, since it has dual cameras you're able to FaceTime whoever you want and you'll be able to launch Photo Booth as well so you can make them look as silly as you want them to. Display stays at 9.7-inches and has the same 1,024 x 768 resolution display. Basically, if you already have the first iPad, this might not be worth the upgrade unless you really want the dual cameras.

Thankfully, Jobs also mentioned that this will be available in black and white starting on day one. Prices will stay the same as the current model so that's amazing. The iPad 2 will be launching on March 11th in the US and it'll be launching in 26 more countries, including Canada, on March 25th. Models will be available on both AT&T and Verizon in the US so that's some pretty good news as well. Don't forget that the iPad 2 is bringing iOS 4.3 along with it. Anyways, I'd still rather get a WiFi-only Motorola XOOM.

Update: Engadget has just mentioned that the iPad 2 has just been spotted at the FCC. This includes all models: WiFi (A1395), GSM (A1396), and CDMA (A1397).

[Engadget]

It's almost March 2 which will be when Apple announces the next iPad and rumours tend to fly when their event is getting closer. 9 to 5 Mac scooped the photo you see above which actually might be telling us that the next iPad will actually come in white - even though the company couldn't ever deliver a white iPhone 4. Maybe they figured it out this time. Obviously, the frame of the next iPad has a camera hole for the front-facing camera. Anyways, this'll all be cleared up on Wednesday.

Update: BGR has just scooped the render you see below. The Internet was all abuzz about it this morning but the website has since mentioned that it's just a fan render.

[9 to 5 Mac]

Coming from an Engadget source is some juicy details regarding the next generation iPad tablet from Apple which will be announced on Mach 2nd. They have heard that a high-resolution display along with an SD card slot will not be making an appearance on this iPad which is some bad news but it was actually expected. However, the next iPad looks like it will feature 512MB of RAM, a more powerful A5 CPU, a front-facing camera, and a thinner and lighter body. Apple looks like they could also be announcing iOS 5 along with more cloud services. It sounds pretty good and it'll be official on March 2nd.

[Engadget]

Coming from AllThingsD is word that Apple is just about ready to launch their iPad 2. The firm is reporting that Apple has an event planned for March 2nd which will be the grand unveiling of the next-generation iPad. Specs aren't confirmed yet but you can expect things to be better, faster, and thinner than the last model. Mark it on your calendars! We're also hearing that the next iPad could be available before the end of March.

Update: 9 to 5 Mac has just confirmed that Apple is now sending out invites and it's definitely for the next-generation iPad.

[IntoMobile]

Coming from the WSJ is word on the next iPad from Apple. Apparently, it's in production right now with a front-facing camera (for FaceTime), a lighter / thinner body, more powerful internal components, and a display that sports the same 1,024 x 768 resolution. Of course, this should include things like a faster CPU, a better GPU, and more RAM. The release date is still unknown but it should be quite soon. This one's headed to both AT&T and Verizon in the US.

[9 to 5 Mac]

Kevin Rose has just made a few claims regarding the next iPad from Apple. Apple is reportedly expected to announce their next iPad in 3 - 4 weeks and it will feature a Retina Display and dual-cameras. This is likely just an announcement with a launch following up within a few months. If the "Retina Display" is true, then the 9.7-inch iPad will have a 2,048 x 1,536 resolution which seems absolutely insane - in a good way! It seems to good to be true though, but you should expect a higher resolution display than the first model. We'll see if this pans out to be true.

Update: Kevin Rose updated his blog post to say that the iPad will have a "higher resolution" display and not a Retina Display. Of course, it was too good to be true.

Picture Source: 9 to 5 Mac (just a mock-up)
[9 to 5 Mac]

Coming from Mac Octakara is word on a few new improvements in the next iPad tablet from Apple. Aparently, there'll be a "wide range speaker" with a "metal mesh" over top of it similar to what you see above (just a render). The back of the iPad will actually be flat so that you'll actually be able to rest it down on a tablet properly, but that's expected. The bezel of the iPad will reportedly be about 3mm thinner than the first iPad so that's great news. The overall footprint of the iPad will also be a bit smaller in all ways, which is also expected. Look out for this to get announced in the next month or so.

[Engadget, Apple Insider]

Coming from Reuters is word on Apple making a smaller iPad. Apparently, this model is "almost half the size of the current model" so it could be something with a 5 to 7-inch display. This tablet should be introduced the same time the new 9.7-inch model would be announced so we can expect it in late January. When Steve Jobs said that 7-inch tablets were "dead on arrival" it might be because his company was planning on making one too, which is what I was assuming right off the bat.

Update: The Samsung Galaxy Tab has a 7-inch display and it's half the size of the current iPad so a 7-inch iPad is definitely a possibility.

[Slash Gear]

A bunch of new sources have just mentioned that Apple's next iPad will indeed have a rear and front-facing camera. At this point, we already know that Apple has opted to go with LCD displays on their iPad because of the cost and because there could be shortages. Apparently though, the next iPad will feature a much higher resolution than the current model but it's unknown if it'll be a Retina display - which would bring it to a 2,048 x 1,536 resolution. This should be announced in about six weeks with a launch a few weeks after that so it's really not that far away.

[Electronista, BGR]

A new iPad case has leaked from a Chinese manufacturer, of course. This one looks like it's for the next iPad from Apple though because you can clearly make out that the top left corner of it has a hole for a rear-facing camera. The weird part about this supposed case is that it actually doesn't have room for a second dock connector that Apple has patented a few times before - rumoured to have portrait and landscape options. Nothing else is known right now but the bottom left corner could be for a USB port or a microSD card slot but I doubt it.

[Crunch Gear]

Coming from DigiTimes is word on Apple's next iPad. Apparently, Foxconn will be shipping said tablet in February of next year (2011). The rumour is that Apple will start mass producing the next iPad in January 2011, but it's not all good news. Engadget points out that it might be shipping in February but the launch might not be until April since that's what happened earlier this year.

[Engadget]

Coming from a Taiwan source is a few rumours regarding the next Apple iPad. Apparently, the iPad will have a 9.7-inch Retina (LCD) Display, two dock connectors (that patents have hinted at many times), a USB port, a thinner and (slightly) smaller body, rear and front-facing cameras, and a 3-axis gyroscope. The launch for this one could be right on cue with the first one, so we could be seeing a late Winter / early Spring launch date (the iPad was announced in January and was released in April).

Earlier rumours said that the next iPad could also be a global tablet so we'll see if that actually comes true.

[Electronista, 9 to 5 Mac]
Picture Source: Slash Gear

DigiTimes is reporting some pretty good news if you're waiting for the second-gen iPad. Apparently, it'll be launching in Q1 2011 which would mean that Apple's yearly launch will be in full-effect. They announced their first iPad in January with a launch in April, so maybe we'll see it hit the market a little bit earlier this time around. The next iPad is said to have a FaceTime camera, a faster CPU (probably from Samsung), a miniUSB port, a bit more RAM, and a "Smart Bezel" feature whatever that is. You should be expecting a display of the same size since Apple seems to hate 7-inch ones.

Update: Coming from AllThingsD (via Slash Gear) is word that Apple could make the next iPad a global model so that you'll be able to use anywhere (on AT&T's and Verizon's network too). If this is the case, it'll likely use Qualcomm's multi-mode GSM/CDMA chip. The next iPad could also feature a Retina Display, which would be insane (I can't see it happening though).

Update: Remember that a patent yesterday said that we might be seeing the next iPad sport a carbon fiber body. This would make it lighter than the current aluminum models. Hopefully the next iPad is sporting an all black body as well.

[9 to 5 Mac, Slash Gear]

While everyone waits for the Verizon iPhone, the carrier will be releasing something else. The iPad. Yes, the iPad that AT&T had exclusive rights to. Well, that has ended and it has just been announced that they [Verizon] will be getting the iPad on October 28th, which is just two weeks away. These iPad's don't have 3G connectivity but they come with a Verizon MiFi 2200 Intelligent Mobile Hotspot instead. Pricing is $629.99 for the 16GB WiFi model with MiFi, $729.99 for the 32GB WiFi model with MiFi, and $829.99 for the 64GB WiFi model with MiFi.

[Gizmodo]