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Colbert has an iPad 2, already wants the iPad 3
Stephen Colbert can finally eat and sleep apparently -- he was able to pick up his own iPad 2. And as you can see in the video below, he's thrilled with it. Sure, it's mostly just because it's new (it doesn't really do much his old tablet doesn't do), but his excitement is essentially boundless. Boundless -- until it hits a boundary. We agree with Stephen: the new iPad 2 sure is great. But, um, won't the iPad 3 be greater?
Sony CEO casually mentions he's supplying cameras to Apple
We were tempted to call it an April Fools' joke, but it seems the story's true: Sony CEO Sir Howard Stringer reportedly let slip that his company is producing cameras for the next batch of iPhones and iPads during a public interview with the Wall Street Journal. Traditionally, Apple's sourced its sensors from OmniVision, including the delightfully backside-illuminated 5 megapixel CMOS unit you'll find in the iPhone 4, but since Sony too has BSI tech and OmniVision has reportedly encountered delays, your next portable Apple product might house a Sony Exmor R sensor like the one we admired on the Xperia Arc. Mind you, that may not end up actually happening, because of the context in which Sir Howard revealed the news -- according to 9 to 5 Mac, he said that the factory producing sensors for Apple was affected by the Japanese tsunami. Oh well.
Apple's 'Year of iPad 2' doesn't necessarily mean no more iPad updates in 2011
At Apple's recent unveiling of the second-generation iPad, Steve Jobs said "2011 is the year of iPad 2." That sent several sites, including AppleInsider, into a flurry of backtracking on previous rumors concerning a possible iPad 3 release at the annual iPod event in September. "Jobs wouldn't have said that [2011 is the year of the iPad 2] were he planning to introduce another iPad model this summer," AppleInsider surmised. Actually, that's exactly what Jobs would have said, and should have said. Doesn't anyone remember The Osborne Effect? If Steve Jobs had dropped any hints at all that another iPad revision would be coming so soon after the iPad 2, how many people do you think would be buying an iPad 2 on March 11? How many would buy one between then and September? Even people having only a passing familiarity with Apple news would be aware of the next iPad, soon to supplant the current iPad 2, and Apple's sales would plummet. The entire idea of a September release of another iPad was kicked off by speculation from Daring Fireball's John Gruber. He theorized that an iPad update in September would allow Apple to make yearly releases of the hardware immediately before the highly lucrative holiday quarter, increasing Apple's sales. Gruber also said the hardware might not be so much an iPad 3 as an update to the existing hardware: an iPad 2 HD with the widely-rumored double-resolution display. Industry rumors swirled around the iPad 2's display over the past couple months, with some reputable outlets claiming the iPad 2 would debut with a 2048 x 1536 display. For whatever reason -- cost and scalability of production being the most likely factors -- the iPad 2 still has the same 1024 x 768 resolution as the first iPad. But the rumors about the iPad Retina Display haven't gone away, and the same sources claim the next iPad will have it. But does that mean it won't come out until March of 2012? Not necessarily. Apple could likely keep most of the iPad 2's internal hardware the same, shove a Retina Display into it in September, and still call it the iPad 2 (or iPad 2 HD, if you like). With the iPad 2's graphics hardware providing up to nine times the performance of the original iPad, quadrupling the number of pixels on the screen isn't going to be too much for the A5 processor to handle. Other hardware, such as system RAM, would likely need to be boosted to drive such a display, which could constrain production of a Retina Display-equipped iPad and drive up costs; however, to address those concerns, Apple could easily continue to offer the current iPad 2 alongside the iPad 2 HD model, positioning the Retina Display model as a "pro" iPad at a higher price in order to maintain margins. I'm not betting the farm on a September surprise from Apple, mind you, and I'm definitely not saying you should wait for some as-yet mythical iPad 3 to come along. I'm certainly not waiting; even though I strongly suspect hardware updates later this year, I'm still getting an iPad 2 on launch day. But keep in mind that a generalized statement like "2011 is the year of iPad 2" doesn't necessarily mean the iPad 2 will stay as it is for a full year. MacBooks, iMacs and Mac Pros aren't held to an artificial yearly release schedule; they're released whenever the supporting hardware is ready and scalable for release. The same might well be true of the iPad.
What was MIA from the big iPad announcements today?
Pretty exciting stuff at the Yerba Buena Center. From where I sit, the new iPad is a substantial, but not groundbreaking upgrade. I do think it has created some unpleasant drama for the Android and unshipped BlackBerry tablets. On the other hand, life is not all about fawning over every move Apple makes (despite what it feels like some days). As I step outside the Reality Distortion Field, there were some things I wanted to see Apple include. More storage: We've seen the iPhone storage increase over time while prices stayed the same. The iPad is sitting at the same configurations at the same price. It would have been nice to see the 16 GB iPad dropped, with the 32 GB at the lower price point. Screen: I didn't expect the screen resolution to increase. That would have jacked the price up, and Apple surely didn't want to do that..., but a non-glare screen option would have been awfully nice. Using the iPad outside or in a room with a lot of windows is no picnic.
Sources: iPad 2 lands in thinner body with spec bump and cameras, SD slot and higher resolution display are out
The Apple rumors game can be a volatile thing. Just as we'd heard about last minute alterations to the Apple TV before it hit the market, we've gotten word from sources that the iPad 2 slated to be announced next Wednesday will be sans a few of the features we'd previously reported. Notably, that SD card slot and higher resolution display won't make it into the new model (the latter we'd been hearing rumblings about for a little while). What's the cause of the switch? Well our sources weren't crystal clear on the exact reasons, but the gist of what was explained to us centered around vague "engineering issues" which may have forced some changes at the eleventh hour. It's worth noting once again that these sources have been dead right on specific Apple plans and specifications for unannounced products in the past, and we have no reason to believe these changes are due to anything more than legitimate engineering decisions made close to launch. So what will we see on March 2nd? We're hearing it's most likely a thinner, spec-bumped variation of the original iPad with a screen size and resolution identical to the current model. More RAM (512MB) and a more powerful CPU (the A5) are expected as well. It's also a pretty safe bet the tablet will be sporting at least one camera up front -- though if some of those case mockups we've seen tell us anything, expect a shooter around back too. It's also almost guaranteed that we'll see the next version of iOS (number 5 in all likelihood, along with its SDK for devs), and an expansion of Apple's cloud services (that part is a little... foggy right now). Of course, that will perfectly set up Apple's announcement of the iPhone 5 in June, which is when iPad owners can likely expect to be using the new software. Regardless, we'll have the goods come next week, so stay tuned!
Gruber: iPad 3 coming this fall?
We don't have an official announcement of the iPad 2 yet, but Daring Fireball's John Gruber is already speculating that the iPad 3 -- what he says will be a competitor to the just-announced HP TouchPad -- will be ready by fall. "If my theory is right, they're [HP] not only going to be months behind the iPad 2, but if they slip until late summer, they might bump up against the release of the iPad 3," Gruber speculated on Wednesday. He quickly clarified, after sparking a flurry of rumors, that despite Apple's predictability when it comes to hardware releases, it does sometimes pull out surprises -- think the iPod mini. Gruber thinks that Apple will move the iPad's production schedule to match that of the iPod, a September release primed to take advantage of holiday sales. What would this entail? New hardware, the iPad 2, pretty soon. This would back up reports that the iPad 2 is already in production. An announcement of iOS 5 around the same time, ready for the annual iPhone release. The iPad 3 in September, which might actually be a tweaked version of the iPad 2, quite possibly with Retina Display. AppleInsider reported on this as well, adding in a TechCrunch report saying that Apple has a surprise planned for the fall regarding the iPad 3. What are your thoughts? Is Apple possibly moving to a fall schedule for the iPad?
iPad high resolution display rumored for third generation
According to IDC research manager Tom Mainelli, the iPad 3 and not the iPad 2 will be the lucky recipient of a high-resolution display. Previous rumors have repeatedly suggested that the iPad 2 will sport a high-resolution "Retina" display. Most of these rumors came from Asian sources and were cautiously repeated with skepticism that Apple could pack a Retina Display into the iPad 2 and keep the price competitive. Mainelli bucks this trend by asserting that it is production and not cost that is the limiting factor for a 10-inch high-resolution display. The technology exists and is reasonably priced, but there are no production facilities capable of producing a Retina Display at the volume Apple will need for the iPad 2. Apple sold over 7 million iPads in its last quarter, and these numbers are expected to skyrocket in the upcoming year. Rather than experience lagging sales due to component shortages. Apple may have opted to push off the high-resolution display and manufacture the iPad 2 with a standard resolution display. Apple is reportedly prepping manufacturers for the iPad 3, giving them time to ramp up their display production capabilities for the third generation tablet. If this analysis by Mainelli pans out and the iPad 2 does ship with a standard display, will you be disappointed? Disappointed to the point that you bypass the iPad 2 and wait for the iPad 3? Let us know in the comments.
