Reuters has rounded up four anonymous sources from within parts suppliers for the next generation of iPad, rumored to be due out around April, who have had a number of things to say about the potential design of the new device.
Two could only confirm they were ramping up for a new round of production in the first quarter for components previously supplied for the original iPad, while two said the ramp-up was for a new iPad.
One of those said the revamped model would feature cameras on the front and rear, while the other said the new model would be slimmer, lighter and have a better resolution display.
While it is doubtful that the display will have the same pixels-per-inch resolution as the retina displays of the newest iPhone and iPod Touch, it could be great news for people who enjoy reading e-books and other electronic media on the device (as will the “slimmer” and “lighter” parts for making it easier to hold), and it could potentially also allow viewing of 720P high-definition movies in full native resolution (which the current one can’t quite do).
The cameras will, of course, bring it in line with the rest of Apple’s hand-held tablet and computer products, all of which save the iPad now sport the ability to do FaceTime video communication. This has been expected for quite some time.
Depending on the resolution of the front camera, though, I could also see some text capture and scanning applications develop for the iPad, perhaps more easily than for other devices. The iPad, after all, can display a page in almost its full size on the screen, and allow for better manipulation of the image prior to or during capture than a smaller iPhone screen.
It will be interesting to see what unexpected innovations Jobs comes up with to cram in as well. There’s always at least “one more thing”.
(Found via Engadget.)
