Analyst says Apple is working on thinner CDMA-GSM iPad
With speculation about suppliers for the 2nd generation iPad already flying about, we're also hearing that Apple is working on creating a "World iPad" that would contain both GSM and CDMA capabilities making it compatible with phone carriers around the world.
According to All Things Digital, analyst Brian Blair of Denver-based Wedge Partners performed channel checks on wireless supplier Qualcomm and believes that Apple's next iPad will feature one of Qualcomm's multi-mode CDMA-GSM chips. Blair went on to say that Apple would be "ratcheting down production of the existing 3G iPad over the next two months" prior to starting production of the World iPad. Blair's recent supplier checks point to Apple building a whopping 48 million iPads during the 2011 calendar year.
The combo iPad would mean that Verizon Wireless, which uses a network based on the CDMA standard, would be able to offer iPads without having to rely on selling a Wi-Fi only model plus a MiFi mobile hotspot.
Blair's discussions with suppliers also indicate that the next-generation iPad will be thinner than the existing model, made from one piece of metal in a process similar to that used for the unibody MacBook Pros. As expected, the new model will have "at least" a front-facing camera for use in FaceTime video chats.
[via The Mac Observer]
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With speculation about suppliers for the 2nd generation iPad already flying about, we're also hearing that Apple is working on creating a...
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GSM is a dead technology. It's only used for e911 purposes and because not everyone uses a smart phone...yet. It will be phased out within a few years.
All cell technologies are CDMA based. UMTS (3G) is WCDMA.
You clearly never leave a city. GSM will be around for years because for range (i.e. outside the cities) and low battery usage it wins over the spread-spectrum techniques. I often turn off UMTS when out of the house/office for a long time as GPRS/EDGE is perfectly fine for notifications/emails etc and I stand a chance of still having a charge at the end of the day.
For the billions of people for whom a dumb phone is all they require, GSM offers the ideal solution. In developing countries it'll be deployed for decades to come.
For city, smart-phone use of course more and more effort will go into increasing the user bandwidth available most likely using CDMA to push more signals into the very limited bandwidth available but even then having a low power reliable fall back network for voice means I suspect it'll be on those smart phones still.
UMTS does use CDMA, since it's just a method for communication. "CDMA" also refers to cdmaOne (2G) and CDMA2000 (3G) (which originated using CDMA when GSM didn't) developed by Qualcomm, while "GSM" covers GSM and other technologies developed by standards organizations using a SIM card. Yes GSM is dead, but so is CDMA. In terms of the collective technologies those terms also refer to, CDMA is the dead one, with all major CDMA carriers switching to it (like Bell and Telus in Canada, moving to UMTS and Verizon in the US moving to LTE).
November 20 2010 at 10:52 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyYour account was created today. The only comment you've posted promotes a company.
Why do I have the feeling you're a spammer?
The World iPad will be the testing ground for the World iPhone5, which will be the testing ground for World iPhone6 which will be 3G + 4G capable.
November 19 2010 at 3:19 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyThe bezel would be a great place to put some solar cells.
November 19 2010 at 2:44 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyLooking at my iPad, it's already a single piece of Aluminum and a piece of glass. And it's plenty thin enough. Just make everything in it a battery, heck, make the body out of a battery, and then we're talking.
November 19 2010 at 1:46 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyI like the idea of a dual-mode GSM/CDMA iPad. Verizon has much better 3G coverage where I live than AT&T, and it would still be usable worldwide.
November 19 2010 at 1:33 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply"World iPad"?? Wouldn't a GSM iPad be a "World iPad"? Only a few countries use CDMA... it's an old standard, who needs it?
November 19 2010 at 1:05 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyWait, isn't the 1st gen iPad ALREADY "one piece of metal in a process similar to that used for the unibody MacBook Pros."? Just the aluminum body on the back and the glass face on the front. You can't get any fewer body parts than that.
November 19 2010 at 12:59 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyIs anyone as tired as I am of these idiots guessing (some of them aren't even informed guesses) and calling it "analysis."
November 19 2010 at 12:56 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyI want retina display for the next one!
November 19 2010 at 12:51 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyDeals of the Day
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