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]