Rumor: iPad 2 coming in early April

Now that we have the Verizon iPhone out of the way, the iPad 2 rumors are starting to pile up quickly.

In what seems to be more of an educated guess than an actual report from a "reliable source," German-language Apple site MacNotes.de says that the next-generation iPad is scheduled to be released in the US on either April 2 or April 9, 2011. This doesn't surprise the blogging team at TUAW; we've often felt that the iPad 2, or whatever it will be called, would be released on an annual schedule in much the manner of the iPhone and other devices. Since the inaugural iPad dropped on April 3, 2010, it would stand to reason that the second model would appear about one calendar year later.

The MacNotes.de "source" also claims that the new iPad will have a Retina Display (although most Apple pundits agree that there's no way it can match the 326 pixels per inch resolution of the iPhone 4 and latest iPod touch), front and back cameras and a USB port.

Much of the other information in the post is similar to what we've seen happen to the original iPad over the past year. MacNotes.de says their source believes the new iPad will sell only in the US for three months, and will be sold only through Apple Stores for up to half a year. International sales begin in July of 2011, but other US retailers, such as Best Buy, Target and Wal-Mart, may have to wait until October or so to sell the new model. Once again, this seems more logical speculation than words from an actual source.

[via MacRumors]