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Engadget: iPad 2 thinner, faster, has cameras, no SD slot or high-res display

by Steven Sande Feb 25th 2011 at 1:30PM

Our buddies at Aol Tech sister site Engadget have heard some details from very reliable sources (Engadget's Joshua Topolsky notes "these sources have been dead right on specific Apple plans and specifications for unannounced products in the past") regarding the second-generation iPad that will be announced on Wednesday, March 2.

We've all been expecting that the new iPad will be somewhat thinner and feature at least a front-facing camera for FaceTime, but according to the Engadget sources, the planned SD slot and higher-resolution display will have to wait for a future device.

The good news is that the sources are stating that the iPad 2 will have more RAM at 512 MB, which means fewer app crashes when multiple apps running are at the same time. It's also expected that the new device will be moving to a new generation of the Apple-designed CPU, rumored to be named the A5.

Engadget is also speculating that an announcement and demo of iOS 5.0 and the associated SDK will be made, although the new iPad will most likely ship initially with iOS 4.3 loaded. Any speculation about updated cloud services is just that -- speculation.

Whatever Apple has up its spacious sleeves for us next Wednesday, you'll find the best coverage here at TUAW. Be sure to join us as we liveblog the iPad event.



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Our buddies at Aol Tech sister site Engadget have heard some details from very reliable sources (Engadget's Joshua Topolsky notes "these...
 

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vintagesax88

NOT DO BUY AN iPAD 2.0
To see why:
http://besttechtoday.blogspot.com/

March 01 2011 at 5:56 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
David

Wow, had never thought about that. And now that you mention it, I'm going to start withdrawing my support for some of these blog sites that are owned by the same company. There is no point in copying and referencing articles from each other. The only reason - as you've pointed out - is to generate 'clicks' and revenue. They might as well merge the sites at that point. But then again, slightly different audiences and more clicks = more $$. Crazy!

February 27 2011 at 9:44 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
David

Am I the only one underwhelmed by the speculated features in the iPad 2? I'm a very happy owner and daily user of my iPad since its release. This house as a 'his' and 'hers' used on a daily basis. I'm looking forward to its replacement but the feature set discussed so far seems like an upgrade rather than a fresh new idea as the iPad was when it was released. Some of the rumored patents and future tech that is rumored to be in Apple's camp would make it feel and act like something new but I'd assume we won't see those for another generation or more.

February 25 2011 at 4:18 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to David's comment
natebrogdon

Nope, I share your sense of "meh". In fact, I think the best feature of the iPad 2 might be a price drop on first gen iPads. I guess I just don't "multitask" on the one we have to the extent that anything crashes. A camera for Facetime. Pffff...my own wife would hate to see my face during a phone call. A Retina display would have been nice, but I'm happy with the display as is. And since Apple will NEVER have a slot to transfer files OFF the iPad, just not sure what features could make me wait for the iPad 3.

I'm sold on a first gen as soon as the 2 drops.

February 25 2011 at 9:56 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Dan Mosqueda

I wonder if there is any chance of ThunderBolt being a part of the iPad2?

February 25 2011 at 4:04 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
joeybeast

I guess the SD card connector will just have to do.

February 25 2011 at 4:03 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
frank

i refuse to give engadget my clicks.

February 25 2011 at 3:40 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
AndreyCo

This article is pure traffic bait. Sick of reading 5 different stories that are from "dead right" sources. I'll believe it when I see it, March 2nd.

February 25 2011 at 2:27 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Steve W

Higher res would've been nice, but the current res is still very good. SD slot is not a big deal to me; as infrequently as I use the SD transfer, the camera kit works just fine. I am excited about the faster mult-core processor, and especially the added RAM. I do notice some lag when multitasking, and with higher-end apps, so hopefully the extra RAM will make the difference.

February 25 2011 at 2:21 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Jimothy

You don't need any "very reliable sources" to make these predictions. Guess what, the iPad 3 will be even faster than the iPad 2. That's a given, as is that Apple would work hard to shave weight and thickness off.

February 25 2011 at 2:12 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Steve

Gruber says that the SD slot and high-res display were never going to happen anyway...

http://daringfireball.net/2011/02/eleventh_hour

February 25 2011 at 1:55 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to Steve's comment
warreno

Beat me to the punch on that one. Gruber nicely (as in politely) excoriates the entire Endgaget approach.

February 25 2011 at 2:05 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
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