Cable Forum - View Single Post

Tezcatlipoca · 16-02-2011, 22:42

So, further rumours and speculation regarding the upcoming iPad 2... and iPad 3.

It's a given that there will be an iPad 2 in/around April. It fits with the annual product cycle Apple loves so much (e.g. a new iPhone every summer, a new iPod Touch every September), it's needed due to there actually being some attempt at competition this year from other CE manufacturers, and of course all the tech blogs & sites are assured by their sources that it will happen and that it is already in manufacture.

As mentioned earlier in the thread, features for the iPad 2 which seem pretty much definite (as much as can be without an announcement, of course) are that it will be slimmer and lighter, feature a front-facing camera (& perhaps also one on the rear), and hopefully also more RAM and a faster CPU.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...125168876.html

Earlier rumours also mentioned a new "Apple A5" system-on-a-chip, containing a dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 CPU and a PowerVR SGX543 GPU (compared to the single-core ARM Cortex-A8 CPU and PowerVR SGX535 GPU in the iPad 1 & iPhone 4's "Apple A4"). This would be comparable to the Tegra 2 (Cortex-A9 plus GeForce ULP) & similar used in various upcoming competitors of the iPad.

Some rumours also claimed that the iPad 2 would feature a "Retina display"... but others claimed otherwise... It would cost too much to do that so soon as it would need a bigger bump in CPU/GPU/RAM, etc. as well as display tech improvements.

It now seems, according to the tech blogs etc. & their sources, that there may well actually be two iPads released this year:

~April (1 year after iPad 1): iPad 2. Slimmer & lighter, camera, more RAM & hopefully a faster CPU... But still using an Apple A4, with the A5 held off until the iPhone 5 in June.

September (the rumoured "big surprise" during the annual iPod Touch reveal): iPad 3. More RAM again, plus... the Apple A5 (dual-core Cortex-A9 plus GeForce SX543) previously introduced in the iPhone 5, plus... a "Retina display", giving the iPad a massive boost in resolution.

The iPad 2 will be to the iPad 1 what the iPhone 3GS was to the 3G... bit faster, bit more RAM, minor improvements... While the iPad 3 will be the equivalent of the iPhone 4... Huge jump in power & resolution.

Releasing a third iPad, only five months after the second, could well alienate some people, but... It would help Apple stay ahead (or at least not fall behind) in the tech spec race, now there's finally going to be some serious competition, plus it would re-align the annual product cycle from what is a bit of a stupid time of year for this sort of thing to the much more lucrative run up to the "Holiday" season.

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

http://techcrunch.com/2011/02/09/ipad-3/

http://www.padgadget.com/2011/02/09/...sed-this-fall/

http://www.padgadget.com/2011/02/16/...with-older-a4/

16-02-2011, 22:42	#182
Tezcatlipoca Inactive Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Cambridge Posts: 16,760	Re: The Apple iPad Thread So, further rumours and speculation regarding the upcoming iPad 2... and iPad 3. It's a given that there will be an iPad 2 in/around April. It fits with the annual product cycle Apple loves so much (e.g. a new iPhone every summer, a new iPod Touch every September), it's needed due to there actually being some attempt at competition this year from other CE manufacturers, and of course all the tech blogs & sites are assured by their sources that it will happen and that it is already in manufacture. As mentioned earlier in the thread, features for the iPad 2 which seem pretty much definite (as much as can be without an announcement, of course) are that it will be slimmer and lighter, feature a front-facing camera (& perhaps also one on the rear), and hopefully also more RAM and a faster CPU. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...125168876.html Earlier rumours also mentioned a new "Apple A5" system-on-a-chip, containing a dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 CPU and a PowerVR SGX543 GPU (compared to the single-core ARM Cortex-A8 CPU and PowerVR SGX535 GPU in the iPad 1 & iPhone 4's "Apple A4"). This would be comparable to the Tegra 2 (Cortex-A9 plus GeForce ULP) & similar used in various upcoming competitors of the iPad. Some rumours also claimed that the iPad 2 would feature a "Retina display"... but others claimed otherwise... It would cost too much to do that so soon as it would need a bigger bump in CPU/GPU/RAM, etc. as well as display tech improvements. It now seems, according to the tech blogs etc. & their sources, that there may well actually be two iPads released this year: ~April (1 year after iPad 1): iPad 2. Slimmer & lighter, camera, more RAM & hopefully a faster CPU... But still using an Apple A4, with the A5 held off until the iPhone 5 in June. September (the rumoured "big surprise" during the annual iPod Touch reveal): iPad 3. More RAM again, plus... the Apple A5 (dual-core Cortex-A9 plus GeForce SX543) previously introduced in the iPhone 5, plus... a "Retina display", giving the iPad a massive boost in resolution. The iPad 2 will be to the iPad 1 what the iPhone 3GS was to the 3G... bit faster, bit more RAM, minor improvements... While the iPad 3 will be the equivalent of the iPhone 4... Huge jump in power & resolution. Releasing a third iPad, only five months after the second, could well alienate some people, but... It would help Apple stay ahead (or at least not fall behind) in the tech spec race, now there's finally going to be some serious competition, plus it would re-align the annual product cycle from what is a bit of a stupid time of year for this sort of thing to the much more lucrative run up to the "Holiday" season. http://daringfireball.net/2011/02/the_next_six_months http://techcrunch.com/2011/02/09/ipad-3/ http://www.padgadget.com/2011/02/09/...sed-this-fall/ http://www.padgadget.com/2011/02/16/...with-older-a4/