Report details iPad 2 components, 5 million unit supply - Page 4

No. The point of the Wifi is to make the platform ubiquitous and NOT tied to a TELCO.

This is my take on this.

1 - BEST) Apple includes the above rumoured specs, along with a retina display, and keeps the same price. Everyone is blown away and happy. People need to realize that the ONLY thing apple can include that will really be a big upgrade and blow people away in a retina display, everything else is minor. It's not like PC's where the second new hardware is released, there are already games/programs coming out that need something better. Everything is made to run perfect on the iPad 1, and for the next year it will probably be the same. Having way better specs on the iPad 2 will really only allow it to run more advanced apps that come out in a year or two (when the iPad 1 is basically discontinued from app support). Until then the iPad 1/2 will be basically interchangeable.

2 - most likely and WORST) Apple will include the above rumoured specs, and keep the price the same. There is no real incentive to upgrade from iPad 1, and no real reason for new buys NOT to buy one. They get to say 'hey I have the NEW iPad, jealous?" and use all of the same apps as iPad 1 users.

3 - medium ground) Apple will include the above mentioned specs (big speed upgrade but as I said before, no real big changes in functionality) and drop the prices $50-100 across the board. Everyone in the know recognizes that the upgrade was minimal, like going from the iPhone 3G to 3GS, BUT it's gotten cheaper and so balances out. This will also help to get more people to buy into the iTunes ecosystem and further tighten Apples stronghold on the mobile computing world.

My vote is for #2 because, well, you know, this is Apple we're talking about.

I upgraded from a 3G to a 3GS - it was not a 'minimal' upgrade.

If I remember correctly the main changes were:

Upgraded processor - 412MHz to 600MHz
Improved camera including autofocus
Video recording
Voice Control
Oil resistant screen
Compass
OpenGL ES2.0

Just because the looks didn't change doesn't mean the phone was not improved - my 3GS is able to play the latest games and applications and is still fast (some slowdown with latest betas but that should be changed when the final release is made public).

Just wanted to point this out as it's something I see quite a lot of and I disagree with it!

Sure, but you gained absolutely zero functionality. You are using the exact same apps, just a bit smoother, you are playing games a bit faster, you are getting a few basic software features that the phone should have had in the first place, which the old phone also get through an iOS update...

It's totally limited by the app store ecosystem because they aren't going to start maxing out the new hardware for a year or two, so unless new functionality is added (retina display, cameras, new SD card slot or video output, RF chip, etc...) you are getting the exact same thing to start, and slowly it will become faster and retain it's life longer as new apps come out that start to properly tax it's hardware. The day the iPad 2 is released, it will essentially be a slightly smoother iPad 1 with cameras. It won't be for at least a year when new apps come out that start to utilize it that it starts to actually feel like an iPad 2. If it were to come with a retina display, then right away it would be a huge change and a huge improvement, and doing ANYTHING would be a big upgrade.

Why all the conjecture regarding the iPad 2 ?
It is a no-brainer that it will sport 2 cameras given the fact that Apple are pushing Facetime.
Apple is Apple folks, so the iDevices will blend closer and closer in appearance and functionality.
I wish Apple did not call it Facetime, too close to Facebook (which I consider truly EVIL).
It will have more RAM, so it is comparable to other tablets that will make their way into the market, how much is a good question, knowing Apple, probably 512MB, then bump it up to 1 GB for version 3 of the iPad, make more money that way.
SD slot no way, Apple does not do this type of thing, defeats their philosophy of the concept of cloud computing, streaming is their way.
Slimmer and lighter definitely, as again Apple has a proven track record in iPhones, iPods and MBAs.
To what degree, that is difficult to ascertain at this stage.
So that leaves processors and screen resolution, I can't see Apple making major improvements to the screen at this stage, the bottleneck is production. Also having a super duper version of an iPad 2 makes no sense, as this is fragmentation, and obviously against Apple's core principles.
There may be minor improvements to the screen, reflective improvements is something that needs to be addressed.
That leaves processors, if the chip is ready then I can see the iPad utilising it, however Apple is loath to improve in one area just to sacrifice another (viz. battery life), especially as the battery life is touted as a major selling point for the iPad.
This is my opinion for what's its worth, I think the underlying improvements will be in synch with Apple's philosophy.
Having said this, I am a big fan of Apple, and I will purchase an iPad 2, as I need another in my household, one is simply not enough for 4 people.

Whoa, I thought it was strictly illegal? I mean, don't you buy your movies at the appropriate stores and go watch them with your families at most. Bringing them over to friends, who may have not actually PAID for the legal right to WATCH them, sounds like inviting black-suited men with ties, dark glasses and suitcases-full of legal papers inside your living room...

By the way, I'm pretty sure Apple will very soon provide you with iWatchOverYou, a wonderful and amazing feature that checks if everyone around you is allowed to watch your movies with you and deletes it from your device if anyone around is not.

Think about it: this will protect the children from content they are too youg to see as well as avoid any risk that you *might* mistakenly do anything illegal as the case I've proposed over...

Did I mention that when I reinstalled my iMac, iTunes wiped out off my iPhone all my songs, since they weren't in the itunes "you've paid for it" list? The freaking iTunes wiped the music my friends and I had recorded with our own instuments "to protect me"! Wonderful, amazing features...

No retina means no upgrade of my iPad. Speed increase is marginal and the cameras are laughable underpowered.

Disappointing it won't have a "retina" display, as the screen resolution is for me by far the biggest flaw with the current model.

On the upside however at least such a tiny spec bump will mean iPad 1 owners don't need to upgrade until iPad 3.

I hope you're joking.

i agree with most that these specs are quite reasonable. It was a hard thing to believe that he iPad2 would jump to a retina display in the 2nd version. However, I'm a bit disappointed that the resolution didn't jump a little bit. After comparing the resolution of the ipad to my iPhone 3gs, the ipad's display looks a bit pixelated.

This is going to be the year I buy either the iPad or the MB Air. Tough choice for me only because i really don't need a full OS laptop, but for the price and compared to the specs of the iPad, I may sway to the 11" air.

I may go iPad if it's lighter and more powerful though. And so far was we can all see (by this report) it looks like 1 out of 2 may come true.

It would make more sense to retain the current iPad at a lower price, let's say $429 rather than $499, then bring out a new version of the iPad at a higher price point. Apple has done that sort of thing before with the iPod line, so it's very possible.

For some, the first-gen iPad is capable enough and $429 (US) would be a very attractive price so Apple could up the price point slightly for its' 3G versions yet talk about how much more of a bargain the iPad has become.

You're wrong about that. Did you read his post? You're saying that both the compass, which added a good deal of functionality, and video recording, which obviously did as well, doesn't count? It counts for a lot of people.

Does a retna display, by your own odd concept of what a new feature is, count as a new feature, or just as more of the same, which is what you think going from a 3G to a 3GS was doing? SD card slot adds nothing that my camera connection kit can't do now. Same thing for a rear camera.

Apple has no cloud computing philosophy or strategy... not publicly... not yet.

Google laid their connected computing cards out a long time ago and they see us moving to a very much "thin client" world where everything (applications, data, services etc) live in the cloud. The client (and they don't particularly care what that client is) is not much more than a device to host the UI.

Of course Android seems to throw a spanner into the works, but it's just a means to an end. Google's philosophy and end-game remain the same. Your data lives on Google servers and is accessed using Google Web Apps.

Microsoft have also staked their cloud computing ground. Some of the results are similar to Google in that Microsoft support Web Apps for data consumption and some creation, however this is seen as more of a fall-back strategy which highlights the key conceptual difference between Microsoft and Google.

Microsoft sees the cloud as a tool to facilitate the synchronization of a users digital life across devices, and a platform that provides services that can be consumed by those devices. Web Apps are there if needed, but the primary way of accessing your own data is from a application on a Microsoft device that controls the UX and synchronizes data to/from the cloud as required.

Apple at the moment are a mixed bag. On one hand they have Mobile Me - niche and underutilized - along with iPhone and iPad, which are more an extension of your desktop than of your cloud enabled digital life... then on the other hand they have Apple TV, the poster child for thin client video streaming.

I keep saying things like "yet" and "at the moment" because we all know Apple is working toward something... and we know it's going to be big. I hope (and expect) they will follow Microsoft's path rather than Google's. I also hope (and expect) they will put their own spin on it that leaves everyone thinking "why didn't we do that?!?".

Good luck with that. I think it's not a matter of if but when you will not be able to buy an iPad lacking connectivity like 3G. Tablets are going in that direction and Apple doesn't like having too varied a product mix. Economies of scale dictate that it costs less to simply include 3G on everything and based on the sales numbers, clearly the majority of iPad buyers want 3G.

I opted for a Touch+ordinary cell phone rather than an iPhone because I just don't feel like paying outrageous amounts per month to maintain the device. But it is not nearly as expensive to go 3G with an iPad. If you use it a lot via Wi-Fi, you can get away with a basic package and still be able to stay connected for a reasonable monthly fee. Also, it's smart to have 3G capability from the start because you never know if you're needs might change over the life of the device.

Instead of offering a non-3G version for $100 less, I could easily imagine Apple not bothering with the non-3G version and lowering the price of the 3G version by about $50, hence splitting the difference.

As for dropping the 16GB model, who's forcing you to buy it? If such a unit has been selling by the millions, why should Apple not offer a low-cost 16GB model for those who do not need more. Memory will go up at a given price point because that's what has been happening for years. Yet, that doesn't mean there is no place for a 16GB iPad.

Seems to me that the most rational move for Apple is to lower the price of the 3G version, let's say by $50, and eliminate the non-3G version. It means people who don't need 3G pay $50 more but in terms of competitiveness, Apple will be $50 closer to getting the right price for it's 3G models.

You make some good points.

Why announce in February and release in March? Might as well announce when you're ready to ship. You don't want an awkward inbetween phase where there are previous-gen iPads available that no one wants to buy.

Apple normally allows supplies in the channel to drop before an announcement. Often that results in shortages as we're seeing now with Macbook Pros. likely an update there before too long.

So we can expect an announcement after hearing of iPad shortages. they'll announce the new product and some will be available right away, and some, not for two weeks. that's their normal schedule.

everything about this new report is very possible. multiple important incremental improvements to iPad1, but no breakthroughs. i believe it. given its detail and the many other rumors about manufacturing, factory production of the iPad2 must be imminent. which would make sense for a March sales start, with a typical Apple February launch announcement.

but what about the "other shoe" - the software? what will Apple add to the iPad's iOS?

we know what is coming with iOS 4.3. which has to be intended for iPad2 production. again, multiple useful improvements but no breakthroughs. and it lacks some popular Android features, like widgets, and others that Honeycomb will add. i guess Apple will wait for the roll-out of iOS 5 for the new iPhone in May to make any big changes, with the iPad to be updated after that, like last year.

upshot is, the upcoming Android Honeycomb tabs will have fancier specs and more bells and whistles than iPad2 - and Flash. so that is what we will hear about a lot. because that is what turns the head of most of the blog people since they are nearly all geeks/gadget heads.

but Apple is selling its whole ecosystem to real consumers, not specs. consumers buy what they want to use and feel comfortable doing easily, not what they theoretically might do like geeks. we will certainly see some new iPad "content" deals announced in February. more important will be how many OEM's start building AirPlay compatibility into their hardware, thus effectively becoming extensions of iTunes/iOS.

but important big improvements in iTunes and MobileMe that could really enhance the iPad will have to wait until later this year i guess. hopefully we will see them at WWDC in May.

bottom line: Apple will sell as many iPad2's as it can manufacture this year - at least 40 million. the swarm of new Android and other OS tabs will certainly sell in significant numbers all together, but with no single big winner and much consumer confusion in the marketplace about them. i think Apple will wind up with about the same 70% market share in tablets as it has with the iPod in the PMP market.

and of course, the big leader now in that PMP market - the iPod touch - is really a mini tablet anyway.

Yes I read his post. OK compass you could see as a minor improvement, but video recording was something dumb phones had for YEARS. It was a running joke that the iphone couldn't record video and they were just fixing a mistake and adding something that should have been included with the original iphone.

And yes, a retina dispay is the biggest feature you could add. Putting a front and rear camera in are features, but nothing like a retina display. I would bet that a LOT of people would rush out to upgrade to the iPad 2 even if it only had extra ram and a retina display. I'm talking the EXACT same processor and GPU, 512 megs of ram, and a retina display. The difference in display quality would be so staggering people would look at it and just HAVE to buy it (especially compared to anything else coming out).

Also a camera kit doesn't count, because expensive add-ons and dongles are a pain and not part of the actual hardware. The SD card slot in my macbook pro is awesome and I really like the convenience of using it ANYWHERE, and not having to dig around for an adapter or cable.

It doesn't matter if other phones had it for years. If you ever read reviews of those other phones record quality, you would see why the iPhone getting it was such a big deal. It was much better.

While I'm sure some people would upgrade just for the display, I doubt it would be as many as you think. first off, it would take a few months before enough apps were available to take advantage of it. Yes, a lot of apps would look somewhat better, but then, they look pretty good now.

Secondly, better processors would be required for the display to be useful. That's four times as many pixels to compute and display, both in 2d and 3d apps and games. so without a dual core cpu and gpu, you would be complaining about performance.

Some things don't count to YOU, but they do count. $29 isn't all that expensive. It costs less than half of a camera memory card, and that's not a particularly large or fast one.

The latest beta of iOS 4.3 is for:

• iPad
• iPhone 4
• iPhone 3GS
• iPod touch 4th generation
• iPod touch 3rd generation
• AppleTV 2nd generation

I suspect that it may also include the iPhone 3G -- but there are no beta features specific to the iPhone 3G.

Also, there are a slew of additions (covered by NDA) that clearly make more sense on the larger screen iPads than the smaller iDevices. Other additions enhance connectivity with the Mac, and other Apple offerings (both hardware and software).

I do not think Apple will re-fork iOS as it did for the iPad 1 -- there is no need to do this and it would be costly and counterproductive to Apple, developers, resellers and customers.

Rather, I suspect, that there will be iOS versions timed to support product announcements, but which contain support for older devices as well.

The widgets, notifications, Home Screen display are "system" features that can be added at any time, and do not, necessarily require an iOS 5 release.

What I don't like about Apple is how slowly it progresses. I mean don't get me wrong, I think that their systems are amazing and powerful, and I'm a sucker for iStuff but they just evolve slowly. It took 4 generations of iPhone to get a flash. 3 generations to get autofocus. Correct me if I'm wrong but approximately 4 gens of MB Pros to get an incorporated SD card slot. I mean these little things make a difference. When I got my iPhone 1st gen I was really happy with it but other phones already had 5 and 8 MP cameras. And flash HAHA

With this iPad a retina display would have been nice but not a must, IMO. But the back camera is just disappointing. The SD card slot would be killer, especially if you are a photographer like me and stay a whole day in a studio.
Oh, and GPS. It would be super nice to explore the city you're currently in via maps and get guidance, or for tracking your routes.

So concluding, "meh, could've been better".

I think I'll wait patiently for the third one.

I've been using my gen. 1 3G model since last May very happily. I can't imagine waiting two years just for better specs.

Very true. The lack of credible competition means they have breathing room to push out a mediocre update. I know why they do it. Why not make extra profit by using ipod image sensor components if you can get away with it?

But now I've gone from "here's my money" to "maybe/maybe not".

since when did the iOS get flash? Did I miss something?

Alas- Finally!
May they permeate all the Apple line- iMacs and 13" Macbooks next.

a camera flash

Also for use with WiMax and LTE MiFi like I am now on the highway. Even though I have a 3G iPad a new WiMax telco is faster where I am now.

Don't sweat it; I think the low-RAM iPad is there just for marketings' sake: iPad starts at $499. Whatever the amount of RAM in future iPads will be, there'll always be a low-on-RAM iPad just for the low price. Look at the iPhone. After they only sold 16 &32GB phones they released a 8GB version just to get more people to switch carriers. For 50 bucks IIRC.