Hasta La Gadget!

The Apple rumors game can be a volatile thing. Just as we’d heard about last minute alterations to the Apple TV before it hit the market, we’ve gotten word from sources that the iPad 2 slated to be announced next Wednesday will be sans a few of the features we’d previously reported. Notably, that SD card slot and higher resolution display won’t make it into the new model (the latter we’d been hearing rumblings about for a little while). What’s the cause of the switch? Well our sources weren’t crystal clear on the exact reasons, but the gist of what was explained to us centered around vague “engineering issues” which may have forced some changes at the eleventh hour. It’s worth noting once again that these sources have been dead right on specific Apple plans and specifications for unannounced products in the past, and we have no reason to believe these changes are due to anything more than legitimate engineering decisions made close to launch.

So what will we see on March 2nd? We’re hearing it’s most likely a thinner, spec-bumped variation of the original iPad with a screen size and resolution identical to the current model. More RAM (512MB) and a more powerful CPU (the A5) are expected as well. It’s also a pretty safe bet the tablet will be sporting at least one camera up front — though if some of those case mockups we’ve seen tell us anything, expect a shooter around back too. It’s also almost guaranteed that we’ll see the next version of iOS (number 5 in all likelihood, along with its SDK for devs), and an expansion of Apple’s cloud services (that part is a little… foggy right now). Of course, that will perfectly set up Apple’s announcement of the iPhone 5 in June, which is when iPad owners can likely expect to be using the new software. Regardless, we’ll have the goods come next week, so stay tuned!

Sources: iPad 2 lands in thinner body with spec bump and cameras, SD slot and higher resolution display are out originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 Feb 2011 21:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’re all hotly expecting new MacBook Pros on Thursday, but it sounds like Apple might have an even bigger announcement soon: Kara Swisher at All Things Digital says the iPad 2 will be revealed on March 2 in San Francisco. That lines up with some of the rumblings we’ve heard, but we haven’t gotten an official invite yet, so things could change — we’ll let you know as soon as we hear anything definite.

Apple holding iPad 2 event next week? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Feb 2011 13:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jonney Shih has never been one to back down from his stance on anything, and in a recent sit-down with IDG News Service, the ASUS chairman delivered quite a few nuggets worth poring over. For starters, he played up (and subsequently downplayed) a “secret weapon” that would likely rival the iPad 2, but wouldn’t go so far as to confirm that said weapon would actually be a slate. His response to prying? “I think it’s best not to say now. You will have to wait until the launch.” He also noted that personal cloud computing was poised to boom, and didn’t leave much hope for the likes of webOS and QNX — he claims that there is only room for three OS camps to win, and those three slots are already occupied with Windows, Android and iOS. Finally, he took the opportunity to fling water on the 3DTV buzz, noting that he “doesn’t think that will prevail.” He did leave open the possibility for glasses-free options in handhelds to succeed, but beyond that, it’s safe to say he’s not much of a 3D advocate. Hit the source link for the full skinny, but don’t go digging for any extra details on his iPad 2 killer — something tells us you’ll be sorely disappointed.

ASUS chairman Jonney Shih promises ‘secret weapon’ to rival iPad 2, disses 3DTVs originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Feb 2011 12:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ladies and gentlemen of the, ahem, jury, we intend to show — through rumors and circumstantial evidence — that Apple might very well be building Nexus S-like NFC capabilities into next-generation iPhones and iPads. We present for your consideration exhibits A, B, and C: three Apple job posts, seeking two managers of global payment platforms and one test engineer for iPhone hardware. According to the original post, the right engineer possesses a background in both ICT (information and communication technology) and RFID (radio frequency identification), which forms the basis for NFC. Suspiciously, Apple removed the “ID” in “RFID” sometime in the past 24 hours. Still not convinced of Apple’s NFC involvement? Consider this: Apple’s manager of global payment platforms is tasked with contributing “to the analysis and development of new payment types and processes.” Okay, so there’s not a smoking gun in sight, but a little innocent conjecture never hurt anybody.

Apple job posts point to built-in NFC capabilities for iPad / iPhone originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Jan 2011 08:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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“The iPad 2 has a camera.” We know, it feels all but certain at this point (even when it’s far from official), but perhaps we can expand on that quoted assertion further. Like everyone else who can laugh at Objective-C jokes, 9 to 5 Mac has been digging through the latest iOS SDK and found some data referring to K94, which it claims is the codename for the next-generation iPad. (For reference, the original iPad was K48.) Anyway, within that code lies a string reference to “Back Facing 1MP Photo.” Going further, the front-facing camera is reportedly VGA — same as the iPhone, same as the iPod touch. It’s unclear if the also-found “K95” files also included the the same data, or what exactly that codename might be, but if you’re the betting sort, feel free to say, “the iPad 2’s megapixel mullet is 0.3 up front, 1 in the back.” It’s still a gamble until Apple unveils it with a puff of virtual smoke on a presentation slide.

iOS 4.3 beta suggests iPad 2 has one megapixel rear camera originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 Jan 2011 13:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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