Hasta La Gadget!

Dawn of the iPad 2 event it may be, but that hasn’t stopped the whisper-factory from churning out a few more ragged guesses. First up is a plethora of mock-up photos of the iPad 2 from a Chinese site. They seem to match the other render we saw earlier this week, with tapered edges and a speaker grill down the bottom-left. More »

A customer plays with an iPad on display at an Apple store. Photo: Bryan Derballa/Wired.com

Apple has been unusually indiscreet about what it plans to unveil this week: the next iPad.

In invitations e-mailed to press last week, Apple attached an image of a calendar page peeled back to reveal the corner of an iPad. We get the picture.

But what about the next iPad, and what else can we realistically expect from the March 2 event? Here’s a quick rundown of what Apple is likely to introduce Wednesday.

iPad 2

The iPad 2 is probably going to be a modest upgrade from the current tablet. Credible reports suggest that major changes include a faster processor, more RAM, a front-facing camera for video chat, and a thinner and lighter overall design.

There’s been a bit of debate surrounding the iPad 2’s display. Some have bet on the iPad 2 gaining a high-resolution display that Apple could call the “retina” display, similar to the iPhone 4’s screen.

However, well-sourced Apple blogger John Gruber insists the next iPad will have the same resolution as the current one, or 1,024×768 pixels. A super high-res display would probably be cost-prohibitive today, Gruber argues, due not only to the cost of the display, but also because of the amount of RAM required for such high-res graphics.

That’s a reasonable analysis, because it’s probably a high priority for Apple to retain the iPad’s $500 starting price, which competitors are failing to match. A higher-res display would more realistically come in a later-generation iPad when costs for both screen technology and memory come down.

Like the current iPad, we can expect the iPad 2 to be bundled with 3G options for both Verizon and AT&T subscribers. We don’t expect a 4G iPad until the faster 4G networks are more ubiquitous.

iOS 4.3

The latest version of iOS for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch has been in beta for a few months, and Apple on Wednesday will likely announce an official release date for the upgrade.

New features seen so far in iOS 4.3 include improvements to interface elements, wireless hotspot support for AT&T iPhones and new multitouch gestures for controlling the iPad.

The new multitouch gestures for iPad are by far the most interesting new feature, but Apple has already told developers that it was only providing gestures as a preview to collect feedback on how they should work; the feature will not go live in iOS 4.3.

App Demos

Every iOS hardware event has been packed with app and game demos to show off new hardware and software features, so expect lots of these on Wednesday.

MobileMe Reboots?

There continues to be speculation about Apple rebooting its paid MobileMe service to have more seamless online integration. The Wall Street Journal suggests the service this year will become a free “locker” for photos, music and videos to reduce the need for devices to carry a lot of  memory. Furthering this speculation, MacRumors points out that Apple has discontinued sales of MobileMe both online and in retail stores.

However, we have doubts a new MobileMe will go live Wednesday, as Apple said in a recent investor meeting that its new data center for managing cloud services will not be open until spring to support MobileMe and iTunes.

This week’s Gadget Lab podcast zooms in on the Motorola Xoom tablet, the upcoming iPad 2 and Intel’s new Thunderbolt connectivity standard.

The Motorola Xoom is a neat piece of hardware. It’s got a 10.1-inch screen (slightly bigger than the 9.7-inch iPad), front- and rear-facing cameras, 32 GB of storage and a 3G wireless connection. Oddly, the audio speakers are on the back, which makes the sound rather poor.

That’s a solid feature set, but the cheapest Xoom costs $800 — which is a pretty disappointing starting price compared to the iPad’s $500 sweet spot that nobody can seem to match. To be fair, the most-comparable iPad is the 32-GB model with 3G, which costs $720. But I argue the starting price will be the most important factor for new adopters who are still figuring out why they need a tablet in the first place, and $800 is way too high.

Nonetheless, the Xoom’s feature set puts Motorola’s tablet ahead of the iPad, so we’re interested to see what Apple has in store for us at next Wednesday’s iPad 2 event. We’re expecting an iPad with two cameras, more memory and a faster processor.

Speaking of Apple, the company introduced a major upgrade for its MacBook Pro family this week, adding the newest Intel processors and a brand-new connectivity port dubbed Thunderbolt. What’s Thunderbolt? Dylan explains it’s a versatile connectivity port that will eventually enable you to plug in just about any type of peripheral, potentially eliminating the need for desktop towers in the future. When was the last time you heard of a connectivity port this cool?

We close the podcast with a quick look at the iPhone game Tiny Wings (sorry, I called it Little Wings thanks to an on-camera brain fart), which soared to the No. 1 spot in the App Store’s bestsellers this week. It’s a cute game that perfectly executes the Angry Birds formula, so no wonder it’s a hit.

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Or listen to the audio here:

Gadget Lab audio podcast #105

http://downloads.wired.com/podcasts/assets/gadgetlabaudio/GadgetLabAudio0105.mp3

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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Today’s big Apple rumor concerns Intel’s super-fast Light Peak connection, an optical (or copper) cable which can transmit just about anything along its skinny length. The rumor goes, quite convincingly, that the new range of MacBook Pros expected Thursday will incorporate Light Peak, and that Apple will rename it “Thunderbolt.” Then the rumors start to go awry.

The evidence consists of a supposedly leaked spec sheet for the new machine, along with a photograph of the actual Thunderbolt port and a screenshot of a promo page. Of these, the Thunderbolt logo looks pretty good, the port looks like it is a Mini DisplayPort with an icon Photoshoppped next to it, and the specs may or may not be legit.

Light Peak allows multiple protocols to travel along the same wire, where they are interpreted by a chip inside the computer. Thus you could plug displays, USB printers and even iPods into the same port. It is also faster than USB 3.0. It’s easy to see what the minimalist Apple likes about it.

The German language specs amy be real. In them, the Thunderbolt port is combined with the Mini DisplayPort connector, which fits with the photo of the port at least.

Possibly leaked specs of new 13 inch MacBook Pro from FSCKLOG

I’m skeptical of the photo, but the name and logo both have a ring of truth about them. Couple this with reports that Intel is launching Light Peak this Thursday and we have a pretty good pile of clues. And if Apple does launch Thunderbolt, how long will it be before it replaces the decrepit 30-pin dock connector?

The photo of the new port Thunderbolt! [Mac4Ever]

Photo: Specs of the new 13 “MBP with Core i5 and Thunderbolt port [FSCKlog]

See Also:

• Intel's Light Peak Technology Could Kill USB 3.0
• High-Speed Laser Chips Move Data at 50 Gbps