The top ten features of iPad 2

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Digitimes has cited a report from Chinese news portal Economy Daily News which suggests that Apple's next generation iPad will incorporate many new features. The new features have long been subject to speculation, different sources have already suggested that Apple will feature its FaceTime technology in the next generation iPad. With both front and back cameras, users will be able to use the FaceTime service on their iPad, contacting friends and family on their iPhone 4, iPod Touch and Mac computers.

With only weeks to go before its expected unveiling the release date of the next generation iPad, specs and price are still closely guarded secrets, but that doesn't mean there aren't some juicy rumours, inspired guesses and possibly even Apple leaks to consider. Reports suggest Apple is also expecting massive demand for the new device and has ordered six million units per month. Here's the top ten of iPad 2 features.

1 iPad 2 specs: cameras and a gyroscope

Digitimes doesn't explain whether Largan Precision has been selected to ship a VGA front-facing iPad 2 camera, a higher resolution rear one or both. The report doesn't exactly tell whether Apple is aiming for a high resolution VGA front-facing iPad 2 camera on the iPad or not. Admittedly, a VGA front-facing iPad 2 camera on the tablet's large screen wouldn't provide an excellent picture quality.

On 10 December 2010, images of a new iPad case appeared online, suggesting that the iPad 2 will feature a rear-facing camera.

2 iPad 2 specs: a USB port and SD card slot

Rumors continue to swirl over Apple's 2nd generation iPad, and one Taiwanese newspaper says the 2nd generation iPad will be out in the first quarter of 2011, complete with video calling, two cameras, new display and touch technology, and a USB port to connect easily to other devices.

Images of a new iPad case have appeared online that seem to show space for an SD card slot.

3 iPad 2 specs: GSM and CDMA

AllThingsDigital quotes analyst Brian Blair, who says that Apple may be readying a "world iPad" that uses both GSM and CDMA networks, enabling it to get online anywhere in the world. CDMA, incidentally, is the technology used by Verizon in the US.

4 iPad 2 case: thinner and more like a MacBook

Brian Blair also says: "the new iPad is thinner than the existing model and is essentially made from one piece of metal with no pins needed. We understand it requires a new type of manufacturing process as a result, similar to the company's unibody approach seen in MacBooks."

5 iPad 2 specs: retina display

Will the gorgeous screen from the iPhone 4 make its way to the iPad? The Apple Blog thinks so: "You can be sure that Apple's Retina Display, or something very close, will make its way to iPad".

The iPad 2 rumors is growing, and many people are looking for several improvements on the hardware when the device eventually becomes available next year. A front facing camera is amongst some of the rumored new features, but one new upgrade that could be difficult to have is a Retina Screen for the iPad 2.

6 iPad 2 specs: a seven-inch screen?

A 7-inch iPad 2 coming soon? It's not the first time this questions been asked. There have been a lot of iPad 2 rumors around the web lately and almost all of them refer to the 7-inch iPad 2 screen display size. What's heating up these rumours is the upcoming release of the iPad 2 which is expected (to come FaceTime ready) for Christmas or early next year at the latest. Currently, we can't be sure what's true and what's not, but there are some chances we will get a 2nd generation iPad and most probably it will feature a smaller 7-inch iPad 2 screen display.

7 iPad 2 specs: a faster processor

KitGuru "has been hearing iPad 2 rumors from the Far East" that the iPad 2 will be a seven-inch job with a 2GHz processor and an HD video camera. It reckons the processor will be based on ARM's Cortex A9, the 1GHz dual-core processor that you'll find in the BlackBerry PlayBook.

8 iPad 2 specs: more memory

This is a no-brainer: the iPhone 4 has twice the memory of the iPad (512MB compared to 256MB), largely because the iPhone does multitasking. Since the iOS 4.2 release, the next generation iPad do multitasking too. 256MB already seems a little bit stingy.

9 The iPad 2 release date is probably in Q1 2011/ April 2011

Rumours suggested that the release date of iPad version 2 would be at Christmas, but if that's Apple's plan they're being awfully last-minute about it. Early 2011 seems like a much better bet, and it fits with Apple's annual product cycle: the first generation iPad was announced in January and shipped in the spring.

On 7 December we reported on rumours that Apple would be shipping iPad 2 units out to warehouses in Q1 2011/ April 2011. If that date is correct, it suggests an iPad 2 release date of some time around April.

10 The iPad 2 price won't change much

Unless there's a new 7-inch iPad we'll be amazed if the iPad 2 price is dramatically lower than the model it replaces: Apple isn't struggling to shift units and rivals are charging similar prices. Cheapo tablets do exist, but they're rubbish.