FaceTime capable iPad in 'advanced testing'
After Apple revved the iPhone in June and completely overhauled iPod lineup on September 1 (well, except for the iPod classic, that is) the next logical candidate for an upgrade is, drumroll please, the venerable iPad.
One can deduce that the second-generation iPad will inherit certain features from the iPhone 4:
- 512MB RAM (like the iPhone 4 and double the current iPad’s RAM)
- Retina Display
- Front and rear-facing cameras (like the new 4th-generation iPod touch)
- FaceTime
In addition to the rumored hardware changes, Steve Jobs confirmed that iOS 4.2 will be released as a free update for the iPad in November, with:
- Wireless printing via Print Center app
- AirPlay (formerly AirTunes) which allows you to stream audio, video and photos over WiFi
The whisper date for the 2nd-gen iPad has been the "first quarter" of 2011 for a little while now, but that date might be moving up a tad -- and it could arrive at the beginning of the first quarter.
Appleinsider claims that Apple may already be in "advanced testing stages" of a new FaceTime capable iPads.
A version of the tablet device with a built-in video camera and support for the new FaceTime video conferencing standard has already progressed to the advanced testing stages, according to a person with proven knowledge of Apple's future product plans.
This follows recent reports that the iPad's next-gen firmware contains FaceTime debugging code -- just like iOS did in advance of the iPhone 4 launch.
And let's not forget about the 7-inch iPad mini rumor. Will we see a smaller iPad at the same time?
Photo: Datamation