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Editor’s note: This article was reposted from 9to5mac.com.
It looks like the AC/DC luving crew over at iPadDevice figured out how to take the leaked iPad 2 FaceTime files from the iOS 4.3 beta SDK and install them onto a first generation iPad. Because the files are from the SDK, we may be looking at the new iPad’s actual FaceTime application. The interface is very similar to the one found on FaceTime for Mac.
As we previously noted, the new iPad will feature an updated FaceTime logo, that is different than the one currently found on iOS 4.2-rocking iPod touches. When a FaceTime call comes in, your iPad 2 will ring and you will get a popup alert on your lock screen, or on top of the application you are currently working on.
Back to the actual interface, the FaceTime controls (end, mute, etc.) will be found on a floating window towards to bottom of the device’s display. The current iPad 2 does not have a camera and that is the reason for the lack of a camera preview on the lock screen when a FaceTime video call comes in, and when the user is actually FaceTime chatting. You will notice the above video is in Italian, but the concept is relatively the same.
Some rumors have stated the new iPad 2 will not have the much anticipated “Retina Display” feature, but simply a new screen with improved resolution.
Now there are some possible new hints that suggest iPad 2 just may come with the Retina Display after all.
9to5mac.com states that Pages for iPad has Retina Display icons associated with it. This may also mean that Pages is finally coming to the iPhone and the Retina Display mentioned along with the app is not for the iPad.
Another hint is from an engineer working on the BBC iPlayer app. Geoff Marshall tweeted yesterday about the iPad 2 and noted the iPlayer may take advantage of the “higher resolution screen” that the iPad 2 will have. The BBC iPlayer app will be launched in the UK tomorrow, and the US in June. Read the rest of this entry »
Editor’s note: This article was reposted from wsj.com.
Apple Inc. has started production of a new version of its iPad tablet computer, said people familiar with the matter.
The new device will be thinner, lighter and will come with a faster processor, more memory and a more powerful graphics processor, said the people familiar with the matter. It will have a front-facing camera for the first time for features like video-conferencing, but the resolution of the new iPad’s display will be similar to the first iPad, they said.
The new iPad will be available through Verizon Wireless and AT&T Inc., but not Sprint Nextel Corp. or T-Mobile USA in the U.S., according to some of the people familiar with the matter.
Editor’s note: This article was reposted from macrumors.com.
iLounge reports that it has received a handful of details about what may be in store for the second-generation iPad. According to the report, the information comes from a source that has proven reliable in the past but that has cautioned that this information is preliminary and thus some caution should be exercised.
First, the source indicates that Apple is indeed building near field communications (NFC) capabilities into the next-generation iPad and that the company is working to develop accessories that can interface with the NFC/RFID chips included in the device.
In the most basic implementation, an accessory could announce its presence and potential functions to an iPad or iPhone without the need for a Bluetooth or similar connection; our source suggests that an otherwise simple case could include a radio chip so that an inserted iPhone or iPad could go into power-saving hibernation mode automatically. More complex accessories will go far beyond that.
Second, Apple may be shifting from the current aluminum shell for the iPad to one made of carbon fiber in order to reduce the weight of the device. While carbon fiber iPad shells have reportedly been spotted, it is unclear whether they will make their way into final production models.
Editor’s note: This article was reposted from cultofmac.com.
Web developer Chris Galzerano has been digging through the latest beta of iOS 4.3, and his digital archeology has uncovered some interesting hints about what the iPad 2 will look like and what hardware it will boast.
First, iOS 4.3 seems to strongly imply that the Verizon will have its own iPad. The firmware describes iPad 2,1, iPad 2,2 and iPad 2,3, which suggests three models in WiFi, 3G GSM/UMTS and 3G CDMA flavors.
In other plist files, Galzerano has spotted references for a 3MP camera, which contradicts reports that the iPad 2 would share the current gen iPod Touch’s camera innards. Sure, it’s not as beefy as the iPhone 4s 5MP sensor, but 3MP is quite respectable for a camera you’re realistically not going to be using very much anyway (the FaceTime camera is likely to get more casual play).
A report examining iOS 4.3 beta firmware concurs that the next iPad will be offered in three models (WiFi, 3G GSM/UMTS and 3G CDMA), but adds mention of a 3MP camera capable of 720p video recording, DisplayPort video output, and what appears to be a hardware battery gas gauge.
The report, by web developer Chris Galzerano, describes mention of three new iPad models designated as iPad2,1 iPad2,2 and iPad2,3, as well as a placeholder "iFPGA" model (a designation Apple uses to reference prototypes using a field-programmable gate array, which is a chip with functions that can be reprogrammed).
The report also noted plist files referencing 720p, a magnetometer (digital compass), DisplayPort (the video output system Apple has standardized on across its Macs, which is also used to output HDMI signals), and mention of "gas-gauge battery and multitasking-gestures."
One case design suggested the presence of a top facing port that could be the size of Apple’s mini DisplayPort, potentially enabling iPad 2 to support HDMI video output in addition to the existing support for composite VGA.