Apple iPad 2 To Launch In 25 Countries This Friday; Including Canada, Starting At $519

There may not have been enough iPad 2's for the US but that's not stopping the international launch. Apple has just announced that the iPad 2 is launching in 25 more countries this Friday, March 25th and that includes: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the UK.

Update: Mobile Syrup has mentioned that the iPad 2 prices in Canada will actually be $20 more than the US. On the Apple website the 16GB iPad 2 is listed at $519.

[BGR]

Best Buy Launching iPad 2 In Canada At 10AM On March 25

This Friday will be quite a big day for Canadians. Best Buy has announced that they'll be launching the iPad 2 at 10AM but it doesn't look like pre-orders will be kicking off as usual. If you want to get one you'll have to line-up and who knows how many each store will have. This is unconfirmed right now but you better be there early!

[9 to 5 Mac]

Apple iPad 2 Available Now; 1AM PT Online and 5PM Local Time In Various Stores

Today is March 11 and that could only mean one thing. Apple releases their next-generation tablet, the iPad 2 to much fanfare and line-ups. This will be available at 5PM in your timezone and you'll be able to snatch one at Apple Stores, Best Buy, Target, Walmart, AT&T, and even Verizon stores. Of course, there's no LTE (4G) model ready so you're stuck with 3G for probably another year. If you don't want to leave your house into the horrible weather outside then you go online at 1AM PT to order it off of Apple's website. Let's see how many they sell.

Update: Check it out on Apple to order yours right now. It'll ship in 3 to 5 business days but you won't have to wait in line. Don't forget that there's a limit to two per order.

[Engadget]

iPad 2 Gets Announced By Steve Jobs; Sports Dual-Core A5 CPU, Cameras, and Black / White Options

Steve Jobs made a surprise appearance introducing the iPad 2 today. After talking about how great and magical the iPad is they talked about all of the copcats launching tablets this year. Oh yeah, they've sold 100 million iPhones so far. Getting on to the good stuff, the iPad 2 features a new dual-core A5 CPU (probably supplied by Samsung again), a rear-facing camera, a front-facing camera, a gyroscope, an HDMI output (cable costs $39), and an 8.8mm thin body (thinner than the iPhone 4) that weighs just 1.3 pounds. Battery life is still 10 hours and that's great considering how thin the device is.

Of course, since it has dual cameras you're able to FaceTime whoever you want and you'll be able to launch Photo Booth as well so you can make them look as silly as you want them to. Display stays at 9.7-inches and has the same 1,024 x 768 resolution display. Basically, if you already have the first iPad, this might not be worth the upgrade unless you really want the dual cameras.

Thankfully, Jobs also mentioned that this will be available in black and white starting on day one. Prices will stay the same as the current model so that's amazing. The iPad 2 will be launching on March 11th in the US and it'll be launching in 26 more countries, including Canada, on March 25th. Models will be available on both AT&T and Verizon in the US so that's some pretty good news as well. Don't forget that the iPad 2 is bringing iOS 4.3 along with it. Anyways, I'd still rather get a WiFi-only Motorola XOOM.

Update: Engadget has just mentioned that the iPad 2 has just been spotted at the FCC. This includes all models: WiFi (A1395), GSM (A1396), and CDMA (A1397).

[Engadget]

Leaked Parts Could Mean a White iPad, Fan Renders a Next-Gen iPad

It's almost March 2 which will be when Apple announces the next iPad and rumours tend to fly when their event is getting closer. 9 to 5 Mac scooped the photo you see above which actually might be telling us that the next iPad will actually come in white - even though the company couldn't ever deliver a white iPhone 4. Maybe they figured it out this time. Obviously, the frame of the next iPad has a camera hole for the front-facing camera. Anyways, this'll all be cleared up on Wednesday.

Update: BGR has just scooped the render you see below. The Internet was all abuzz about it this morning but the website has since mentioned that it's just a fan render.

[9 to 5 Mac]

Next iPad Will Have More RAM, A5 CPU, and a Camera; No High Res Display Or SD Card Slot

Coming from an Engadget source is some juicy details regarding the next generation iPad tablet from Apple which will be announced on Mach 2nd. They have heard that a high-resolution display along with an SD card slot will not be making an appearance on this iPad which is some bad news but it was actually expected. However, the next iPad looks like it will feature 512MB of RAM, a more powerful A5 CPU, a front-facing camera, and a thinner and lighter body. Apple looks like they could also be announcing iOS 5 along with more cloud services. It sounds pretty good and it'll be official on March 2nd.

[Engadget]

Apple's Next iPad Reportedly In Production; Thinner / Lighter / Faster With a Camera and 1,024 x 768 Resolution Display

Coming from the WSJ is word on the next iPad from Apple. Apparently, it's in production right now with a front-facing camera (for FaceTime), a lighter / thinner body, more powerful internal components, and a display that sports the same 1,024 x 768 resolution. Of course, this should include things like a faster CPU, a better GPU, and more RAM. The release date is still unknown but it should be quite soon. This one's headed to both AT&T and Verizon in the US.

[9 to 5 Mac]

Next Apple iPad To Launch On April 2nd or 9th?

Coming from MacNotes is word that the next iPad from Apple could be available in early April. Of course, we're expecting the announcement for this tablet in the next few weeks but the launch date - right now - is rumoured to be April 2nd or the 9th. This isn't far-fetched considering Apple's usual yearly scheme of refreshing their products. Rumoured specs so far include dual-cameras, a higher-resolution display, a USB port, a slight design change, and it might not have the 'Home' button that we've all been accustomed to.

[Mac Rumors]

Next-Gen iPad and iPhone Won't Have the Home Button; Photo Booth and iLife Coming Too?

There's a new rumour going around regarding future Apple products. This news is coming from BGR exclusively and says that Apple is testing a few new products internally. Apparently, the iPad and the iPhone that launch this year will not have the lone 'Home' button that has always been on their devices. That's because in iOS 4.3 there is support for some new multitouch gestures that will satisfy the 'Home' button's need. If this is really the case, then you can expected the iPod Touch that launches late this year to get rid of the button as well. Furthermore, Apple may also be planning to launch Photo Booth and iLife on these devices as well. 

[BGR]

Verizon Getting a CDMA iPad In the Future Too

Verizon and Apple may have announced the iPhone 4 on the network but it looks like they have something else in the works. Verizon's CFO, Francis Shammo, announced that a CDMA iPad with 3G connectivity is also in the works. If this is really true, you can expect it to be the second-generation iPad which should be announced in a few weeks. At least, that's what I think. We'll have to wait and see what happens.

[GigaOM]

Next iPad Announcement To Be In 3 - 4 Weeks Says Kevin Rose, Will Have Higher Resolution Display and Dual Cameras

Kevin Rose has just made a few claims regarding the next iPad from Apple. Apple is reportedly expected to announce their next iPad in 3 - 4 weeks and it will feature a Retina Display and dual-cameras. This is likely just an announcement with a launch following up within a few months. If the "Retina Display" is true, then the 9.7-inch iPad will have a 2,048 x 1,536 resolution which seems absolutely insane - in a good way! It seems to good to be true though, but you should expect a higher resolution display than the first model. We'll see if this pans out to be true.

Update: Kevin Rose updated his blog post to say that the iPad will have a "higher resolution" display and not a Retina Display. Of course, it was too good to be true.

Picture Source: 9 to 5 Mac (just a mock-up)
[9 to 5 Mac]

Next iPad To Have a Flat Back, Be a Bit Smaller, and Will Have a "Wide Range Speaker"

Coming from Mac Octakara is word on a few new improvements in the next iPad tablet from Apple. Aparently, there'll be a "wide range speaker" with a "metal mesh" over top of it similar to what you see above (just a render). The back of the iPad will actually be flat so that you'll actually be able to rest it down on a tablet properly, but that's expected. The bezel of the iPad will reportedly be about 3mm thinner than the first iPad so that's great news. The overall footprint of the iPad will also be a bit smaller in all ways, which is also expected. Look out for this to get announced in the next month or so.

[Engadget, Apple Insider]

Apple Working On An iPad That's "Almost Half the Size of the Current Model", 7-Inches Perhaps?

Coming from Reuters is word on Apple making a smaller iPad. Apparently, this model is "almost half the size of the current model" so it could be something with a 5 to 7-inch display. This tablet should be introduced the same time the new 9.7-inch model would be announced so we can expect it in late January. When Steve Jobs said that 7-inch tablets were "dead on arrival" it might be because his company was planning on making one too, which is what I was assuming right off the bat.

Update: The Samsung Galaxy Tab has a 7-inch display and it's half the size of the current iPad so a 7-inch iPad is definitely a possibility.

[Slash Gear]

Apple's Next iPad Will Have Dual Cameras and Sharper (More Resolution) Display

A bunch of new sources have just mentioned that Apple's next iPad will indeed have a rear and front-facing camera. At this point, we already know that Apple has opted to go with LCD displays on their iPad because of the cost and because there could be shortages. Apparently though, the next iPad will feature a much higher resolution than the current model but it's unknown if it'll be a Retina display - which would bring it to a 2,048 x 1,536 resolution. This should be announced in about six weeks with a launch a few weeks after that so it's really not that far away.

[Electronista, BGR]

Case For the Next iPad Leaks? Has a Camera Hole

A new iPad case has leaked from a Chinese manufacturer, of course. This one looks like it's for the next iPad from Apple though because you can clearly make out that the top left corner of it has a hole for a rear-facing camera. The weird part about this supposed case is that it actually doesn't have room for a second dock connector that Apple has patented a few times before - rumoured to have portrait and landscape options. Nothing else is known right now but the bottom left corner could be for a USB port or a microSD card slot but I doubt it.

[Crunch Gear]

Apple's Next iPad Will Be Shipping From Foxconn In February

Coming from DigiTimes is word on Apple's next iPad. Apparently, Foxconn will be shipping said tablet in February of next year (2011). The rumour is that Apple will start mass producing the next iPad in January 2011, but it's not all good news. Engadget points out that it might be shipping in February but the launch might not be until April since that's what happened earlier this year.

[Engadget]

Next iPad To Have Retina Display, Dual Cameras, USB Port, and More?

Coming from a Taiwan source is a few rumours regarding the next Apple iPad. Apparently, the iPad will have a 9.7-inch Retina (LCD) Display, two dock connectors (that patents have hinted at many times), a USB port, a thinner and (slightly) smaller body, rear and front-facing cameras, and a 3-axis gyroscope. The launch for this one could be right on cue with the first one, so we could be seeing a late Winter / early Spring launch date (the iPad was announced in January and was released in April).

Earlier rumours said that the next iPad could also be a global tablet so we'll see if that actually comes true.

[Electronista, 9 to 5 Mac]
Picture Source: Slash Gear

Next iPad On Track For Q1 2011, Will It Be a Global Tablet?

DigiTimes is reporting some pretty good news if you're waiting for the second-gen iPad. Apparently, it'll be launching in Q1 2011 which would mean that Apple's yearly launch will be in full-effect. They announced their first iPad in January with a launch in April, so maybe we'll see it hit the market a little bit earlier this time around. The next iPad is said to have a FaceTime camera, a faster CPU (probably from Samsung), a miniUSB port, a bit more RAM, and a "Smart Bezel" feature whatever that is. You should be expecting a display of the same size since Apple seems to hate 7-inch ones.

Update: Coming from AllThingsD (via Slash Gear) is word that Apple could make the next iPad a global model so that you'll be able to use anywhere (on AT&T's and Verizon's network too). If this is the case, it'll likely use Qualcomm's multi-mode GSM/CDMA chip. The next iPad could also feature a Retina Display, which would be insane (I can't see it happening though).

Update: Remember that a patent yesterday said that we might be seeing the next iPad sport a carbon fiber body. This would make it lighter than the current aluminum models. Hopefully the next iPad is sporting an all black body as well.

[9 to 5 Mac, Slash Gear]

Verizon Getting the iPad On October 28th; WiFi Models Only, Comes With MiFi

While everyone waits for the Verizon iPhone, the carrier will be releasing something else. The iPad. Yes, the iPad that AT&T had exclusive rights to. Well, that has ended and it has just been announced that they [Verizon] will be getting the iPad on October 28th, which is just two weeks away. These iPad's don't have 3G connectivity but they come with a Verizon MiFi 2200 Intelligent Mobile Hotspot instead. Pricing is $629.99 for the 16GB WiFi model with MiFi, $729.99 for the 32GB WiFi model with MiFi, and $829.99 for the 64GB WiFi model with MiFi.

[Gizmodo]

New 9.7-Inch iPad Leaks Out With 3-Pin Connector On the Side For Landscape Mode

The picture above leaked out and it clearly shows the current version of the iPad and another model right under it, which sports a 30-pin connector on the bottom and on the side for landscape mode. Obviously, both iPad models look the same so this will be another 9.7-inch iPad if this picture is for real. Of course, there's a chance that this picture is a fake or photoshopped so there's really not much to take away from this picture right now. Specs aren't being tossed around with this model so we'll have to wait and see if this is really real.

[Slash Gear, Gizmodo]