Another rumor from Asian sources suggests the iPad 2 will ship with front- and rear-facing cameras, a thinner design, and possibly a retina display.* According to the report from supply chain sources, Asian component suppliers are ramping up for an early 2011 production run. This date jives with a rumor out of Digitimes that suggested the iPad 2 would ship within the next 100 days. Component suppliers involved in this upcoming manufacturing effort are thought to include Chinese touchscreen supplier Wintex, battery manufacturer Simplo Technology, digital camera chassis maker AVY Precision, and an unlisted manufacturer that supplies covers for electronic devices.
The details leaked from these manufacturers match anaylsts’ expectations and previous rumors. One manufacturer that claimed to be working on the iPad 2 suggests it would have dual cameras, while the other hinted at a higher resolution display (retina?) and thinner design. The sources also claim that two camera module suppliers, Genius Electronic Optical and Largan Precision, have recently received new supply orders from Apple. Thought to be for the rumored iPad 2, the source could not confirm the iPad was the intended device. These rumors come hot on the heels of leaked iPad cases from two seperate sources, both of which include cut-outs for a rear-facing camera.
*We’ll be interested to see what is meant by “retina display” here. Matching the iPhone 4’s 326 PPI would require a screen resolution at or around 2560 x 1920 – nearly 5,000,000 pixels. Just powering such a thing would be difficult to say the least.
[Via Engadget and AppleInsider]
Additional sources suggest cameras on iPad 2 originally appeared on TUAW on Fri, 10 Dec 2010 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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