There Will Be 3 iPad 2s?

And one will be dual-core?

Dec 29 2010, 10:00am CST | by Robert Evans

The iPad 2 is the tablet everyone is waiting for. Even if you'd rather die than purchase an Apple product, you can't wait to see how the MotoPad will stack up the next iOS tablet. We've heard the iPad 2 will have a camera and a smaller bezel and thinner frame. But, with nothing substantial behind them, these leaks are little more than informed speculation.

Now Digitimes reports that component manufacturers have informed them that three versions of the iPad 2 will launch in 2011. One will have WiFi, the other will have WiFi + UMTS 3G and the last will be a CDMA model. 60-65% of this next generation of iPads is said to be one shade of 3G or the other.

The wildcard here is Verizon's LTE network. Steve Jobs is said to be completely enamored with the next-gen technology. Apple wants to be seen as always on the vanguard of major industry breakthroughs. This would be an easy way to attach the iPad to "real" 4G. (Closer to real than WiMAX, anyway.) The limited coverage and battery-drain caused by LTE may cause Apple to shy away, though.

Especially if the dual-core iPad becomes a reality. An analyst with Rodnam and Renshaw believes that the iPad will refresh in March. Both it and the iPhone 5 will gain a Cortex A9 dual-core processor. That would put the iPad in line, power-wise, with the squadron of Tegra 2 slates queuing up for 1H2011.

To be honest, I'm not sure the iPad 2 really needs that kind of power. 1080p would be nice, but Apple could make that happen without pushing for a dual-core processor. The iPad has an incredible advantage in its 10+ hour working battery life. A second core will cut deeply into that time.

The iPad will need a major processor upgrade eventually, but I'm not sure if that's the best direction for Apple to focus on right now. They don't need to go head-to-head with any Android slate. For a list of what the iPad 2 could actually use, see four things the iPad 2 needs to succeed.

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Robert Evans
The excitement about new smartphones, tablets and anything mobile drive Robert to unearth the latest rumors and developments in this fast moving space. He adopted 4G as soon as it become available and knows where the mobile market is going.
Robert can be contacted directly at robert@i4u.com.