This is a very tiny rumor, but in the silence before the storm, we have a few minutes to consider it: apparently, one still unpublicized hardware change in the iPad 2 is a new magnetic latch.
Way back in January, a reference to PAD_CASE_LOCK was found in the beta version of iOS 4.3, apparently a function that allows the iPad to automatically lock and unlock when you close the iPad cover. That seems pretty useful, except for the fact that the iPad seemingly doesn’t have any hardware that could make that feature work.
Now iLounge is reporting that the new iPad will be able of magnetically gripping the front flaps of folio-style cases. Not only will that make iPad cases more elegant, but iOS would know that when a lid was secured in the right position, the iPad would lock itself up tight.
Staggering genius? Not really, but it is one of those nice little touches that Apple is just so good at.
John Brownlee is a writer for Fast Company, and a contributing writer here at CoM. He has also written for Wired, Playboy, Boing Boing, Popular Mechanics, VentureBeat, and Gizmodo. He lives in Boston with his wife and two parakeets. You can follow him here on Twitter.
