Everyone can agree that there’s simply no chance that when the iPad 2 ships next year that it won’t support FaceTime: the iPad’s the only current-gen iOS device that doesn’t support Apple’s video chat standard now, after all.
So sure, it can be taken for granted that the iPad 2 will handle FaceTime, but will it also allow for rear-facing photography? How else will it improve upon its predecessor?
Several component makers speaking to Reuters have confirmed that they believe that their wares are coming to the iPad 2, and they are confirming dual-cameras thanks to inked deals with Genius Electronic Optical Co. Ltd. and Largan Precision Co. Ltd.
Additionally, Reuters believes that the iPad 2 will be “slimmer, lighter and have a better resolution display” than the first-gen model. “Slimmer and lighter” could refer to rumors that the iPad 2 will come in a carbon-fiber casing, which will make the iPad 2 both lighter and more sturdy than the first-gen.
The easy assumption for “better resolution” is a Retina Display, but I’d be willing to bet money against that for the iPad 2: there’s a reason that tech debuted in Apple’s smallest devices, and it’s because the economics of that sort of pixel density just don’t make consumer sense on a larger display yet.
