Rumors Emerge As Ipad 2 Launch Date Nears

By Author: Steve Deiters
Total Articles: 18
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The closer the confirmed launch date of the iPad 2 gets, the more rumors and "must-haves" for the new device circulate online. The recent release of photos of an iPad 2 mock-up are doing plenty to fan the flames.

Of course, no one will know for sure what new features and upgrades Apple has in store for its wildly popular tablet until March 2, when the device will be introduced to the world at San Francisco's Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. The venue has been a popular locale for other Apple product launches.

Rumors of the release data first surfaced on February 22, and were confirmed the following day when Apple sent out its customary invites to members of the press.

The invitation, which some look forward to nearly as much as the products themselves, features an iOS application being peeled off an iPad. Emblazoned with "Come See What 2011 Will Be The Year Of," the invite references the landmark impression the first iPad made on the world in 2010.

Still, the company has been tight-lipped about the device's new features. Refusing, or simply unable, to wait, various experts have made known what they'd ...
... like to see from the new model.

A consensus pick is a front-facing camera, which would be used for video chatting. The lack of a camera was one of the few drawbacks of the original device. Judging by the leaked images, which were taken by a Japanese blog after it reportedly came into possession of an iPad 2 prototype, Apple has been listening.

Photos of the iPad 2, which in and of itself is not a confirmed name for the device, feature a camera at the top of the device. The images also show what appears to be an external speaker, another feature that was absent from the original.

The timing of the launch should come as little surprise to many. Apple's event will closely follow the official release of Motorola's Xoom tablet, which some have already dubbed the iPad's greatest challenger yet. The Xoom is the first device to run Google's Android 3.0, which the company developed specifically for use in tablets. The Xoom was made available for purchase on February 24, two days after the iPad 2 launch rumors surfaced, and just five days before the actual Apple event.

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