1 Fact and 3 Rumors About the iPad 2

The iPad 2 will be announced later today at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco finally putting to rest months of rumors.  No one outside of Apple’s inner circle knows exactly what will be announced, but we can share one fact and three of the most credible rumors about the iPad 2.

Fact:  Steve Jobs Will Not Present the iPad 2

Steve Jobs, the CEO of Apple, is currently on medical leave, but very recent rumors hint that he may be present at the iPad 2 event.  Since he was healthy enough to attend a high profile dinner with President Obama, some argue that he has the strength to at least sit on stage with other Apple executives.  However, Steve Jobs will definitely not reveal the iPad 2.  That task will more than likely fall to Tim Cook, the company’s COO who is serving as CEO while Jobs is away.

Rumor 1:  A Front Facing Camera

Given the push that Apple has made with FaceTime (it works on Macs, iPhones, and iPod Touch devices), their video conferencing technology, the iPad 2 is likely to have at least a front facing camera so that FaceTime can be used on the tablet.  Some sources believe that a rear facing camera will also be announced, and, while this is quite possible, I think that taking a picture with a tablet sized device is awkward.

Rumor 2:  A Dual Core Processor and 512 MB of RAM

Apple has historically made incremental updates the hardware of iOS devices, and the iPad could use a bump in power given the many dual core phones and tablets that have been announced.  Adding a dual core processor and at least 512 MB of RAM will bring the iPad 2 into the weight class of the latest Android tablets.

Rumor 3:  A Slimmer Design

Again, in line with Apple’s history of product updates, the iPad 2 will probably be thinner than the current version.  This will make it even easier to use on the go since some early review of the iPad 1 noted that it was heavy and sometimes hard to hold for long periods of time.

About the Author
Anjuan Simmons is an emerging technology consultant and freelance technology consultant currently working as a Director at Adverlyze, an online marketing strategy company. Anjuan has previously worked for Accenture and Deloitte. He has an undergraduate degree in electrical engineering from the University of Texas at Austin and an MBA from Texas A&M University. He can be found on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/anjuan and on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/anjuan.
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