WSJ Spills iPad 2 Specs: Expect A Thinner, Lighter, Faster Tablet

The Wall Street Journal has just published new alleged details about Apple's iPad 2.

Citing "people familiar with the matter," the Journal reports Apple's next generation iPad is "in production" and will be "thinner, lighter and will come with a faster processor, more memory and a more powerful graphics processor."

The Journal adds that it will have a "front-facing camera," but not the high-resolution Retina Display found on the iPhone 4: "the resolution of the new iPad's display will be similar to the first iPad," the Journal wrote.

Like the current version of the iPad, the iPad 2 will be available on Verizon and AT&T's networks.

The report, which has the look of a controlled leak, has few surprising details. Most second-generation Apple products (if not all second-generation consumer tech products) are smaller, lighter, and faster than their predecessors. The Journal's report did not confirm other rumors from outlets like Taiwan's Digitimes, which suggested Apple would have three versions of the iPad 2, or Japanese blog Mac Otakara, which predicted the iPad 2 would include a speaker.

What features do you think the iPad 2 will and won't have? Weigh in below.

Comments

[plages]

04:50 PM on 02/22/2011

Damn, as we're leaving for some weeks, and they have to do this to us! We'll show them by waiting for the new iPod Peel! That's right, you read it here first!!

[biodieselvw]

12:48 PM on 02/10/2011

Where is an article on the new HP tablet? It's very impressive.

[Lisa Spurgeon Bullock]

07:46 PM on 02/09/2011

Just got my first IPad yesterday and have to say that I love it. It is everything that I wanted and expected. Those who are haters can go right on hating, they have that right. While I have the right to love my Apple products. If something isn't for you then don't buy it, simple as that.

I got an IPad because I love the Apple store for both music and apps. But that doesn't mean that I am loyal to only them. I have lots of music that I have bought on say Amazon too. I am all about convience and cost. I am not some computer expert and I mainly use my computer for college classes, surfing the net, getting my news, and yes Facebook and Twitter. The IPad makes this easy and very convienent so I am happy. And nothing should be wrong about that and I shouldn't be judged because I like something that is popular.

[Ilya Karamazov]

07:31 PM on 02/09/2011

(Part 2/2)

They are perfect for someone, who does not want to spend hours solving errors or making pieces of software work. They are perfect for someone who has little knowledge of computer systems. They are perfect for someone who just want to USE. Unpack, power on and off you go. Neat!

(Part below is for 'critics')

I also feel temptation to press Caps Lock and just rant about the company sometimes. But arguments should be based on logic and reason, not on emotions. If someone does not tolerate Apple—great! Go out, educate users about their bad policies, bad activities (nothing unique in the industry, by the way), take example from me. Use constructive criticism. Explain your point of view.

Think. Everyone has a right to use what he likes most.

Calling someone names, or saying (somewhere below) that 'Apple users don't know anything about computers, and they've proven that by buying Macs' is—I am sorry, just childish, stupid and primitive.

— Ilya from Europe

[Sabum]

01:39 PM on 02/09/2011

let the haters say whatever they want, the iPad2 will be as much a hit as the first iPad.
the haters spewed their nonsense before, then they wanted tablets of their own. those tablets turned out to be garbage. now more nonsense is coming out of the haters and the Fandroids.
remember this: if Apple didn't make tablets cool you wouldn't have your Motorola Xoom,BB Playbook, Palm Tablets, or (sinker) Samsung Galaxy Tab.

[Chico41]

04:06 PM on 02/09/2011

You know what's funny? There were WAY better tablets on the market before the iPad came out, and they're still going to be better than the iPad2 in every way.

These may be nice little toys for checking facebook, and tweeting your little hearts out, but iPads are not tablet computers, and if you'll compare the specs on these and real tablets, you'll see that's true.

[OS2Guy]

05:17 PM on 02/09/2011

And I beg to differ with you. I own an iPhone 4, MacBook Pro and a Mac Pro but utilize my iPad just as much if not more then I do the other computers. Granted I can't P2P on the iPad but I can blog to my heart's content, run my own website (I have three of them), update, add to, alter and create spreadsheets, Word Docs, presentations (even give them) and probably a thousand other things (banking, PayPal, eBay, Twitter, FaceBook) and because of the iPad my top-of-the-line 13" MacBook Pro sits idle the majority of the time. I don't own a television but do own two 30" Apple Cinema displays connected to my 3.2GHz 24 Terabyte Mac Pro and utilize EyeTV on a full five feet of display (both displays work as one). I manage that TV using the iPad as well as household lights, security, etc.

So please, the iPad is a ponderous piece of machinery. I am on pins/needles awaiting the iPad2. VERY excited about it and will be one of those Fan-boys who will be first in line.

[Sabum]

07:00 PM on 02/09/2011

i meant "fact".

[terroh8er]

01:05 PM on 02/09/2011

Oh yes.. iPad 2 specs revealed. Um, "thinner, better, faster" does not pass for "specs."

[jsgaetano]

02:20 PM on 02/09/2011

Yeah, I was likewise dismayed by the lack of specs in the article supposedly about the leaked specs.

[Chico41]

04:08 PM on 02/09/2011

Apple users don't know anything about computers, and they've proven that by buying Macs. Giving them the specs would just confuse them and give the rest of us more reasons to ridicule them.

[Onutz]

04:35 PM on 02/09/2011

You mean ridicule like "Nah nah, nah nah nah?" What is this, 3rd grade?

[RedDogBear]

06:38 PM on 02/09/2011

Don't know anything about computers eh? Normally I don't descend into this bickering between Apple lovers and haters but I couldn't resist this.

I've got an MS in computer science, have published several papers in OOPSLA, AAAI, IEEE Expert, and various other conferences not to mention white papers for the various companies I've worked for.

I've worked on Apple computers as well as Dell, Dec, IBM, TI, Xerox, Sun, HP, and oh yeah the best computer for developers ever invented in the history of the universe the Symbolics Lisp Machine. And I'm sure I'm leaving some out.

I think people who demonize any company are foolish. There are things to dislike about any company whether its IBM, Microsoft, or Apple. I've made a lot of money consulting for companies helping them use Microsoft technology. If I were to start a small business today I would probably use MS from end to end. But for personal use I like Apple because my time is valuable and I'm willing to spend a few dollars more for something that is easy to use. Why people like you seem to be offended by that I can't for the life of me understand.

[Zeroes]

12:55 PM on 02/09/2011

They need to fix the auto speller...You're typing along and "where did that word come from".

[RedDogBear]

01:55 PM on 02/09/2011

I agree the auto correction is very aggresive. You can turn it off though. Go to:
Settings>General>Keyboard> and then set Auto-Correction to OFF

[Bashir Hood]

12:53 PM on 02/09/2011

next gen etch a sketch. nothing more, nothing less.

[Steven Synan]

01:36 PM on 02/09/2011

The only difference... the only thing an etch-a-sketch can do is draw lines with aluminum powder using a couple knobs, but yeah, they're real close... sure...

"durrr, the PC is a next-gen abacus, nothing more, nothing less! durrrr"

[Bashir Hood]

01:43 PM on 02/09/2011

aww did i hurt your feelings? i sowwy

[lib4lif]

12:49 PM on 02/09/2011

I hope it will be cheaper!!

[jsgaetano]

02:22 PM on 02/09/2011

Apple learned a valuable lesson over the big contoversy caused by dropping the iPhone price- NEVER lower the price.

[OS2Guy]

05:21 PM on 02/09/2011

True. The price will stay the same. The machine will just get faster, thinner and better. No one makes a better hardware product then Apple.

[J0E1]

12:21 PM on 02/09/2011

I am a "person familiar with the matter" and I am ready to leak specifics about the ipad 2.  Ready?
 
It will be better than the ipad 1. 
 
If you so choose, you may create a new article in the tech section for this new information.

[Hehlol]

12:19 PM on 02/09/2011

Really? It's news in the tech world that the next generation of a product will be improved?

[jsgaetano]

02:24 PM on 02/09/2011

Only for Apple users.  They're "special".

[OS2Guy]

05:23 PM on 02/09/2011

Well, you could always avoid the iPad and buy HP's newly announced "TouchPad" that looks like the iPad, runs only four hours, is a half inch thick, has a 1meg pixel camera, no 3G and will be available this Fall for under $1,000 ($999).

Wait. Did I say it was DOA?

[Rokgoo]

11:48 AM on 02/09/2011

No matter how good and sensational IPad is/will be, tablet PCs Apple or others, can never replace laptop. But I can imagine after all these enthusiastic hysteric waves are gone, tablet PCs will have its use in such corners like as eReaders, physician charts, notepads, video player, online news paper and so on.

[garymc8]

12:24 PM on 02/09/2011

Its not meant to replace laptops.

[NHBill]

12:53 PM on 02/09/2011

Depends on what you use your laptop for.
Many people I know are replacing their laptop with a more powerful desktop and using iPad for portability.
No one I know only has an iPad.

[simontherm]

01:11 PM on 02/09/2011

ouch...put that in the time machine and read it in 5 years...

"640k ought to be enough for anybody" Bill Gates in the 80's.

[RedDogBear]

02:02 PM on 02/09/2011

I think asking "Can/Will an iPad replace a laptop" Is the wrong question. Its not like laptops are only used by one set of users.

I for example, went into the Apple store planning to buy a laptop for a long personal trip (for email, browsing, video, etc) and ended up buying an iPad and I'm really glad I did.

But for my business purposes the way I work and the way my work environment requires Microsoft stuff I can't see using an iPad rather than a laptop. Also, if I were still developing code or doing graphic design, I think it will be a long time before iPads can take over laptops for those uses.

Laptops have many uses, iPads have many uses. They overlap but fill different niches.

[ThisCanadian]

11:41 AM on 02/09/2011

Will the new iPad have a USB port?

[TW77429]

11:47 AM on 02/09/2011

Why are they resisting a USB port - what's the downside

[RedDogBear]

11:59 AM on 02/09/2011

Good question. I have an iPad and love it but if I had to pick one thing that would be a nice extension it would be a USB port (second would be Flash support).

My guess, and this is just a guess, is that its an issue not with the hardware but with the iPad OS. The OS is very different than a laptop or desktop OS, it didn't even support directories in the initial release and that was just added with the latest update. Adding OS support for external devices may be too difficult or make the OS to big given the fairly limited size of the drive.

[J0E1]

12:23 PM on 02/09/2011

Innovation.  You give too much to the consumers now and they won't come back to buy the 2nd, 3rd, and forth generation of the product.  Fact: the original ipad has a hole for a camera, purposely left off so consumers will buy the ipad 2 with camera.

[OS2Guy]

05:27 PM on 02/09/2011

Stop. Buy the USB adapter that connects via the iPad device dock. To add a USB port Apple would have to make the iPad FATTER to accommodate the port. We want it THINNER and the USB adapter is perfect for those who need to attach a flash drive, optical drive, printer... I have one. Works GREAT!

[jonnyevans cw]

11:26 AM on 02/09/2011

I'm thinking that Apple's played an insanely strategic game with the iPad 2. http://blogs.computerworld.com/17790/ipad_2_shows_tim_cook_is_apples_new_ninja