iPad 2 rumors point to February or March reveal

By Adam Rosenberg February 7, 2011

Apple’s exceedingly popular iPad tablet celebrated the one-year anniversary of its initial announcement on January 27. Given the company’s typical strategy of releasing a generational step forward for its devices each year, an iPad 2 announcement should be coming any day now, especially with rumblings in the tech industry hinting at the updated tablet’s features having picked up over the past few weeks.

Japanese blog macotakara.jp — a previous breaker of reliable Apple news — reported on Saturday that the company is planning a “small event” for sometime in March, as translated by AppleInsider. A further update from Gizmodo reveals that the translation may in fact point to a February reveal.

Whether it’s this month or next, the iPad 2 announcement seems to be imminent. Rumors of the second-generation tablet’s features have been on high gear since November, when it was hinted that the next model would feature front- and rear-facing cameras as well as a GSM-CDMA chip, which would allow the device to access wireless Internet offerings from a range of mobile service providers. Other rumors have pointed to a new form factor and wide-range speakers, a new smudge-proof screen, an absence of buttons, doubled resolution and a dual-core CPU, and built-in near-field communication technology, which would allow the second-gen iPad (and presumably the next iPhones as well) to function as a sort of digital wallet for in-store purchases.

A report last week offered a look at what is believed to be the iPad 2’s new screen which, it should be noted, does not feature the high-definition Retina Display technology that was introduced with the iPhone 4. The 9.7-inch display offers a resolution of 1024 x 768, an upgrade over the original iPad but not the much higher 2048 x 1546 resolution suggested in an earlier rumor. So for all that’s been purportedly revealed about the next-gen iPad, you can see that the facts are going to have to wait. With a February or March announcement supposedly in the offing, it’s looking like that wait won’t be too much longer.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Previously, Adam worked in the games press as a freelance writer and critic for a range of outlets, including Digital Trends…

Mobile

iPhone SE 4: news, rumored price, release date, and more

The Apple iPhone SE (2022) and Apple iPhone SE (2020) together.

While the spotlight always seems to be on Apple’s mainline iPhones, the iPhone SE is a great pick for those who are on a budget. If you want an iPhone that doesn't break the bank, the SE is the way to go.

The original iPhone SE came out in 2016, and then Apple revamped it in 2020 and 2022 by giving it some more modern hardware. The iPhone SE tends to get updated every two or so years rather than annually like the traditional iPhone. This means that we should see a new iPhone SE 4 this year, but it’s not so cut-and-dried with this particular model.

Mobile

This iPad just got a rare discount — save $100 at Best Buy

Call of Duty: Mobile on the iPad (2022).

The standard Apple 10.9-inch iPad rarely sees a deep discount but that’s the case over at Best Buy at the moment. Normally priced at $449, you can buy one for just $349 for a limited time. A hefty saving of $100, this is one of the better iPad deals at the moment and worth checking out if you want a new tablet or you’re keen to buy someone a great gift. Here’s what the Apple 10.9-inch iPad has to offer.

Why you should buy the Apple 10.9-inch iPad
The Apple 10.9-inch iPad is a pretty good tablet for anyone who wants something straightforward and useful. It has an attractive 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display with True Tone support so it looks great with whatever you’re doing, whether you’re browsing the internet, watching videos, or playing a game. It’s powered by the A14 Bionic chip with a 6-core CPU and 4-core GPU which is why the Apple 10.9-inch iPad easily joins the best iPads list for anyone seeking a great mid-range example. It’s easily capable of playing many games through Apple Arcade as well as being snappy when it comes to looking up YouTube videos and similar.

Mobile

Best iPad deals: Save on iPad Air, iPad Pro, iPad Mini for the New Year

iPad Pro 2020 Screen.

There's a tablet out there for almost everyone, with designs available to accommodate anything from kids to creative professionals. The Apple iPad is one of the most popular tablet lineups, with the best iPads offering a wide range of options and capabilities. If you’re in the market for a new iPad, there are some great iPad deals worth shopping right now. In fact, not only are iPads some of the best Apple deals currently taking place, but some of the best tablet deals as well. We’ve rounded up what we feel are the best tablet deals to shop at the moment. They include iPads, iPad cases and covers, and iPad accessories, so read onward for more details.
Apple iPad 10.2 (9th Gen) 64GB Wi-Fi -- $249, was $329

Apple's A13 Bionic chip is no M1 or M2, but it still offers 64-bit architecture and neural engine support for excellent performance. In other words, this 10.2-inch iPad is incredible value. It has a 10.2-inch Retina display, 64GB of storage, supports Touch ID and Apple Pencil (1st Gen), and it's size, plus all-day battery life make it an excellent choice for anyone with an on-the-go lifestyle.