iPad 2 is rolling off assembly lines and could be on store shelves within a few months, according to the latest rumor courtesy of Wall Street Journal and their pals, “people familiar with the matter.”
The Journal says that Apple (AAPL) has started manufacturing iPad 2, featuring, as previously rumored, a built-in camera and faster processor.
WSJ said: “The new iPad will be thinner and lighter than the first model, these people said. It will have at least one camera on the front of the device for features like video-conferencing, but the resolution of the display will be similar to the first iPad, these people said. It will also have more memory and a more powerful graphics processor, they said.”
A year ago, the iPad was a twinkle in Apple’s eye. Now it’s a huge success, having transformed the consumer electronics industry and inspired a raft of copies from the likes of Motorola Mobility (MMI), Samsung (005930.KS) and Research In Motion (RIMM).
The app-friendly tab from Apple came out last April. It was a huge consumer electronics hit. Apple has sold 14.8 million units. In the fourth quarter, iPad represented $4.6 billion in sales, or 17 percent of the Cupertino, Calif. company’s total revenue.
One sour note: The Journal says iPad 2 won’t improve resolution over the first iPad. “People familiar with the situation said Apple has had trouble improving the display technology, in part because of the iPad screen’s larger size compared with the iPhone,” the Murdoch paper said.
PCWorld is endorsing the veracity of the report, noting that The Journal in the past has been a reliable source in the past for Apple rumors, especially close to major product releases.
Apple is reportedly is sticking with its device duopoly, making the iPad available through AT&T (T), which was the first to carry iPhone and iPad, and also Verizon Wireless (VZ).
Verizon last fall reached détente with Apple as it made available iPad paired with a MiFi mobile hot spot. It was a ramp-up to today’s release of the Verizon iPhone.
But The Journal said its sources say Sprint Nextel (S) and T-Mobile (DTEGY.PK) are not getting a piece of the iPad 2 action.
