Signals are being picked up about Apple’s (AAPL) new iPad to be produced starting in the first quarter.
It apparently will be more camera-friendly, thinner and lighter.
Reuters said it appears the new iPad will have cameras mounted on the front and back a la iPhone 4.
The news service said Genius Electronic Optical Co. Ltd. and Largan Precision Co. Ltd. are camera module makers with new supply deals with Apple. But they would not confirm which products the cameras were for.
It also is likely the new tablet will be slimmer and lighter.
Steven Tseng, an analyst at RBS in Taipei, said, “I think Steve Jobs will announce the new product in January, and we should see the new product hitting shops in about April.”
Meanwhile, Sprint Nextel (S) is already on the comeback trail after a somewhat disappointing first outing with a tablet back in November.
The old device, Samsung’s (005930.KS) Galaxy Tab running Google’s (GOOG) Android OS, was 3G-ready and not compatible with 4G, which Sprint has offered since 2008.
But that will change in 2011, according to Paget Alves, Sprint’s president of business barkets.
Alves told Elizabeth Woyke in Forbes that Sprint will offer a 4G tablet next year, with a likely popularity among businesses.
Sprint would then have a complete 4G line, including two 4G phones (HTC’s (2498.TW) EVO and Samsung’s Galaxy S Epic), Dell’s (DELL) Inspiron notebook and netbook and some USB modems.
“You will see 4G across our portfolio even more next year,” Teresa Kellett, Sprint’s Director of 4G, said. Speculation is that this could be a device based on Windows from Microsoft (MSFT), Research In Motion’s (RIMM) BlackBerry PlayBook, or something from HP (HPQ) using Palm’s webOS.
In other news, DigiTimes said Taipei, Taiwan-based HTC reportedly told suppliers that it needs to step up parts and components to build 60 million handsets in 2011. That’s a threefold jump over 2010. HTC leaders were speaking at a summit with execs from more than over 100 suppliers recently.
