Apple to release iPad 2 in April 2011

[Emil]

Apple will begin production of the iPad 2 in late February and will officially launch the device in early April 2011, according to sources from Taiwan-based component makers quoted by DigiTimes. Foxconn, a factory complex in China responsible for building Apple products among other things, were told they will need to ship 400,000 to 600,000 units within the next 100 days. Apple had originally planned to start mass production in January, but due to delays caused by the device's firmware, the schedule was postponed.

iPad shipments on the supply side are higher than channel sales, indicating that Apple is seeing potential inventory issues. Shipments should drop significantly after the end of January as the company begins to lower the inventory across the rest of the first quarter so as to prepare for the next generation of the iPad, which is rumored to feature a FaceTime camera and a gyroscope.

Apple is currently dominating the tablet computer market. In the third quarter, the iPad accounted for 95.5 percent of the market with 4.19 million units sold. The remaining share was lead by Android with 2.3 percent, while Windows and other operating systems had even smaller slices. The company is expected to steadily lose share next year, but it's likely going to put up a fight with the iPad 2.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/41468-apple-to-release-ipad-2-in-april-2011.html

 

[veedubguy]

And this is why I never buy the first gen of anything apple puts out... it is quickly replaced within a year sometimes less...

 

[mario]

It is not being replaced, it's natural progression, this is normal behavior especially in the technology world. I can't think of any actual electronic device that hasn't had a revision within a year, especially the ones that have had success on the market.

I really hope they actually launch it sooner, I'm waiting for the 2nd generation iPad to buy one.

 

[aj_the_kidd]

I'm happy with my Galaxy Tab and to be honest the 7" screen is a practical size. iPad 2 looks good but i wont be jumping to it though, everything the ipad 2 does my tab already does.

 

[natefalk]

Mario you are forgetting all the major consoles... This would be like if Sony released the PlayStation 4 a year after PlayStation 3... We are not talking about a $100-200 phone here.

I'm guessing it has more to do with all the other tablets that are getting released around that same time... There will be more people entering the market and Apple want to grab some of that share.

 

[IAMTHESTIG]

Don't care... I bet it'll be nearly as useless as the first iPad...Look the hardware is nice, solidly built, and attractive... but the OS is far too limited.

 

[miska_man]

Eh, it's going through the same thing as the iPhone. Had a huge share of the market at first because it was first, then others came along, it was redesigned an additional 3 times in about 3 years, and is now slowly being taken over by Android based phones. History repeats itself, right?

 

[Cota]

<-Doesnt need an ipad, can only work on desktop (also my kidneys hurt when using small screens)

 

[mario]

@natefalk well gaming consoles are a whole different category and they play by their own rules, most consumer electronics (cameras/mobile phones/computers/music players) have new versions within a year.

@miska_man the iPhone is a very profitable device. For Apple is not about market share is about making a great product and being profitable. Now think of the iPod they still have the biggest market share and I think even if you add every other music player in the market the iPod is still on top.

 

[MrAnderson]

Welcome to the generation of Hardware as Flexware... they update/iterate on hardware now as fast as most software updates. The main issue is that we cannot upgrade. We can try and sell the old one to subsidize the new purchase, but that has yet to become stress-less. Imagine if Apple started a buy back program and gave a reasonable credit for a upgrade... Like Saturn and other auto manufacturers did with certified used cars. Sometimes though you have to jump on the bandwagon at some point... otherwise you will never get off the train of technological progress.

 

[Flannelwarrior]

Let's guess...iPad 2 will have some (but not all) of the features that were so weirdly left out of the first generation tablet. Also, it'll have a nice fresh battery for those people whose iPad 1's non replaceable batteries can no longer hold a charge!

 

[mario]

@flannelwarrior yeah there are so many of those batteries no longer holding a charge, there are reports everywhere! And by the way if for some reason you have battery issues Apple will replace your iPad for $99:
http://www.apple.com/support/ipad/service/battery/