Apple Ipad 2 goes into production

TOY MAKER FOR THE WELL HEELED Apple has put Foxconn to work on churning out the Ipad 2.

After enjoying considerable success with the Ipad in 2010, Apple has designed a thinner and lighter device the second time around, according to the Wall Street Journal. Apple has included at least one front facing camera but the WSJ claims that the screen resolution will be "similar to the first Ipad".

Sources claim the Ipad 2 will have more memory and a faster graphics core internally. Apple has inked deals with US mobile operators AT&T and Verizon to flog the device, but there is no word on whether the Ipad 2 will be available outside the US at launch.

The WSJ is one of Jobs' Mob's favoured publications with the firm usually flying in executives to demonstrate new devices for the rag, so it is possible that Apple wanted to drip feed some news out about the next Ipad during a time when competitor devices are making the headlines.

HP is widely tipped to announce a WebOS tablet later today, while Samsung is expected to show off the successor to the Galaxy Tab at Mobile World Congress. Last week, Google demonstrated Android 3.0 Honeycomb, which is specifically designed for tablet devices, on the well received Motorola Xoom tablet.

News of Apple's inability to create a so-called 'retina display' for the Ipad will pour cold water over fanbois who had been hoping, rather foolishly, that Apple's screen manufacturers could create a 10-inch display with such high dot-pitch at a competitive price. Far more likely is a shift to widescreen format, ditching the old school 4:3 aspect ratio in favour of 16:9 or 16:10.

Aside from the aesthetic and weight changes, a relatively modest evolution from the Ipad wouldn't be without precedent. The second generation Iphone 3G had relatively few changes, aside from a new casing and a 3G radio. So a thinner, lighter Ipad 2 would be par for the course and might not annoy first generation owners too much, who would have only had their device for a year or less.

What Apple has not detailed are updates to IOS. The firm usually releases a major update of the operating system with the launch of a new device. Of course support for Adobe's Flash is out of the question but, as Google showed off with its Android 3.0 Honeycomb demonstration, improvements to the App Store and more toys for developers might be on the cards.

While the Ipad sold in the millions, recent figures show that Apple's tablet market dominance is waning with Android devices expected to take over. While it's expected that Apple's device won't constitute the majority of tablet sales, the Ipad 2 is still seen as a vital product for the cappuccino company, as the tablet market is expected to grow massively in 2011.

The WSJ's sources did not provide a date for the Ipad 2's arrival, only saying that prices will be similar to that of the Ipad. However the Ipad 2 is widely expected to tip up in April, a year after Apple's first Ipad. µ