I for one
shall be buying one. All in the name of R&D you understand.
Mmmm toys.
Apple looks set to release the next version of its iPad in February next year – that is if a claim bubbling up in Taiwan is to be believed. DigiTimes reported today that iPhone and iPad manufacturing giant Foxconn has been told to build 400,000 to 600,000 units of Apple’s next iteration of its much-loved fondle slab in the …
"but testing of the gizmo’s firmware is still ongoing"
Hmmm, 'cos the Apple's track record on testing is not all it could be!
Joking aside, I'm actually looking forward to seeing what v2 has in store. Torn between iPad and Galaxy Tab, I'll wait until the new iPad comes out and Galaxy firmware is nicely bedded in.
I want an android tablet but I'm prepared to wait for one to turn up a realistic price point. Some people are just besotted with teh shiny and will hand over cash for a device like a Galaxy Tab which is clearly overspecced for its needs and overpriced even compared to an iPad.
The millions and millions of people out there that this device is directly marketed at along with the numorous other millions that buy Apple products in general.
I.e. 99.9% of the population that will buy one completely oblivious to the rumours floating around on tech websites.
Consider yourself enlightened.
Really?
We all know by now no Apple area employees of FoxConn participated in this protest. Apple requires higher pay in their areas, and premium perks for employees.
That said, 400,000 units is a VERY small initial rollout. The preorders for the original iPad exceeded that count. They'll sell several million within the first month. Add a zero and I might consider this a viable rumor. Talk about it being CDMA only, and based on the existing iPad specs, as an alternate model for Verizon and other worldwide provider customers still hobbled by that dying tech and i could also accept it. An iPad 2? not likely, not yet.
the iPad 2 is going to need to bump the A4 to the same RAM (or more) and slightly higher speed than the iPhone 4. i can understand a front facing camera a bit, but honestly, the prototype had one and only 17% of those surveyed inside apple liked it (bad angle, too heavy to hold, useless unless in a dock or stand, not a notable feature at all). It also needs the screen from the 11" MBA (or similar), and will almost certainly have NFC. I'd also suspect LTE chips, not CDMA, as both apple and Verizon have openly commented they will not make a CDMA device on Verizon's network.
i suspect the existing iPad will continue on as well, at $100-150 less and drop 3G for wifi only. (a common apple deal leaving the prev generation on the market at a discount).
I suspect further an apple announcement in Feb, but a product release not until March (pre-order beginning on announcement) and the LTE model coinciding with AT&T's initial roll-out in April.
I know it's fashionable to diss the way Foxconn treats employees, but how many major Chinese industry park employees have the freedom to protest?
The Foxconn employees might have it bad compared to us in the UK and US, but compared to the rest of China they have it pretty easy. Western perception has made sure of that; in a way we should be applauding Apple for choosing Foxconn (where people CAN complain). The alternative is an unnamed facility in central China with no media reports of employee abuse... which might be good for western companies' PR, but not so good for the actual employees.
to throw at Apple.
When you can't proved a serious alternative product you have to look at what other means you can use to discredit your competitors. Despite the fact that your devices were built in the same or even worse sweatshop conditions as the iPad.
If tech journalists and commenters here (me included) really gave a shit about foxconn and the like -which we don't-. We would all boycott Chinese goods -which we won't-. And until we have the conviction to do so, we are just as guilty by association.