iPad 2 Rumors: Larger Speakers, Flat Back, Smaller Bezel
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CREDIT: macotakara.jp |
Industry experts almost unanimously expect Apple to announce the iPad 2 next month, so it shouldn't be surprising to see iPad 2 rumors. This time they refer to a smaller bezel around the screen, larger speakers with better audio quality and a few less curves.
As rumors go, this one is particularly slim on authority. A Japanese Apple-enthusiast blog cites "sources in China" who say they know details about the new iPad. While many of the biggest product leaks come from Chinese manufacturers, this blog has no track record for reporting rumors, so it's unknown how reliable these rumors really are.
Nevertheless, they are quite believable. The image above is an artists rendering from the Japanese blog of what the expanded speakers might look like. This rumor is particularly believable because it corroborates leaked images of some purported iPad 2 cases being made in China. The cases had an inexplicably larger slot where the speakers are on the current iPad. This suggests Apple is indeed making the iPad 2 speakers larger.
As far as the rumor of a thinner bezel and flat back, it certainly seems plausible. The most recent iPhone shuns the traditional curves for a flat back, so it's conceivable that Apple would want to do the same for the iPad 2. And a smaller bezel would make the device smaller while giving the illusion of a larger display area, though we'd much prefer a Retina Display to a smaller bezel if we had the choice.
Previous rumors indicated that Apple would announce the iPad 2 in January ahead of an April launch.
