We’ve already written about what we expect to see from Apple next week, but here’s what we’re not expecting. Full of second-hand sources, and half-truths, some of these have left an internet trail, while others are some people’s drunken ramblings at tech conferences and pub nights.
We’ve handpicked some of the best (or worst) for your amusement. Oh, and if we’re wrong about any of these, we’ll get a tattoo, or pierce our ears. Or something. We can’t eat any more hats, doctor’s orders.
“The new iPad will be as powerful as Sony’s NGP.”
Both the current iPad and iPhone run on an A4 processor, and the next iPad should be getting the newest processor, named unimaginatively, the A5.
Some say that chip will have similar technical credentials to Sony’s NGP, aka PSP2. Given that Sony have told us to expect a quad-core processor, topped off with an extra graphical processor, we don’t think the next iPad will be capable of the same ‘PS3-quality graphics.’
“There will be no home button on the iPad 2”
Design-wise, we could imagine a judicious pencil crossing out the suggestion of a central physical button on the next pad, for the reason of brutal minimalist aesthetics, and it would mean the whole of the iPad face could be touch-responsive.
Mostly it would severely compromise on how you’d use the tablet- sometimes we want a physical button- something that satisfyingly clicks. Then again, Windows Phone 7’s side button placement is an intuitive lcoation for screen locking and other secondary functions.
“The new iPad will have a smaller screen than the current one”
Given that Steve Jobs said himself that a tinier tablet would be a silly idea; the rumour persists, some even suggesting it could shrink to a midget seven inches.
“The iPad 2 has a retina display/double the resolution.”
This one’s had plenty of traction. We even covered it ourselves.
The iPhone 4’s retina display was a miracle of screen engineering, but expanding such a super-dense screen to the size of a tablet would suck the battery dry quicker than a sponge in a shotglass of vermouth.
It would also put a lot of pressure on whatever new processor is found inside the new iPad.
Many think that the next iPad’s screen will be very similar to the current one, both size and resolution-wise. It’s still good enough for high-quality video from the BBC iPlayer, if not high-definition just yet.
Have you heard any more rumour “gems”? We’ll be adding to this list in the run-up to Apple’s big announcement on March 2.
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