Apple iPad 2 Expected to Land on 1 February

The rumours revolving the next-generation iPad are spinning in a new direction today after Digg founder, Kevin Rose announced he has it on “good authority” that the iPad 2 is arriving in early February.Previously, the iPad 2 had been thought to launch at the same time as the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, in Spring 2011. However, this newest Apple-focused rumour does fit with another rumour – that Foxconn had been making preparations for iPad 2 initial shipments back in December, of 400,000 and 600,000 tablets “within the next 100 days”.This news comes at a time when we seem to have gone tablet mad. CES 2011 has seen more than 23 tablets hit the market, including the Motorola XOOM and Acer Eee Pad tablets. It’s about time Apple made a move to retain its dominant position in the tablet market, with the iPad recently estimated to hold a 95% share of this market.

On his blog, Kevin Rose wrote: “I have it on good authority that Apple will be announcing the iPad 2 in the next “3-4 weeks”, possibly Tuesday February 1st. The iPad 2 will feature a retina display and front/back cameras. If you’re thinking of buying an iPad, hold off for now.”

The new iPad is eagerly anticipated, and we hope this rumour of iPad 2 deals coming as soon as February proves to be true. There will likely be a Retina display, just like on the iPhone 4, and two cameras. If not a Retina display then a “higher dpi” screen is likely. And we wouldn’t be surprised to see the iPad 2 with front and back snappers – after all, this is becoming the tablet norm, with the Galaxy Tab, Motorola XOOM and BlackBerry PlayBook all boasting this feature, to name but a few.