Floating through the blogosphere now: new (unconfirmed) details about the next-gen iPad that, if true, reveals a same-size LCD display in a smaller frame by 3 millimeters, a flat back "like an iPod touch," and a wide-range built-in speaker.
Anonymous Chinese sources spilled to Mac Otakara, Japanese blog, that while the screen size of the iPad will remain 9.7 inches, the unit itself would shrink slightly from 242.8 mm by 189.7 mm to 239mm by 186mm.
If Google's English translation of the blog is accurate, then allegedly "leaked photos show that a hole in the lower right of the rear panel is neither a USB connector nor a SD card slot. It is a large, wide-ranged speaker unit covered with metal mesh."
The source also told the blog that shipping for the device would occur between mid-late January.
Apple Insider mentions reports that Foxconn will begin shipping the iPad 2 to Apple in January or February. The iPad's popularity could translate to increased production on Apple's end, to the tune of 6 million units a month.
Mac Otakara also shed some hope on the iPad having two cameras — one for FaceTime and the other for taking pictures and videos — but called the information "unreliable."
Apple Insider has reported that upgrade is more likely to happen sooner rather than later.
