Rumor: Apple To Announce iPad 2, iOS 4.3 Next Week?

According to a recent rumor, Apple could announce iOS 4.3 next week along with the second generation iPad. The rumor comes from MacNotes.de, they wrote:

A release date between 2nd and 9th April seems quite likely, sources – not only ours – pointed to a release in early April. The only question is: When will the iPad 2 be presented? One manufacturer of iPad accessoires now told us Apple is planning on holding an event next week. Our guess is Apple will present the iPad 2 as a “One more thing” during a special iOS 4.3 developer event next week. iOS 4.3 is still a beta, Apple released the third beta on Tuesday. It still contains critical bugs, but might be released soon as soon as all the bugs are fixed.

Apple has been rushing through the beta versions of iOS 4.3, in an attempt to launch in-app subscriptions for The Daily. After postponing the publication, the app was eventually launched, though users can enjoy a free two week period before having to commit to a subscription plan. Apple needs to release iOS 4.3 before the end of this two week period. Currently, the firmware is in its third beta version. A Gold Master version is expected to be released soon. While the release of iOS 4.3 is very likely, nobody can be sure when Apple will announce the second generation iPad. Last year, Steve Jobs announced the first generation iPad back in January, and it was released in April. Because January is behind us, many are expecting Apple to announce the iPad 2 in the near future. Because these two events are expected to occur around the same time, it's not ludicrous to anticipate Apple morphing them both into the one event. However, I think the iPad 2 is a little too big for a "one more thing" style announcement, at the very end of an iOS event, don't you? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

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