Apple's 2011 March Special Media Event Winners And Losers
March 3, 2011
It's finally time to turn the page, placing the second generation iPad and March special media event speculation chapters in the past. There was the typical piles of rumors, but which of those were correct and which were just a pipe dream?
Winners
Faster: As predicted, Apple released the successor to their in-house mobile CPU, the A5. The A5 is indeed a dual-core processor, but some may be disappointed that it only runs at the same 1GHz frequency as its single-core predecessor. RAM and GPU will not be confirmed until iFIxit does their routine new iDevice teardown. Based on the "9x the graphics" promise from Apple and iMovie now compatible with the 2G iPad, it's fairly safe to assume that the latest iPad series has at least 512MB of RAM and indeed contains the PowerVR SGX543
Thinner and Lighter: The new iPad is 33% thinner and about 11% lighter. Some mockups (example 1 and example 2) weren't completely off-base, but none were entirely accurate or came out as elegant as the final product. The larger speaker grill is present, nevertheless, it's unknown if there is a significant audio performance improvement. The smaller display bezel that was rumored did not come true.
Gyroscope: Seemed about as much of a given as the performance upgrades, and certainly, the second generation iPad can now take advantage of some of those nifty gyro supported games.
Cameras: Featuring both a front and rear camera, the iPad 2 is now FaceTime-capable. The front-facing camera is the same VGA quality available on the iPhone 4 and the rear can capture up to 720p HD video. Apple doesn't mention any sort of still image quality, which leads us to believe that they are using the same limited unit (960 x 720 stills) as the fourth generation iPod touch as previously discovered. We'll know for sure once we have an opportunity to get an in-depth hands-on.
Color: Noted only a couple of days prior, reports from part sources indicated that the iPad would become available in both white and black versions. It seems Apple is either that confident this time or wiling to risk another elusive white model as Steve claimed Apple will be, "shipping white from day one."
iOS 4.3: Quite obvious, but it's now completely official; iOS 4.3 will be available on March 11th.
HDMI: HDMI connectivity is now a reality for iPad users, although, it does require the new Apple Digital AV Adapter. The iPad 2 automatically mirrors all apps, however, the Digital AV Adapter works with iPhone 4, 4G iPod touch, and the original iPad for up to 720p output with supported apps.
CDMA: The second generation iPad Wi-Fi + 3G is indeed available with CDMA data connectivity, yet it isn't unified as a single model with GSM support.
Losers
Proximity sensor: Something of a mixed bag because the uncovered iOS 4.3 case detection string was interpreted to be a traditional proximity sensor, though it turned out to be a hidden magnet system that senses contact.
Display: Once again, another mixed bag rumor that went back and forth as time pressed on. At first it was speculated to be a quadruple resolution display that would be considered "retina' and later reports simply claimed H-IPS and other enhancements with no resolution change. I have no doubt this one will continue all the way until the third generation iPad is announced.
NFC: Speculation that seemed to expand from the fifth generation iPhone to the hopes of iPad fans, but it by no means came true today. This will also likely continue up through the fifth generation iPhone and third generation iPad.
MobileMe: Not at all surprising to me, but many have been making grumbles and angry disappointment comments about lack of any MobileMe announcements at today's event. In all honesty, this was mostly a pipe dream concocted by twisted tidbits. I still think MobileMe will see its share of improvements but extremely unlikely to become a free service -- R.I.P. iTools -- nor soon offer any seamless music streaming.
SD Card: This rumor wasn't taken seriously in the recent couple of months anyway, and was ultimately replaced by the new speaker grill speculation by bloggers. To be fair, we still need to chalk this one up to the mistakes category.
Unified 3G Model: As mentioned earlier, Apple will be making the new iPad CDMA-friendly, although, users won't be able to have the choice of both GSM and CDMA support in a single unit.
iOS 5: Some had hoped for a sneak preview of iOS 5 already, but no signs whatsoever on that subject. Personally, iOS 5 isn't probable to reach any kind of public eye until at least this summer.
Unforeseen
iMovie for iPad: Yes, many users have hoped and commented about the possibility, but no -- none that I've ever ready or heard about -- news sites or bloggers appeared to ignite this topic and spread it like wildfire.
Photo Booth for iPad: Similar to the iMovie for iPad wish list, this has been tossed around by iPad owners since the launch of iMovie for iPhone 4. Speculation increased as the front-facing camera for the iPad became a much stronger hope.
GarageBand for iPad: This one seemed to be "out of left field" for most of us. We'll be curious to see where this path leads.
We'll have more information to share throughout the next couple of weeks, so keep a look out. Until then, it's time to brace for the rumor and speculation spotlight to return to the fifth generation iPhone.
