We are just hours away from the start of Apple's presentation on Wednesday at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, at which the company is expected to announce the iPad 2.
Rumours of what the new version of the iPad might look like began pretty much as soon as the original was unveiled last year. But over the last few weeks speculation has been bubbling up on blogs and news websites, stoked by snippets of information that has leaked out from Apple. The company has declined to provide any details before the announcement.
Here's a roundup of what s being said.
According to a number of reports, the new iPad is expected to be thinner than the current model, which will likely cut its weight. This will be a big draw for customers who are contemplating buying a new e-book reader, but are intimidated by the current iPad's 1.5 pound weight.
The next iPad is widely believed to have a built-in camera, but some say it will have two cameras one in the front for video chats and another in the back for still pictures. This setup would be similar to the one in the iPhone 4 and iPod Touch.
The rumours about the front and rear cameras are a result of the spotting of iPad cases supposedly made for next generation iPads. But there are other clues too. Mac Rumors, a blog that monitors Apple news, discovered three new software icons that take advantage of a camera in a developer release of software for the new iPad. These icons include FaceTime, used for video chatting, and Camera and PhotoBooth, which are both used to take photos.
The new iPad is also expected to have a larger built-in speaker for video and music playback. Customers have complained that the current iPad's speaker is too quiet.
On Monday and Tuesday images began surfacing on a number of websites that claimed to be of the next generation of the device, although some technology bloggers said the pictures looked fake.
But the biggest question that has cropped up may be whether Steven P. Jobs, Apple s chief executive, who is on medical leave, will appear at Wednesday s announcement to woo the Apple faithful while showing off the company's latest offerings.