Another thoughtful post from John Gruber at Daring Fireball with his speculation about what the future holds for iPad development. John speculates, like the rest of us (and as reported by the WSJ), that late-March or early-April will bring iPad 2.0 with a processor bump, a front facing camera, more RAM and a slightly different physical configuration. He goes on to theorize that the next iPad (2.5?, Pro?, HD?) could come as soon as September 2011 and perhaps feature Retina Display type screens, the next version of iOS or other improvements. Annual revisions to the iPad would then follow on the September schedule to optimize holiday sales.
The main feature in iPad 2.0 that I’m looking for is the front facing camera and the processor improvements but I don’t think either of these things changes the basic device from a lawyer’s use perspective. I am excited to see what iOS 5 will bring and how app developers will be able to leverage the new OS with the improved power of the next generation iPad
Wondering with the addition of the camera if there will start being additional restrictions placed on where the device can be used, for example in a courtroom?
My guess right now is that Apple will continue to sell the original iPad at a lower price point, much like it does with the iPhone 3GS. I suspect they could also develop a 2.0 model without cameras, but that is not something that they have choosen to do with phones.
I’m not 100% sure the camera is a good thing; I can bring my iPad into federal court at the moment, whereas cell phones with cameras are banned. The addition of a camera may mean more trouble than it is worth.