Leaked Photo Fuels White iPad 2 Rumours

A photo has emerged online of a white iPad component, ahead of the iPad 2 launch expected this week, fuelling rumours that Apple could be planning to release a white version of its second-generation flagship tablet PC.

The photo, published on tech blog 9to5Mac, is of a “digitizer”, also known as the the thick bezel, which goes round the outside of the iPad’s touchscreen. It clearly shows a hole for a camera at the top, suggesting that this is designed for the iPad 2, rather than an unused prototype for the original iPad.

The photo (left) suggests that the Apple could unveil both black and white versions of the iPad 2 on 2 March. However, the news comes as quite a surprise to many members of the industry – not only because the black frame around Apple hardware displays enhances the image, but also because Apple has so far failed to produce a white iPhone 4.

Where is the white iPhone 4?

At the beginning of February, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak promised that the white iPhone 4 would be coming soon, following months of delays due to manufacturing problems. “All indications from Verizon and GSM suppliers” are that “white iPhones are coming”, he said.

Reports in July last year suggested that the company commissioned to create the white iPhone covers had been struggling to find the right balance between paint thickness and opacity, and had also been unable to produce a casing white enough to meet Apple’s standards.

Another source with connections at Apple reportedly told the blog Cult of Mac in October that ambient light leaked into the white iPhone 4′s case, affecting its ability to take “accurate pictures”.

However, in December, 9to5Mac reported that the white iPhone 4 would appear in spring 2011, based on a photograph of alleged Apple Store signage with the words, in small type: “The white iPhone 4 will be available Spring 2011.”

iPad 2 to launch this week

Meanwhile, anticipation is building around the expected launch of the iPad 2 this week. Last week, The New York Times reported that Apple will indeed use March 2 to unveil the next iPad.

Current iPad speculation suggests the device will be lighter and smaller than the original, with a front-facing camera for video conferencing, more memory and a boosted graphics processor. Some reports have suggested the device will lack a Retina Display or similar high-resolution screen.

“Our sources say Apple has requested that manufacturers begin work on displays with that resolution for the iPad 3,” IDC research manager Tom Mainelli told PC World, following a DigiTimes report that the next iPad would boast a resolution of 2,048 by 1,536.

Apple sold nearly 15 million iPads in 2010, creating a consumer tablet market that other competitors – ranging from Research In Motion to Hewlett-Packard to Samsung – are starting to enter in ever greater numbers. With the upcoming release of Android Honeycomb, which is optimised for tablets, the competition is likely to grow even stiffer.