Rumors and leaks surrounding the forthcoming second generation iPad continue to spread like wildfire across the blogosphere with the latest coming from AppleInsider and MIC Gadget. Both received photos of iPad 2 cases that had openings that would suggest the addition of a rear facing camera, larger speaker, possible SD card slot and most intriguingly a small port at the top of the device that could be for a Mini DisplayPort receptacle.
The two tech blogs received photo’s of cases from China that whilst different had virtually identical port openings and further back up reports by Engadget that the second generation iPad would have an SD card slot and rear facing camera. The larger opening on cases around the speaker is also a recurring feature of such leaked iPad 2 cases and seems to be a likely improvement on the iPad 2.
However the small port at the top of these iPad cases that suggests the addition of a Mini DisplayPort receptacle is a new development and has not previously been rumored in any credible report. However Apple already utilizes Mini DisplayPort prominently as the sole video output on its Macbook product line. The addition could serve well on an iPad at not only outputting rich content in high quality to TVs and monitors but also advancing Mini DisplayPort’s prominence in the market which has been uncommon outside of Apple computers.
Whilst it may seem odd for Apple to add a Mini DisplayPort to the iPad when it is pushing it’s new AirPlay feature and current iPads can output video via the 30-pin dock connecter, AppleInsider puts forward some ideas as to why they could be adding it. Firstly is the fact that the device cannot push 720p, let alone 1080p content via the dock connector, which would require a dedicated number of pins that are already used for other purposes. A second reason is that a Mini DisplayPort could also be used for video input, and with the iPad 2 suggested to have a very high 2048x1536 resolution the iPad could possibly serve as a great external display for any Mac with DisplayPort out.
For more pictures of some of the alleged iPad 2 cases and more details on the possibility of Mini DisplayPort, read AppleInsider’s article.
[Via AppleInsider, MIC Gadget]
