An analyst quoted by Reuters predicts the new iPad could be revealed next month, and hit stores by next April. Component makers generally do not know what a finished product will look like or what software it will run on because they are responsible solely for manufacturing one part before passing it on for assembly.
The expectation that the new iPad would have front and rear cameras is not a bold stretch: The lack of even a single camera was one of the few things critics who otherwise are fans of Apple's tablet could point to. Apple added FaceTime video chat to the iPhone 4, the latest iPod touch and Macintosh computers. FaceTime on the iPad would be a natural.
Apple is expected to ship 12.9 million iPads this year, with shipments soaring to 36.5 million in 2011, research firm iSuppli said in July - capturing 84% of the tablet PC market. Meanwhile, the rumors about a Verizon Wireless-based iPhone have been swirling for months, with the thinking being that an announcement could come in January. Whether such a device would run off the speedy 4G LTE network that Verizon has just launched remains to be seen, of course.