Apple News, Analysis and Podcasts

The iPad 2 launched today with great fanfare and a solid, if not modest, hardware update. Apple's hardware team showed us how they can industrial engineer like no one else, delivering a razor thin iPad 2 — which is even thinner than the iPhone 4. The iPad 2 shows us Apple's hardware prowess, but a few major pieces were missing amongst the mix.

The iPad 2 sports the same resolution screen as iPad 1, humble camera specs, and ho-hum software updates — for now. The big reveal in hardware and software looks to be on the horizon, arriving in the in iPad 3.

Many sites, such as Cult of Mac are claiming the retina display is slated for iPad 3 this fall. Higher-iPhone 4-like resolution cameras, stereo speakers, and a Thunderbolt adaptor are also likely to make their debut.

This all begs the question: Was iPad 2 a stop-gap product, bringing only half the product to the table, or is Apple simply going to hit the market this fall with the iPad 3? If the latter holds true, iPad 3 will be an amazingly disruptive force, once again blowing away the competition, leaving them to play catchup for at least another 12-18 months.

There are two major improvements which did not arrive in the iPad 2, which will likely arrive in the iPad 3: iPhoto and "AirFinder". Until the iPad has the ability to connect to network drives or a locally connected hard drive for massive iPhoto storage and editing, iPhoto for iPad will be MIA. Clearly there is work yet to be done, but when iPad 3 makes its debut it'll deliver an even bigger blow than iPad 2. Amazing stuff today, but even more so coming around the corner this fall.

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