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Comment by protomyth | Hacker News Reader

That Q2 2011 date might make for some trouble if Apple set the iPad on a yearly update cycle. QNX's contribution will be interesting.

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I would expect the new iPad no later than Q2 2011. The current generation was announced in January and available in April. I see no reason why Apple shouldn’t update the iPad yearly – just like the iPhone and their iPods.

If they do announce in Jan and ship in April (probably quicker this time), then Blackberry might not look as good in comparison. I really don't get why you would tip off your competition unless they are counting on a lot of companies doing budgeting for this new device.

They need time to get developers working on products for the thing so they don't get caught out in the cold with nothing good at launch.

Well, I’m not sure how much Apple could or would want to change the next iPad at this point in time. At any rate, 2011 will be an exciting year for tablets.

They will probably add the front facing camera and probably the next generation of A4 to keep up with the summer iPhone / fall iPod touch.

If they go the iPod evolution route, I expect to see a price drop to put more pressure on the low-end. I still dream of a dock / network sync that will allow people not to have to own another computer.

I see quite a few reasons - Anroid 3.0 (optimized for tablets), Chrome OS, HP tablets, maybe new Windows tablets.

http://www.crunchgear.com/2010/09/10/apple-may-be-planning-a...

Logistically, it seems extremely unlikely that a new version of the iPad would be introduced in time for the holidays. It's only been 5 months since launch, after all, and they would have already had to be building them to be ready in time for the holidays. Ramping up production in April to catch up with supply, while simultaneously preparing the next model for production just a few months later? Madness!

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