Apple iPad 2 to come with USB port, says report

The next generation of Apple's (NASDAQ: AAPL) iPad is rumored to be released in the first quarter of 2011, and will supposedly come with two cameras for video calling, a new display, and a USB port for use with USB devices. The rumors are reported by the Taiwanese Economic Daily News, a publication that correctly identified the iPad as a tablet device back when other sources thought it was a netbook.

Taiwanese newspapers are known to get scoops on new products due to the involvement of Taiwanese companies in the manufacturing of key components. After all, Apple is expected to command a significant proportion of the 35 million tablets predicted to be sold in 2011; it's hard even for a company with Apple's paranoia to keep large component orders a secret.

Not everyone is convinced that the rumors are accurate, though. Writing on ZDNet Blogs, Adrian Kingsley-Hughes is skeptical that Apple will ever incorporate a USB port on the iPad. He wrote, "Adding a USB port will mean that iPad owners will expect to be able to connect anything and everything to their shiny new iPad, and when something doesn't work, they'll start pointing fingers..."

Personally, I'm inclined to believe the rumors. The incremental changes that have been indicated appear to conform with Apple's track record of making under-the-hood improvements for a second-gen device while retaining the basic form factor. Have you bought a tablet device yet, and do you have plans to do so?

For more on this story:
- check out this article at Computerworld
- check out this article at Christian Science Monitor
- check out this article at ZDNet Blogs

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