Wednesday brings a new iPad, this we know. And we know that, from 20 paces, it will probably look like the current iPad — Apple's own event invitation indicates as much. As for the details of the reveal, here's what else we think will happen, and what we're pretty sure just won't go down.
Likely:
The iPad 2 (which may or may not bear that name) will almost certainly match some specs(规格，细节) of its competing devices. This would include a faster dual-core processor(双核处理器), reported by Engadget and others, and both front- and rear-facing cameras.
About those cameras, the front-facing FaceTime video conferencing camera is all but confirmed. As for the rear-facing one, though third-party cases and other not-too-reliable sources have anticipated(预想) it, I wouldn't be totally blown away if Apple skipped(跳过) it. Taking pictures with a tablet looks, and feels, stupid. Then again, leaving out a high-rez shooter would make the haters howl, and this is the company that tried to turn its iPod Nano into a camcorder(摄像机), albeit briefly.
Unlike the Android-based competition, the new iPad would be thinner and lighter than its current 1.6 pounds, and likely to stay in the just-under-$500 price range.
One other likely possibility is some kind of iLife software, particularly for imaging. We're hoping for iPhoto and iMovie (the iPhone already has iMovie), though a recent leak on Gizmodo only referenced the Photo Booth novelty(新鲜事物) program and the FaceTime videoconferencing(视频会议) apps.
And as for that white iPad you may have heard about, just think about it: The elusive white iPhone 4 has become a Melvillian joke, so the white iPad might be intended as some kind of vindication(澄清). It's definitely a reasonable possibility.
Possible but unlikely:
The key advantages of the Android competition are access to higher-speed 4G networks and a more sophisticated(精密的) interface(界面).
But for wireless, the next iPad's timing is a little weird. The very first phones to run on Verizon's fast LTE 4G network are only just shipping, and the Motorola Xoom tablet doesn't yet run on the network. Meanwhile, AT&T just started to ship 4G phones as well, but not ones that run on LTE. The confusion you may be experiencing reading this paragraph is part of the problem: Does Apple really want to market a "4G" product when nobody knows for sure what that is? Meanwhile, does Apple want to be among the first on a new, unproven network technology? The answer to both of those questions is a resounding(回响的) "maybe."
That said, Verizon Wireless CEO Dan Mead mentioned just the other day that Apple was on board with LTE. That's a no-brainer(不需动脑的事情), but his timing is suspicious.
As for Android's new Honeycomb interface being more sophisticated than the iPad's, that's just a fact right now. As Gizmodo's Jason Chen pointed out, notifications, multitasking/app switching and file and app syncing are all far more advanced on the Android tablet (and on HP's new Palm-based TouchPad, too).
But whether Apple will close this gap with minor tweaks to the current operating system, as they have made all along, or with an overhaul of the home screen is anyone's guess. It's just as likely that they will ignore the problem for the time being, or even argue that the iOS is better because it's simpler.