If a Chinese case manufacturer is to be believed, Apple's next iPad may come with quite a few new ports and functionality -- including both front and rear cameras, an SD card slot and even a port that appears to accept a mini DisplayPort cable.
AppleInsider is breaking an exclusive on Tuesday, with photos galore from a Chinese accessory supplier who claims they are producing a new "iPad second generation" case. The new cases appear to differ slightly from what was seen at the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this month.
"The flexible silicon case designs parallel previous models that have been shown in both hard plastic and rubberized material, with a standard dock connector at the bottom, an opening on the lower right rear that is believed to be for an enlarged internal speaker, a new rear facing camera on the top right, and customary holes for the headphone jack, mute switch and volume controls," AppleInsider reveals.
A key difference of the Chinese case is "a very distinct cutout on the rear upper left corner… that appears to be consistent with the size of an SD card slot." The same area on the current iPad is devoid of buttons or ports.
Likewise, a cutout on the center of the top edge appears to be about the size of a mini DisplayPort jack -- currently reserved for the micro-SIM card on 3G-equipped models of the iPad, but as AppleInsider notes, "it would be curious to cut a case to permanently expose the SIM card holder."
AppleInsider's theory on the mini DisplayPort is that it could easily be converted via an adapter to double as a mini-HDMI jack -- something that is quickly becoming a standard feature on competing tablets and even many smartphones.
It's important to note that leaks from accessory makers have been historically mixed at best. In some cases, they hit the nail on the head and at other times, they're completely off the mark. We'd say take this one with a grain of salt, but we'll certainly welcome one or more new ports on the next iPad, giving everyone's favorite tablet even more computer-like functionality.
Follow this article's author, J.R. Bookwalter on Twitter
(Images courtesy of AppleInsider)
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