iPad redux: Apple listens to users!

Through a back channel accessible only to enterprising journalists like myself, I’ve recently discovered that Apple has paid close attention to comments on Digg, Gizmodo, Slashdot, InfoWorld, and others. It appears that Apple has finally seen the error of its ways.

As you may know, the popular social media forums are replete with anti-iPad and anti-Apple screeds, with many apparently tech-savvy people discussing all the ways that the iPad is a complete failure of design and implementation. But rather than just apologize, Apple is taking this scathing criticism seriously — and is secretly revamping the iPad accordingly.

[ Read all about Paul Venezia’s miserable hands-on experience with the iPad. | For more stellar behind-the-scenes reporting, see Robert X. Cringely’s Notes fron the Field. ]

From what I know so far, these changes include at least five USB ports scattered around the sides of the new iPad. Many commenters seem to think that any device lacking USB ports is useless because they can’t plug in a mouse, USB floppy drive, or USB-powered novelty fan. Apple listened. There’s also talk of both FireWire 400 and FireWire 800 ports.

Also, expect an eSATA port for hooking up faster external disks. This is nicely complemented by a 12-in-1 flash card reader that supports every flash memory standard known to man. And yes, you can expect not one, but two gigabit Ethernet ports.

Apparently, Apple is also upgrading the speakers to flush-mounted 4-inch drivers with ceramic tweeters to account for the complaints about sound quality on the original iPad. The new speakers will be driven by a dedicated 25-watt-per-channel amplifier.

Numerous internal changes are afoot. Many iPad naysayers have noted that the 1GHz Apple A4 System-on-Chip seemed too sluggish and that the 256MB of RAM wasn’t sufficient. In response, Apple is throwing that old silicon out the window in favor of a six-core 3.33GHz Intel X5680 CPU with an Nvidia graphics controller that is rumored to be based on the high-end Quadro FX line. Additionally, there will be a baseline of 4GB of DDR3 RAM, which will be upgradeable to 16GB with the use of 4GB DIMMs.

Adding this horsepower to the tablet should increase adoption among users of such high-end software as Pro Tools, Final Cut Pro, Oracle databases, and animation rendering. That’s also apparently the mindset behind the new physical keyboard and touchpad that are mounted on a separate panel connected by a hinge to the main screen.

As if all these changes weren’t enough, Apple is ditching the idea of flash-based storage and is adding hot-swappable 2.5-inch SAS and SATA disks to the new iPad, which will allow users to increase storage to multiterabyte levels. There may even be two of these drive bays, so users can employ the embedded LSI RAID controller to stripe or mirror the drives.

I also have intelligence that the new iPad will have a plethora of video output options, including HDMI, composite and component video outs, as well as traditional SVGA and mini-DVI ports. This will make it easy to connect the iPad to just about any video device, even a 25-year-old Zenith if you so choose.

As an overture to the crowd that has pooh-poohed the iPad as a device only hipsters would use, Apple is planning on releasing the new iPad in only one color, which appears to be an homage to 1970s-era green shag carpeting. (Will that be enough to drive the hipsters away? We’ll see.) Finally, in order to maintain the impressive battery life of the original iPad, Apple is including a car-style battery that is expected to allow users to unplug for up to eight hours at a time.

Details on the dimensions of the new iPad are still sketchy, but one reliable source said that Apple will be able to pack all of the new additions into a surprisingly slim 14-inch-thick case, with the panel itself expanded to 22 inches as a response to the complaints about the original iPad screen being too small. The weight is estimated to be between 30 and 40 pounds (possibly due to the battery).

To quell concerns about the weight, Apple is thought to be preparing special carbon-fiber carts that the new iPad can sit on, so users can wheel it around. Luckily, most public places in the United States are equipped with wheelchair ramps and elevators — and the cart will be sized to fit down narrow airplane aisles.

Still unclear is which operating system the new iPad will run. I’ve heard rumor of internal struggles, but the public outcry about the shortcomings of the original iPad’s iOS seems to have pushed Apple to offer a choice: iOS, full Mac OS X, Ubuntu, or (amazingly) Windows 7. There was some talk about BeOS, but that has apparently been shelved.

As for price, no one knows for sure yet, but it’s estimated to be somewhere between $4,000 and $6,000, depending on options.

Apple hopes that these changes will finally allow the iPad, a niche product at best, to appeal to a broader audience, and the operating system options should make up for the dearth of iPad apps. By catering to every possible desire, Apple feels that its humble entry into the tablet computing market may finally have a chance to succeed.

Only time will tell.

This story, “iPad redux: Apple listens to users!,” was originally published at InfoWorld.com. Read more of Paul Venezia’s The Deep End blog at InfoWorld.com.