iPad 2 to add new features

The next generation iPad will boast two cameras, a new display and a USB port, according to a leading Taiwanese newspaper.

The Economic Daily News is reporting that the Ipad 2, smaller and slimmer than its predecessor, will go into production this month and should be on sale early next year. 

The device's seven-inch LCD touchscreens will be supplied by Chimei Innolux, and will feature the same in-plane switching technology used in the original iPad to improve viewing angles and color. The camera lenses come from Largan Precision, says the paper.

The iPad 2 is also expected to offer video calling - presumably FaceTime. The company will also include its Retina Display technology to improve image clarity and color fidelity.

Three-axis gyroscopes will improve gaming performance, and the inclusion of a USB port will improve connectivity.

The iPad 2 will be assembled at the notorious Foxconn factories in China. Last week, Foxconn announced that it was creating two new production facilities, each producing nearly 10,000 devices per day.

It's worth giving credence to the Economic Daily News report: the paper was amongst the first publications to break the news that Apple was developing the original iPad.