Rumour: iPad 2 out early 2011

Everyone’s favourite iPad 2 rumour site DigiTimes has used its uncanny knack of quoting unnamed sources to narrow down the date for the iPad’s launch to early 2011 ('Q1', so anywhere between January and March.)

The reason for this confidence can be found in the exciting world of parts manufacturing. Three companies responsible for making HDI boards (it’s a Multi-Chip Module, according to Wikipedia) have just received official certification from Apple to manufacture iPad-related parts, and will start production in December, for the machine’s eventual release the following quarter.

As hinted at in the introduction, this isn’t the first time DigiTimes has come up with a rumour concerning the iPad, with last one’s edition revealing that the next screen would be OLED, as opposed to the current, standard LCD.

While we can’t safely say that either of these two latest rumours are true, we do know the next machine won’t be a 7-inch model like the Galaxy Tab, as Steve Jobs himself has already rubbished the idea.