[Hawkeye_a]

What do you guys think the refresh cycle of the iPad will be ?

Will it be at random like most Macs or on a yearly basis like the iPhone ?

I'm hoping we'll see an upgrade before thanksgiving.

Cheers

[chabig]

I suspect it will be annually, like the iPhone. Apple spends lots of money to get things just right and amortizes the cost over a year and millions of units.

[Eriamjh]

iPhone is every year on the nose and corresponds to the whole 2-year contract thing. But with AT&T giving early upgrades, that's not really much of a reason.

The iPad will likely not stick to an annual release schedule, but it's possible. It depends on how quickly Apple improves things and develops chips.

How's that for a non-answer?

[jokell82]

I doubt it will always be an annual release, but I think the first revision is a year away.

[The Godfather]

If I were running Apple, I would release new iPhones and iPad's as slow as the competitors allow me to. In 2010 and 2011, there's nothing indicating they need to update hardware. ARM chips look lime they will be stuck at 1GHz for a long while.

[erbmba]

I know I'lll be one if the ones upset about it, but my guess is in the fall when the new os comes out that has hooks for a front facing camera... I think they wanted to include that on rev one but decided to hold off as that will be the hot ticket item on the next iPhone. To me it's the largest omission from the current design...which I wrote this on,

[Eug]

The largest omission IMO is the lack of tethering capability. I already know someone who left their iPad at home at the last meeting I was at because it can't tether.

While I do think Apple will wait until 2011 until they update the iPad, personally I'd rather they update sooner rather than later. There's no way I'd buy the iPad in its current form.

[Big Mac]

I agree with those who doubt they'll conform to a yearly release. Apple doesn't like setting expectations in that fashion. If you recall, one of the reasons why Apple pulled the plug on Macworld was that people were delaying their purchases in expectation of the Macworld release schedule. I think a varied release schedule makes more sense.

I think the next iPad will weigh less and cost less as primary features.

[Wiskedjak]

I suspect it'll be roughly the same as pre-iPhone iPod release cycles, which seemed to be roughly 18 months.

[msuper69]

Originally Posted by Eug 

The largest omission IMO is the lack of tethering capability. I already know someone who left their iPad at home at the last meeting I was at because it can't tether.

While I do think Apple will wait until 2011 until they update the iPad, personally I'd rather they update sooner rather than later. There's no way I'd buy the iPad in its current form.

Was this a business meeting? Was there no Wi-Fi available?

[::maroma::]

Wouldn't tethering be a software update and AT&T's cooperation? Or does it require some kind of hardware? (I've never tethered)

[Wiskedjak]

Originally Posted by ::maroma:: 

Wouldn't tethering be a software update and AT&T's cooperation? Or does it require some kind of hardware? (I've never tethered)

Given that any jailbroken iPhone can tether, it would appear to only be a software thing.

[Eug]

Originally Posted by msuper69 

Was this a business meeting? Was there no Wi-Fi available?

Yes it was a business meeting. Yes WiFi is available, if you pay for it. $12 a day IIRC (in a hotel).

Originally Posted by Wiskedjak 

Given that any jailbroken iPhone can tether, it would appear to only be a software thing.

I can tether my non-jailbroken iPhone. It's standard in Canada for the carriers to allow tethering, if you have a GB+ data plan. (Rogers and Fido both allow this. I don't know about Bell or Telus.) However, the tethering in this context allows to iPhone to supply the internet access, to my laptop (either via USB or Bluetooth).

The point of tethering on the iPad would be to receive internet access from the iPhone, not to replace the iPhone. AFAIK, this is not possble.

[Wiskedjak]

Originally Posted by Eug 

I can tether my non-jailbroken iPhone. It's standard in Canada for the carriers to allow tethering, if you have a GB+ data plan. (Rogers and Fido both allow this. I don't know about Bell or Telus.) However, the tethering in this context allows to iPhone to supply the internet access, to my laptop (either via USB or Bluetooth).

The point of tethering on the iPad would be to receive internet access from the iPhone, not to replace the iPhone. AFAIK, this is not possble.

Ah, sorry, I assumed that we were talking about tethering from an iPhone to an iPad. This can be done, but the iPhone needs to be jailbroken to enable WiFi tethering.

[Eug]

Oh I see. You assumed correctly, but I was talking about USB snd Bluetooth.

[ajprice]

I'd think it would be yearly, around April/May, then iPhone and OS in June/July and iPods in September. I'm wondering whether the iPad OS 5 will be released at the same time as the iPhone OS 5 in June/July next year as a 'Universal' software, or keep a 12 month gap and separate release in the autumn.

[Zeeb]

Originally Posted by Eug 

Yes it was a business meeting. Yes WiFi is available, if you pay for it. $12 a day IIRC (in a hotel).

If its a business meeting, then why didn't the company pay for internet access for everyone if it was necessary? I'm guessing it wasn't.

Originally Posted by Eug 

I can tether my non-jailbroken iPhone. It's standard in Canada for the carriers to allow tethering, if you have a GB+ data plan. (Rogers and Fido both allow this. I don't know about Bell or Telus.) However, the tethering in this context allows to iPhone to supply the internet access, to my laptop (either via USB or Bluetooth).

The point of tethering on the iPad would be to receive internet access from the iPhone, not to replace the iPhone. AFAIK, this is not possble.

Even though Canadian iPhone plans tend to be more expensive, this is one benefit over AT&T at least--free tethering. *sigh* Maybe with the new iPhone this summer. . .