Claims that the next-generation iPad would get an SD card slot were partly challenged today with a countering leak. The corner opening opposite the volume rocker, which some have taken to be an SD slot, is now said to be just a relocation of the micro SIM slot from its previous position towards the middle of the tablet’s edge. AppleInsider’s trusted source for the leak didn’t say for certain that an SD card slot would be entirely absent but helped explained cases that didn’t have the slot, since few 3G iPad owners are likely to constantly swap SIM cards and hop between carriers.
Some have suggested that the extra-large cut-out at the bottom of the cases, which many believe should house an enlarged speaker, may have an SD card slot tucked into the tapered design. Extra sources also provided insights as to Apple’s original iPad designs, which are now thought to have many more features before they were stripped down. The well-known space left for a camera on the first model was just part of Apple’s plans, as dual camera iPad prototypes were circulating around in the first generation. It’s believed Apple wasn’t ready to implement video features in software and pulled the feature while leaving traces of devices, such as mainboard connectors.
Apple also did in fact prototype an iPad with a second Dock Connector, the sources said, but dropped it and wasn’t likely to bring it back. A spot near the SIM connector on the current model is a giveaway of the early plans. The company is known to make last-minute changes and scrapped a camera on the third-generation iPod touch at the last minute only to bring it in for the fourth-generation model a year later.
