iPad 2 Case Design Spills Beans: Camera, No Landscape Docking, and Mini-USB?

A series of pictures alleging to be silicon iPad 2 cases have appeared on a third party dropship site, and they give us a good look at what to expect from iPad 2 (this of course assumes they are based on iPad 2). I went ahead and attached labels (rather poorly) onto the picture from Alibaba so you can see what the openings on the case are likely for.

Looking at this alleged iPad 2 case, we can assume determine the following about ports and features:

• Camera port – This looks obvious. I don’t know what else this could possibly be but a camera, it’s in the exact same spot as a camera on the iPod touch 4G and iPhones
• Mystery port, is it Mini-USB? – the size of the mystery port at the very top center of the case looks precisely like the size of a mini-USB port. Various rumors have suggested a mini-USB port would come to the next iPad revision. If it’s not that, who knows, but there is a port opening at the top
• No landscape mode docking – you’ll notice there are no dock connector ports on the side, which contradicts many rumors that the iPad 2 would be able to dock in landscape mode
• Larger speaker port – also aims slightly to the back which may help acoustics and sound projection
• Mute, headphone, vertical dock connector – all in the same places as usual, no change here

It’s important to note that these iPad 2 cases come from a manufacturer in Shenzen, which, conveniently, is also where Foxconn is located (Foxconn manufacturers the iPad, iPod, and iPhone for Apple). The Shenzen connection suggest that some schematics of the new iPad 2 have been leaked to various manufacturers in the region, which seems to have happened a few times in the past with the iPod touch. Leaks from Shenzen plants are also thought to be the source of the white iPhone 4’s that are widely available for sale in China.

Engadget also found the following video of more alleged iPad 2 cases, and they show the exact same port configuration as the silicone case above, here’s that video:

Multiple manufacturers producing cases with the same ports…. hmm I think there is a good amount of evidence here to suggest some of these iPad 2 features are all but guaranteed. Of course, they could also be fake cases too, but we’ll have to wait and see.

You can see the rest of the case pictures at AliBaba (Google Translated from Chinese to English).