The Apple Beat: iPad 2 launch week, what's up with Jonny Ive?

White iPad concept design from - http://www.ienlive.com/This is going to be a big week for Apple, the refreshed new MacBook Pros will be shipping and the big iPad 2 announcement is expected this Wednesday. There is already a substantial buzz around the company for its products and not surprisingly some intriguing talk about one of its key personalities.

iPad 2 sooner rather than later?

White iPad 2 bezel photo that appeared in http://www.9to5mac.com/

Apple is set to announce the iPad 2 this Wednesday and you better believe the world will be watching. We think it would be big news if Apple makes the iPad 2 available soon after it is announced.

Think about it, Motorola's Xoom Android tablet just started shipping in the US on Verizon for $600 on a two-year plan. If Apple wanted to stop the Xoom's momentum in its tracks, it could announce that the iPad 2 is available starting this week. If the iPad 2 keeps the same price point as the original iPad (which it should), then people waiting for a more powerful tablet will likely pull the trigger on the iPad 2.

Some leaked images of a white iPad front case (above) have made their rounds online causing some to speculate that the iPad 2 will come in white as well as in black. We've seen the image and we doubt this, sure it looks like an iPad front bezel and it does sport a front facing camera hole but the colour white has just been a disaster for Apple.

The white iPhone 4 has still to ship and is like an urban legend or a modern myth, like a unicorn that exists in our collective imaginations. Manufacturing the white iPhone 4 apparently affects a number of functional aspects such as light leakage and poor photo quality.

White is also considered a "consumer" colour for Apple products, which is now only available on the vanilla MacBook so it doesn't make sense to bring it back to the iPad, whose black borders seem to help the saturation and brightness of the screen.

We'd be surprised to see a white iPad, but then again it isn't the first time Apple has given its products a "colours"  treatment so while unlikely, it is always possible that we will see white and possibly an assortment of colours.

London Calling, Jonny Ive?

Dynamic Duo: Jonathan Ive and Steve Jobs

Award winning industrial designer and Apple's VP for Design Jonathan Ive is probably the most important Apple visionary next to CEO Steve Jobs. Ive, after all, is responsible for the iconic and industry-leading design and innovation behind Apple products for the past 13 or so years.

Starting from the original iMac all the way to the awe-inspiring 11-inch MacBook Air and the iPhone 4, Ive's mastery of design, use of material and innovative manufacturing approach has played an immense part in Apple's resurgence and overwhelming success.

Jonathan Ive is considered a master of his craft, a creator of truly beautiful yet simple and functional devices, he is this generation's Dieter Rams.

Some disturbing rumours about Ive wanting to go back to England have surfaced on the Internet. Ive has apparently been wanting to relocate to England but Apple's board isn't cool with the idea.

Reports from the Times state that, "Ive received an option grant in 2008 that’s now worth $30 million, and if he sold that stock, his combined net worth would be $128 million. The designer has been “at loggerheads” with the Apple board about the amount of time he spends in the UK, where he would like for his two children to go to school," the story explains.

This is pure speculation at this point and the musings of a few leak sources here and there don't really amount to much but if there's any truth to this impasse between Ive and Apple, it should be resolved right away. 

With Jobs out indefinitely, the prospect of losing another high profile figure might prove chaotic not just for Apple's stock but its overall public perception. 

Apple hasn't officially said anything about this and why should they have to react to each and every rumour that comes out. We hope to see Jonny Ive on stage this Wednesday, hopefully unveiling the iPad 2 or even joining in a FaceTime call as he has done in the past. 

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Gadjo Sevilla is a long time Mac user and technician and has been covering Apple's business and products for over 15 years. The Apple Beat is a weekly opinion column focusing on the latest Apple news.

Update on Wednesday, March 2, 2011 at 2:55PM by Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

Guess we were wrong about the white iPad 2