iPad 1.5 to be released next week, true iPad 2 to follow later in the year?

As well as the usual round of predictions concerning Apple’s annual Spring product launch (now including details of a March 2nd media event), there have also been a fair few rumours surrounding production difficulties for the Cupertino company. According to iLounge, this may well result in only a variation of the existing iPad to be revealed at next week’s Apple circus, as oppossed to a full sequel to the popular tablet.

According to iLounge:

Two reliable sources are suggesting that next week’s “iPad 2” event has some serious cliffhanger potential–as in, consumers may not see the real “iPad 2” for some time. There’s apparently some truth to the reports of production problems with the new model, and as a result, no one is really sure at this point what Apple is going to be shipping as the “iPad 2,” or when.

Apple’s annual line-refresh would suggest that this is just hear-say, but would correlate with other rumours we have heard recently. Remember John Gruber of Daring Fireball’s prediction that the iPad 3 would launch this year? And of course, last Autumn’s rumour that a front-facing camera packing iPad would be ready by Christmas? iLounge continue:

Last August, Apple was rumored to be working on a more modest incremental update to the iPad that was going to add a front-facing camera, with a possible release date of right before the holidays. That last part sounded crazy–impossible, really–even though it did sound like Apple was testing something that wasn’t quite an iPad 2, but was actually more like an iPad 1.5, sort of like the third-generation iPod touch. (You remember that one, right? The one where Apple pulled the rear camera at the last minute due to production problems.) If the real “iPad 2” wasn’t ready in time, Apple could just release the mildly tweaked version as a stop-gap measure.

An iPad 1.5 launch tagged as the true iPad 2 despite only incremental updates would facilitate a little more time for the real iPad 2 (by this point the iPad 3, if you can stay with the jumpled chronology here) launching by the end of the year once Apple’s supply issues have been ironed out.