Apple preps CDMA-GSM 'World iPad'?

Apple is rumored to be readying a next-generation "World iPad" that works on both GSM and CDMA networks, presumably in the hope of blanketing the world with a new version of its magical and revolutionary device.

"Apple is going to be ratcheting down production of the existing 3G iPad over the next two months in anticipation of ramping up a new World iPad that is powered by Qualcomm and will run on both GSM and CDMA based networks around the world," Wedge Partners analyst Brian Blair is quoted by All Things Digital as saying.

This latest rumor comes on the heels of a flood of speculation concerning an upcoming CDMA iPhone, not only for the number-one US carrier Verizon, but also for Chinese CDMA carrier China Telecom and others.

CDMA, we hasten to point out, is a dead-end 3G standard, with limited installations of its most-recent revision, EVDO Rev B. Most carriers are putting their upgrade eggs into the LTE 4G basket.

Blair also says that the new "World iPad" will be thinner than Apple's first-generation hefty slablet, and have a front-facing camera, presumably to support Apple's FaceTime capability for the iPhone, iPod touch, and — in beta — for the Mac.

In addition, Blair says, "We understand it requires a new type of manufacturing process as a result, similar to the company's unibody approach seen in MacBooks."

Or someday, perhaps, with a carbon fiber body as detailed in a patent filing published Thursday. ®