We have seen the iPad and iPod touch camera being discussed more than once before. While the iPod touch’s missing camera is a reason for heartbreak for a lot of Apple fans, the iPad camera rumors caught momentum after a image of the iPad midframe released by Mission Repair showing a camera hole. Add to that some magnified shots from Steve Jobs iPad keynote showing a camera hole (not a very clear image though).
Further the iPhone OS 3.2 added more fuel to fire with video calling hints spilled all over. Now we have a new shot of the iPad midboard
from powerbookmedic that shows the camera hole again. This gives a little twist to the Mission Repair leak which was labeled a publicity stunt.
One major difference between the two is the large rectangular hole at the bottom of the iPad near the home button. The previously released pictures show large holes on both the top and bottom, but these new pictures only show one large rectangular hole. The holes appear to be a way to route some internal cables or securing some internal component. If you compare these photos with the official iPad gallery, it appears the bottom may be used for housing the speaker. [powerbookmedic]