The iPad may be one of the hottest gifts for the holidays this year, but some users are opting to wait for the inevitable next-gen model.  There's basically nothing about the iPad 2 set in stone just yet, but a report from Chinese-language Economy Daily News claims to have some info.  According to EDN, the next iPad will sport video phone capabilities (aka FaceTime), a thinner and lighter design, USB connectivity, a Retina Display, and the same 3-axis gyroscope found in the iPhone 4.

We heard the other day that the iPad 2 will end up with specs that are largely unchanged from the current-gen iPad, which is wildly different from all of the other iPad 2 rumors we've seen.  I find it pretty hard to believe that Apple would release a new version of the iPad without seriously upping the specs, though, especially now that there will be considerably more competitors in the tablet market by the time that the iPad 2 rolls around.  As for the rumored EDN info, I'd say that most of the specs seem to make sense, especially the camera(s) for FaceTime.  The only thing I take issue with is the inclusion of a USB port.  Apple has stuck with their proprietary 30-pin connectors for this long, so I doubt that they'll suddenly pull a 180 and put in a USB port in the new iPad.  Sure, it'd be nice, but I'm not holding my breath, and neither should you.

Via MacStories, Digitimes