An analyst with Gleacher & Company is throwing his hat in the ring with a prediction that Apple's iPad 2 is going to debut in April of next year. But he's not alone...

In a bit of news from the Apple rumormongering department, an analyst with Gleacher & Company is throwing his hat in the ring with a prediction that Apple's iPad 2a completely unofficial name that's been making the news circuit the last week or sois going to debut in April of next year.

That doesn't quite fit the reports from two months ago that Apple was looking to break its typical product launch cycles and have a new iPad device out by the holiday seasonwhich we're pretty much in, mind you. However, it does fit the latest news from Digitimes that three suppliers have already been named for the printed circuit boards found in the to-be-uncovered iPad 2's design.

"The sources said Ibiden, Tripod and TTM have received certification from Apple, and will start shipping any-layer HDI boards for iPad 2 in small quantities in December," writes Digitimes' Jessie Shen.

Four additional suppliers are expected to be added around February of next year, claims Digitimes' anonymous sources. This would fit the model of a first quarter production ramp-up, especially since the news is collaborated with a previous report that manufacturers involved in making parts for the iPad's touchscreen panel are also targeting a similar time frame.

"Since I'm projecting that Apple will release a CDMA iPhone in March, both will help to equalize Apple's seasonality," explained Gleacher & Company's Brian Marshall in an interview with Computerworld.

So what's expected to be in Apple's rumored follow-up? The kitchen sink. Some, but not all, of the widely talked about and suggested hopes include a head-nod to the iPhone 4's dual-camera setup, which would allow iPad 2 users to conduct Facetime video chats. Gamers are expecting a gyroscopic setup to add a little motion-control to their titles. A mini-USB report could replace the iPad's 30-pin dock connector. A Cortex A9 CPU and additional memory could give a little oomph to the device's overall performance.

Wedge Partner's Brian Blair claims that Apple's working on a "World iPad," which would feature a hybrid CDMA-GSM chip for easy data downloads regardless of country. As well, he claims that Apple's iPad successor will come thinner than the iPad itselfideally, with less weight than its 1.5-pound predecessor, but there's been no news, leaks, or predictions on that front.

As well, Blair is predicting that Apple will manufacture 48 million iPads in 2011.