Anders Carlsson, an Apple employee, today on the WebKit mailing list an evolution of the WebKit project called WebKit2.

WebKit2's major aims are to bake both a "split process model" and a non-blocking API into the WebKit product—and by extension into Safari and any other client which takes advantage of the WebKit2 framework.

The dust , and iSuppli's analysis of the cost of the components that make up an iPad reveals that the hardware itself only accounts for about half the retail price of $499. Taken together, iSuppli estimates that the cost of the hardware components totals $259.60. This fact will be used widely to support criticism that the iPad is "too expensive," but it leaves out numerous costs in launching a product like the iPad.

Unsurprisingly, the display contributed the most to the cost of the iPad. Along with the LCD panel, touch-sensitive overlay, glass covering, and necessary drive and touch electronics, that subsystem accounted for over 40 percent of the component costs. Flash memory was also a big contributor to the costs, and the higher priced iPad models maintained a component cost of roughly half the retail price as the storage capacity increased.

iPad owners may get a (very) small reprieve when going through security checkpoints at US airports. The Transportation Security Administration told the Associated Press that iPads generally from carry-on luggage when going through X-ray screening.

The TSA said that the iPad is much smaller and thinner than laptops, making it easier to see on the scanner. Also, the organization said that iPad users generally would not be carrying multiple bulky accessories, such as hard drives and chargers, which might otherwise obstruct a clear view of the device as it passes through X-ray equipment.

That "generally" qualifier is important, however. The TSA still reserves the right to ask you to remove your iPad from any bag if screeners can't get an unobstructed view of the device. This same exception is true for laptops that are carried in supposed "checkpoint friendly" laptop bags manufacturers began making available last year.

A spokesperson for the TSA told Associated Press that it is communicating its iPad policy to screeners. The policy will have no effect on the need to remove your shoes at security checkpoints or prevent you from being subjected to a potentially embarrassing full-body scan, however.

We know many of our readers are thinking, "Enough with the iPad, where are the new Core i5 and Core i7 MacBook Pros?" It appears as though we may get our answer yet this month, as Taiwanese component suppliers suggest production has ramped up for new Apple notebooks in the past several days.

A report from the Taiwan-based Apple Daily (via ) suggests that Apple will featuring updated Intel processors sometime this month. The updated MacBook, MacBook Pro, and MacBook Air models were scheduled to launch , but several Taiwanese component suppliers suggested that constrained supply of 32nm Arrandale parts . Suppliers are saying that the processors are now plentiful enough to complete planned production.

The Apple Daily report also specifically mentions that the updated laptop models are expected to offer hard drives up to 640GB or SSDs up to 248GB. The battery life of the updated models may also be pushed to eight hours across the board, up from the seven hours quoted for current models. The increased efficiency may likely come from , which can switch on-the-fly between a dedicated GPU and the integrated graphics included in the Core i3, i5, and i7 packages.

We have also heard through the grapveine that an update might come as early as next week, though this is unconfirmed. However, in light of both rumors pointing to updates to Apple's notebooks happening this month, we remain hopeful that the information has a kernel of truth.

This April mobile blitz is also expected to be followed in a few months with , in keeping with Steve Jobs' that Apple will release a "very strong" line-up of new products this year.

Apple has a special event in Cupertino on Thursday April 8th, 2010. The event starts at 10:00a, PT (), and will cover—at the very least—the next iteration of Apple's iPhone OS. Ars Technica will of course be present and liveblogging the event for our readers.

Bookmark this page or sign up in this post for an e-mail reminder when we start live updates on Thursday.

Apple plans to take the wraps off iPhone OS 4.0 this Thursday, April 8 during a special media event in Cupertino. The event will take place at 10am Pacific Time on Apple's campus, giving a "sneak peek" into the future of the iPhone OS.

The company has made a tradition of unveiling the next major iteration of the iPhone operating system every spring. Since the event is only a few days away, there's not much time for rampant speculation, but you can be sure to at Ars. (Update: Yes, we'll be covering it live!)

Initial sales figures for the iPad are in, and Apple says that by midnight on Saturday, April 3, it sold over 300,000 iPads. iPad users have also downloaded over 1 million apps and over 250,000 e-books during that same time period.

The iPad sales include deliveries of preordered iPads, sales in Apple Stores, and deliveries to "channel partners," which include limited quantities sent to Best Buy stores and a few select authorized Apple resellers. It doesn't include any preorders for WiFi + 3G models, which are set to be released later this month. Along with a planned launch of the iPad in select countries internationally on April 24, there's likely to be other similar burst of sales.

The frenzy on Saturday had Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster predicting sales . Analysts expected Apple to have roughly 300,000 iPads built in time for launch, however, which suggests the first batch may be nearly sold out. We haven't heard any details of Apple Store being out of stock, though, and Apple doesn't have an iPad stock tracker like it has had in the past for iPhone launches.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs was predictably ecstatic with the results. "It feels great to have the iPad launched into the world—it's going to be a game changer," Jobs said in a statement. "iPad users, on average, downloaded more than three apps and close to one book within hours of unpacking their new iPad."

Jobs is known for hyperbole, and we're not quite ready to dub the iPad a "game changer." We have several iPads being put through the gauntlet here in the Orbiting HQ, and most of us are liking it more than expected. Keep your eyes peeled for our extensive review and analysis, which we expect to have ready Tuesday.

When promised to provide a custom backing track to anything that you sang, the Series of Tubes known as the Internet quickly used the tool to record versions of popular songs. They were , filled with cheesy beats and backing synths plucking out "oom-pa-pa" rhythms.

As a research problem, Songsmith was a success; as a creative tool, it was (let's just admit it) a big fat failure.

But Parag Chordia, the director of the Music Intelligence Lab at Georgia Tech, sees promise in such tools, enough so that he turned his own research into an iPhone app called LaDiDa that takes what Songsmith did and makes it mobile... and cool.

The iPad is out, and the staff has been locked in the bowels of the Orbiting HQ until our review is finished. In the meantime, folks are already digging into configuration files hidden deep inside the iPad-only 3.2 version of iPhone OS and .

Now included in the growing collection of hardware supported in USBDeviceConfiguration.plist are two new fourth-generation iPhone models, iPhone3,2 and iPhone3,3. These are in addition to the iPhone3,1 model that was , and suggests that Apple plans to have multiple versions of fourth-gen hardware. This may be another clue that Apple will make a CDMA-compatible model that rumors have long indicated is .

A third hardware item could suggest a WiMAX-compatible model, which could be offered on Sprint's network. Most bets are hedged on the expectation that Apple will wait for LTE to be rolled out before building a 4G compatible iPhone. Alternately, it could be the other, the "iPhone nano." Of course, it could be something that no one has even guessed at yet.

(A quick note for those not familiar with Apple's naming pattern: Apple uses a ProductNameX,Y pattern for product IDs. The first number, X, is the main product revision, while Y is a minor variant. While the iPhone 3G is considered the second-generation iPhone hardware, Apple labeled it iPhone1,2 since most of the changes were minor compared to the original iPhone. The iPhone 3GS, the 3rd-gen iPhone hardware, has a product ID of iPhone2,1.)

Also in the list is iPod4,1, the first reference we've seen to fourth-gen iPod touch hardware. That would most likely be revealed in the fall—the typical iPod launch window—after the fourth-gen iPhone hardware is released in the summer.

Finally, the updated list includes iProd2,1. References to iProd0,0 turned up in late 2008, and it was suspected to be a prototype Apple tablet. iPhone OS 3.1 to iProd1,1, and that was later . So iProd2,1 is most likely the next major iPad hardware revision. When that hardware is ready for release is anyone's guess—we wouldn't bet on it happening before 2011—though we aren't really surprised that Apple is already working on it.

The iFPGA is still listed as well. Chances are good that this some kind of test bed or prototyping board, as FPGA stands for field programmable gate array. An FPGA is a chip that can be "programmed" to perform specialized operations as needed, and is often used in hardware development work.

We didn't do it! a source over at the Federal Communications Commission pleaded with us on Friday night. Calm down, we replied. Didn't do what?

Didn't deliberately upload all those revealing of the iPad early, we were told. Adding to all the excitement and hoopla over the release of the yummy gadget on Saturday was the discovery that of the device were up on the FCC's website before it was available for sale. This might lead some to conclude, as various bloggers and journalists have implied, that federal regulators made a decision to release the specs prior to the iPad's retail release.

But our source says the Commission had nothing to do with this call.

As device makers everywhere know, the FCC's certifies a wide variety of devices before they go on sale. One big concern is checking that the actual retail item doesn't release a power signal that might interfere with other systems, but there's a whole Equipment Authorization process that the OET oversees.

The actual inspection of these machines, however, is done by third-party Telecommunications Certification Bodies which have been approved by the OET. Some of them reside in the United States. Many do not. According to the agency's drop down TCB , these organizations include Industry Canada, the Czech Office for Standards, Metrology, and Testing, and the Swedish Board for Accreditation and Conformity Assessment. The iPad's review can be found .

And not only do they make the Equipment Authorization calls, but they, independently of the FCC, decide when to upload all that graphic equipment data to the OET's public database.

Still, it seems to us that, for the sake of device makers everywhere, somebody ought to have a little chat with the certification body in question. Fun as it is to get these photos early, Apple did on them for 180 days after getting an EA grant.