This time last year, the Internet was in overdrive speculating about Apple’s as-yet-unannounced tablet. Flash-forward to a year later, and we’re now distilling rumors about the followup to that groundbreaking device.

MacRumors is reporting that the next generation iPad may have “a slightly smaller bezel, a flat back and a new ‘wide-range speaker unit.’” That news comes from the Japanese blog Mac Octakara by way of an AppleInsider report and anonymous Chinese sources.

If true, the rumor could be good news to early critics of the iPad who didn’t fancy the tablet’s “excessively large” bezel surrounding the LCD screen -- although the rumored iPad 2 would only reduce that space by approximately three millimeters.

“The final design is said to retain the same size LCD screen but the overall unit is claimed to measure 239mm by 186mm as compared to the current iPad’s size of 242.8mm x 189.7mm,” the MacRumors report reveals. The back of the new unit is also said to be “flat like an iPod touch,” allowing it to better sit flush with the surface of a desk, for instance.

Last but not least, the Japanese blog may shed some light on “the large opening seen in some early iPad 2 case designs.” Apparently, the new model will feature a large “wide-ranged speaker unit covered with metal mesh,” an artist’s rendition of which can be seen above.

The second-generation iPad is widely believed to already be in production, with units shipping from the factory in mid to late January and in the hands of consumers around the same time as this year’s model, March or April.

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(Image courtesy of MacRumors and Mac Octakara)