Next iPad to include a three-axis gyroscope?

Apple apparently tested a three-axis gyroscope from InvenSense in its iPad, but probably plans to use a similar device from STMicroelectronics in a future version of the tablet, according to an analysis by UBM TechInsights, reports “EE Times” (http://macosg.me/2/ot).

The Apple iPhone 4 was the company’s first smartphone to uses a three-axis gyroscope, specifically the L3G4200D from STMicroelectronics. When paired with the accelerometer, it makes iPhone 4 capable of advanced motion sensing such as user acceleration, full 3D attitude, and rotation rate. In other words, per Apple, it means more motion gestures and greater precision for an even better gaming experience.

“It seemed strange at the time that a product like the iPad would have been designed to not include a gyroscope but an iPhone 4 that was being designed at around the same time would,” says Steve Bitton, a product manager at UBM TechInsights that did a teardown of the iPad. UBM TechInsights is part of United Business Media, the publisher of “EE Times.”