iPads hit FCC, revealing two Wi-Fi antennas per model

Both the iPad with Wi-Fi and iPad with Wi-Fi + 3G have appeared on the Federal Communications Commission’s website. While the documents that are available — the user manual, external photos, and other materials are still being withheld at Apple’s request — provide little in the way of important new information, there are several small discoveries to be made within. Both models of the iPad sport two Wi-Fi antennas, one that is shared with Bluetooth, and one that is not; these antennas cannot transmit simultaneously, are “fed with different power levels,” and are located in different places within the casing. While the exact reason for the dual antenna configuration is not given, it appears to be for reception diversity, allowing the iPad to decide which antenna is working better and switch between them, opting for the higher power version when necessary. [via Engadget]