Apple’s new iPad, which will be lighter and thinner than the first version, has now gone into production, according to sources “familiar with the matter” quoted in the Wall Street Journal.

The Journal also said that the new Apple iPad will have a camera on the front “for features like video-conferencing”, more memory and a more powerful graphics processor.

The new iPad is expected to be released around Easter this year – a year after the first version was launched – but no launch date has been confirmed. Apple typically updates its products on annual cycles.

The Wall Street Journal, which has a history of being well informed where Apple’s products are concerned, said the screen resolution of the device will be similar to the current model.

Apple sold 14.8 million iPads in 2010, creating a new market sector that its competitors have been scrambling to enter.