iLounge: Carbon Fiber iPad 2, NFC, 7-inch variety?

We’ve heard about NFC but iLounge floats two more very interesting, if unlikely rumors out there today.

First, Carbon Fiber to be used in the shell of some test units which would drop the weight of the device down further.  We’ve been hearing that Apple has been trying to shave some weight off wherever it can (displays?), so this would be another step in that direction. An <1 lb iPad 2 would be insane.

Secondly, contrary to Steve Jobs saying that 7-inch tablets were dead on arrival, Apple is working with a seven inch iPad.  Unlikely, but remember what Jobs said about video on iPods. (“‘I’m Not Convinced People Want to Watch Movies on a Tiny Little Screen”)

About NFC, iLounge largely reiterates an earlier Bloomberg report and says:

According to our source, Apple is actively developing new accessories that will communicate with the near-field radio chips reportedly built into new iPads and iPhones. In the most basic implementation, an accessory could announce its presence and potential functions to an iPad or iPhone without the need for a Bluetooth or similar connection; our source suggests that an otherwise simple case could include a radio chip so that an inserted iPhone or iPad could go into power-saving hibernation mode automatically. More complex accessories will go far beyond that.

And, can we get a kickstand or what?!