This fall, we're expecting to see many new and exciting products out of Cupertino. As well as the possibility of Intel's Haswell processor hitting the MacBook Pro and iMac, we're also likely to see a next-gen iPhone, perhaps a cheaper iPhone, and according to a recent WSJ article, a Retina iPad mini. Of the main releases, that only leaves the fifth-gen iPad, and a leaked video that has just hit the Web allegedly offers an idea as to what the forthcoming Apple tablet will look like when it hits the stores.
We are quickly approaching that time of the year whereby Apple's supply chains begin leaking clues on the Cupertino's upcoming products, and while the iPad 5 is apparently set for a September release, the purported iPad mini may not be ready in time, probably releasing later on in the year.
The fith-gen iPad rumor mill has gathered significant pace over the past couple of weeks, and with a report a couple of days back suggesting that the iPad 5 release date could be upon us as early as June, the increased attention may well be warranted. Today, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who tends only to speak out with reliable information, has chimed into the debate once more, and although his August-September release bracket refutes those earlier presumptions, he does believe the next Apple tablet will be dramatically thinner and lighter than the rather bloated fourth-generation offering.
A case mold has today emerged purporting to offer the strongest indication yet as to the form factor of the upcoming fifth-gen iPad. Perhaps even more exciting than the case itself, however, is an accompanying note which suggests the device will be announced by Apple on June 18th, which is just over a month away, and may also coincide with the fruit company's annual Worldwide Developer Conference.
This far into a new year we're already well aware of the state of play with regards to a new iPad. This year though, we're much less well informed due to Apple's lack of an announcement event, showing off a new iPad and more importantly, telling us when it's due to be released.
The iPad mini is most certainly far from a perfect device. The lack of a Retina display and high cost have both been pointed out as glaring issues with the scaled-down Cupertino slate, yet one aspect that doesn't seem to have divided opinion is the design and form factor of the device. Doubtlessly, it's beautiful to hold and use, and for the last few months, it has been reported that the full-sized iPad may be treated to similar design traits. Following on from the supposed Retina iPad mini case leaks, the first cases of a redesigned iPad 5 have leaked via case maker MiniSuit, which seem to further substantiate the notion of the iPad mini and regular iPad adopting a uniform look moving forward.
The iPad mini may have proven somewhat divisive thanks to its lack of Retina display and high price, but once thing most seem to agree upon, is that its design is a cut above. So pleased is Apple with the shape and materials used with its smaller tablet, that it would appear the next major iPad release - dubbed the iPad 5 - will adopt some of the design traits of its smaller counterpart. A purported leak of the back cover of the next-gen iPad borrows most of its design from the iPad mini, and, having been unearthed by the guys over at 9to5Mac, looks to include a thinner side bezel.
Apple's decision to refresh its iPad range twice last year was met with a mixed response, and while some naturally welcomed the decision of Apple to introduce the iPad 4 a mere seven months following the emergence of the iPad 3, owners of the latter were naturally disgruntled. Alongside the iPad 4 came the iPad mini, and once again, the general response was mixed, with many pointing to the lack of a Retina display and high cost as fundamental flaws. Now, it has emerged that Apple plans to bring yet another upgrade as early as March, and while the larger iPad should be a little less, well, large, the mini is widely-presumed to be getting a Retina display.
It may be one of Apple's newest product lines that has only been publicly available for a matter of weeks, but that hasn't stopped the rumors about the potential specifications of the second-generation iPad mini from circulating extremely early. Reports from hit-and-miss rumor site DigiTimes are suggesting that Apple already has one eye on the future of the new mini iPad and could potentially have plans to introduce a higher-resolution display to the mid-range tablet as well as making changes to the standard sized iPad to make it lighter.
Apple's market-leading iPad is becoming increasingly difficult for consumers to keep up with. At the beginning of this year, we were up to the iPad 2, but as 2012 draws to a close, we are already - rather extraordinarily - talking about the iPad 5. Apple dropped a bombshell on iPad 3 owners by announcing the iPad 4 last month, but ever since the tear-downs of the A6X device concluded Apple's rather wasteful design techniques, it has seemed only a matter of time before a thinner, lighter iPad emerged.
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