14 DAY TRIAL // People who are familiar with Apple’s 2013 roadmap are telling Bloomberg that Apple is preparing an iPad refresh in “the last three months of the year,” including a 5th-generation full-size iPad, and a 2nd-generation iPad mini with Retina display.
People who are aware of Apple’s plans, but asked not to be identified, are telling the news agency that “Apple Inc. is preparing to introduce a new version of the iPad with a thinner design […] as the company works to stay atop the increasingly crowded tablet-computer market.”
The sources in question are referring to the full-size, fifth-generation iPad which is said to adopt a design akin to that of the iPad mini.
As far as the diminutive tablet is concerned, Apple is pushing out the first model with a “high-resolution screen,” this year, according to the same people.
“Apple also plans to introduce a new iPad mini, the first with a high-resolution screen, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the development is private.”
Both iPads are coming out “in the last three months of the year,” according to one of the people cited by Bloomberg.
Various hardware leaks have confirmed that the iPad 5 will indeed adopt a near-identical iPad mini design, but sporting a 9.7-inch display, updated connectors and physical buttons, and considerably reduced weight and thickness.
The iPad mini is likely to remain unchanged externally, but the consensus among analysts and pundits alike is that Apple will launch a new version featuring a Retina display, an updated processor and (perhaps) better cameras.
Both devices will ship with iOS 7 pre-installed, as Apple has already set the release date for the software in fall of 2013.
However, the presumed launch date of the two tablets doesn’t align well with recent reports saying Apple plans to debut new iPhones on September 10.
While it isn’t unheard of for Apple to hold two media events 1 month apart, the company could well use the same event to introduce both the new iPhones and the new iPads.