14 DAY TRIAL // The WSJ is out with a brief post regarding the iPad 5, reporting (among other things) that the tablet will sport the same thin-film touch panel as used in the iPad mini.
Several reports citing the financial newspaper are interpreting the story as a confirmation that the iPad 5 will look like the iPad mini. While that’s likely the case, the story in question says nothing of the sort.
Though it does say that Apple is using the same thin and light film-based touch panels (as found in the iPad mini) to make the screens for the fifth-generation iPad.
“The same touch-panel technology that made the iPad mini thin and light will likely feature in the next iPad, which is currently being produced by Apple Inc.’s Asian suppliers, according to people with knowledge of the matter.”
It is unclear when Apple plans to debut this iPad, but all eyes are on the company’s fall event which, according to the same news outlet, should be held on September 10.
At this event Apple will unveil two new iPhones, one more expensive and higher-specced than the other, according to rumors, tech industry chatter and an onslaught of hardware leaks.
The iPad mini is also in need of a refresh, mainly in the display department where it lags behind in terms of sharpness. Pretty much all current-selling iPhones and iPads sport retina displays, all except the diminutive tablet (introduced late 2012).
A second-generation iPad mini 2 could also make an appearance at Apple’s September event, but rumor also has it that the Cupertino company wants to refresh some Macs as well.
Apple could reserve the bigger announcements – iPhone 5S, iPad 5, iPad mini 2 – for the actual event, while the Macintosh upgrades – likely involving Intel’s Haswell processors – could be announced via formal press releases.