The announcement of the iPad 4
during Apple's October 2012 event came as a surprise to many, but one
expert quickly predicted that the company would release a thinner,
lighter iPad 5 in early 2013.
According to Ming-Chi Kuo, an analyst for KGI Securities, the fourth generation full-sized iPad (and the iPad mini, which was launched at the same event) might not be enough to fend off competitors. Kuo cited Microsoft's Surface tablet as posing a particular risk to Apple''s dominance.
Shortly after the iPad 4 launch, Kuo wrote in a note to investors, reported by AppleInsider, that Apple may feel pressured to launch a 9.7-inch iPad 5 to cement its lead in the tablet business.
"Though
the iPad mini is expected to be successful, we think launching the
lighter, thinner 9.7-inch iPad as quickly as possible matters more for
Apple strategically," Kuo wrote. Check out our iPad 5 rumors video below:
iPad 5 release date
Digitimes reported
on 19 November 2012 that the iPad 5 release date would be "around the
middle of 2013", while on 24 December 2012, an "inside source" talking to Japanese site Macotakara, wrongly pegged the new iPad release date as March 2013.
That incorrect March release date was repeated by Brian White of Topeka Capital Markets on 12 January 2013. White was citing supposed industry insiders at the CES expo in Las Vegas, while also writing in a note to investors that Apple is moving to a bi-annual iPad refresh schedule.
On 25 January, iLounge editor-in-chief Jeremy Horwitz, who claims to have seen the new iPad 5, wrote that the fifth-gen iPad would not go on sale until October 2013. Horwitz also said that the iPad mini 2 would be launched in the same month.
However, on 15 February, as reported by AppleInsider,
investment bank Piper Jaffray repeated the notion of a spring 2013
launch for the new iPad. "The history of time between Apple product
launch events suggests that the company will introduce something new in
March or April," said analyst Gene Munster, adding: "Over the past two
years, the spring event has been iPad updates."
Spring vs Autumn
So
it seems that observers are divided on whether we'll see the new iPad
in spring or autumn, with pundits dashing around and lining up like a
game of Runaround. On 22 February, analyst firm TrendForce opted for the autumn launch line, claiming that we'll see a completely overhauled iPad 5 in September 2013.
Just
to throw an extra release date into the mix, accessory manufacturer
MiniSuit reckons the new iPad will be released in June. Gizmorati also
reckons the iPad 5 will be shown off in June - specifically on June 29,
six years to the day from the launch of the original iPhone. Citing an
"inside source from Apple", Gizmorati claimed on 19 March
that an event, called 'Original Passion, New Ideas', will see the
launch not just of the new iPad but also of the iPhone 5S. However,
given that June 29 is a Saturday, we're filing this particular rumor in
the 'Probably Total BS' file.
Want another possible release date for the new iPad? Apparently knowledgeable sources have revealed to iMore that the iPad 5 will be available in April.
So
in summary, the iPad 5 will be released in either March (wrong!),
April, June, September or October. Surely there are sources out there
willing to bet on May and July?
The early release dates mentioned above could now be in question if you believe a Digitimes report of 7 March,
which says that there's a shortage of touch sensors for the iPad mini
(the same sensors that are expected to be used in the next iPad).
Japanese firm Nishha - Apple's main supplier of the sensors - is
reportedly boosting its output to meet demand but Digitime's sources
reckon the iPad mini 2 and iPad 5 could still be fighting over this
component when they go into production, causing one of them to be
delayed.
However, there's a sign that a new iPad may be waiting in
the wings. When retailers start to cut prices that's sometimes because
they're clearing out stock to make way for a newer model, and as Cult of Mac notes,
in the US that's just what Wal-Mart, Best Buy and MacMall all did on
Wednesday 3 April, reducing prices of the iPad 3 and iPad mini prices by
about 30%. So are the April release date rumours correct after all?
Back to rumour-magnet Digitimes. The Taiwanese site now reckons, as per a report of 9 April 2013,
that iPad 5 production will not begin until the "July-August" period of
this year, which will no doubt please those analysts who are predicting
an autumn release.
iPad 5 features and specifications
Considering
the current iPad is the same weight, thickness and price point as its
predecessor, it's very possible Apple is looking to produce a
slimmed-down version.
Apple did give the iPad 4 a new A6X processor system-on-a-chip, which it claims to be twice as fast as the previous iPad.
It also gained the new lightning connector and better LTE support. But that's all the new features iPad fans got with the fourth-gen tablet. The iPad 4 sports the new Lightning connectorKuo
expects Apple to pack "GF DITO" (or GF2) touchscreen technology into
the speculative new iPad 5. GF2 is already used in the new iPad mini,
which helps to make it 23 percent thinner and 53 percent lighter than
its bigger brother.
Those screens may make the move to a 16:9
widescreen aspect ratio if Los Angeles industry analyst Paul Mueller is
correct. "I have talked to at least three people close to Apple who say
that there are new iPad prototypes that have a 16:9 aspect ratio," Mueller told The Examiner
in September 2012. That change would ideal for watching movies but as
it would make the iPad taller and narrower, holding it in portrait mode
would be a little awkward.
On 14 December 2012, Macworld cited
a report in Digitimes that claims that one way Apple will reduce the
weight of the new iPad will be by using one LED light bar instead of the
two that are found in the current iPad (and that were first introduced
in the iPad 3). Macworld points out that this would also mean that the
iPad 5 would consume less power and could therefore run on a smaller,
thinner battery.
Another way that the new iPad may slim down is by reducing the size of the LED backlight. In an 11 April 2013 email to CNET,
Paul Semenza, analyst at NPD DisplaySearch, wrote: "It's likely that
part of the thinner/lighter design will be reducing the size of the LED
backlight, partly by making the display more efficient and partly by
using more efficient LEDs."
And on a 17 April, Ming-Chi Kuo wrote a new note, summarised by MacRumors.
In his note, Kuo wrote that he expected the new iPad to be 15% thinner
and 25% lighter than the iPad 4, that weight reduction coming in part
from a battery which is "25-30% smaller" and "15-20% thinner".
iLounge's Jeremy Horwitz claimed in January 2013
that the iPad 5 has virtually no left or right bezels in portrait mode,
with just enough space above and below the display for the home button,
sensors and front camera. The iPad case designs that subsequently
leaked in February and April suggest that this claim could be correct.
But who will be producing the display for the new iPad? Not Samsung, reckons GottaBe Mobile,
claiming that Apple is "actively moving away from Samsung for the next
generation of mobile products." According to a rumour the site picked up
from etnews, when Apple sent out a request to parts manufacturers for
estimates, Samsung was not a recipient of the request. The same GottaBe
Mobile report claims that Samsung is falling out of favour as
manufacturer of the A7 processor, too.
DigiTimes reckons the iPad screens will be supplied by LG and Sharp.
Brian
White, who incorrectly pegged the iPad 5 launch as March 2013 and who
reckons that there will now be a new iPad every six months, also wrote
in his January 2013 note to investors that the iPad 5 would feature an improved A6X processor.
Patently Apple lent weight to the notion of Apple taking its processor manufacturing business away from its best buddy Samsung, citing a report published on 10 April 2013.
According to the report: the "chasm between Samsung Electronics and
Apple is expected to widen further as Apple has excluded its Korean
rival from a project to develop A7 application processors due to be
released in the first half of next year."
KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reckons that the Apple/Samsung partnership has some life left, though. As picked up by MacRumors
on 17 April, Kuo wrote that the iPad 4 would be powered by an A7X
processor and that Apple would be staying with Samsung for this chip at
least.
It's
possible that the new iPad will feature a vibrating mode for message
alerts and haptic feedback (within games, for example). This news comes courtesy of Patently Apple,
which reported on March 21 that Apple has applied for a patent for "an
audio codec with vibrator support". Click the image on the left to view
full size.
iPad 5 case clues
It seems that case
manufacturers believe that the iPad 5 will take its design cues from the
iPad mini, being thinner than the current iPad, and with smaller side
bezels, which fits with Horwitz's observations.
Accessory maker Minisuit supplied MacRumors
with pictures of iPad 5 cases that it has created based on what it
believes to be the correct iPad 5 dimensions. The cases are slightly
smaller than the iPad 4 ones and feature a hole on the back for the
supposedly relocated microphone.
And as we reported on 26 February 2013,
another third party case manufacturer - this time Shenzhen Sinofly
Electronic Company Limited - has also begun to produce iPad 5 cases with
a form factor more in line with the iPad mini.
What may or may not be actual Apple iPad 5 cases appeared online on 10 April.
If genuine, these cases also show that the iPad 5 will have thinner
bezels, as well as retaining the home button and front-facing camera.
And as the case is white, we can assume that the white edition of the
iPad isn't going anywhere.
On 16 April 2013, supposed iPad 5 cases appeared again, this time at the Hong Kong Electronics Fair. As posted on engadget,
these third-party cases, apparently based on leaked specs, also suggest
an upcoming iPad that'll be slimmer than the iPad 4 as well as
featuring thinner, iPad mini-like left and right side bezels when in
portrait mode.
iPad 5 wireless charging?
A patent first filed by Apple in September 2011 that AppleInsider discovered on 14 March 2013
reveals that Apple is looking into equipping its iPad Smart Covers with
induction coils so that you'll be able to charge your iPad simply by
closing the cover.
The patent, called "Integrated inductive
charging in protective cover," talks of "an inductive power transmitter
arranged to wirelessly pass power to a corresponding inductive power
receiver unit disposed within the tablet device."
There are two
ways this technology could work. One is that the cover is charged from
the mains and it transfers this power to your iPad. The other, as theorised by Mark Hattersley at MacWorld,
is that the cover "takes power wirelessly from a plugged-in iPad and
stores it in an internal battery. It then sends it wirelessly in the
other direction when you use the device."
iPad 5 accessories
The iPad 5 may launch with an official Apple gaming joypad if a report by Pocket Gamer is to be believed. According to the report, Apple held secret meetings with developers at GDC 2013, where it discussed the games that would support the controller at launch.
Should this device exist, it could also launch alongside the rumoured Apple iTV.
As Pocket Gamer notes: "Given the opportunities a dedicated controller
would provide in the living room, we'd expect it to be part of a large
announcement also revealing Apple's wide TV strategy, including a direct
assault on the console businesses of Sony and Microsoft."
iPad 5 mockups
Federico Ciccarese of CiccareseDesign has produced some renders for MacRumors
showing how the new iPad might look, with its smaller bezel allowing a
shrunken case with the same screen size as the current iPad.
The mockups were based on leaked images of a supposed iPad 5 shell which were posted to 9to5Mac on 28 January 2013.
There was much umbrage at the launch of the new iPad 4, as it basically rendered the iPad 3
obsolete mere months after launch. However, with only a minor CPU and
front camera change, is there really any point thinking about upgrading?
The question most people ask us when it comes to the new iPad 4 is: what's different from the old one? Or the iPad 2, for that matter?
Well,
in this case it's pretty easy: there's a Retina Display that makes
everything look superbly crisp, an updated A6X processor with much
superior performance, the same 5MP camera on the rear with a 1.3MP HD
sensor on the front now to replace the VGA effort.
Oh, and the new iPad 4 is now running iOS 6 out of the box (well, it's also on the likes of the iPhone 5 and iPad mini, but hey, we've already reviewed those, and you don't really care unless it's a new iPad, do you?) The
design of the new iPad 4 isn't really anything different from the
original duo from Apple's tablet range. Actually, while we're thinking
about it, it looks almost identical to the iPad 2 – to the point you'd
struggle to tell them apart when turned off.
However, in the hand,
there's a little bit of a difference, especially when it comes to the
weight. The new iPad is nearly 60g heavier than the second iteration,
and while it's not terrible, it does add a little arm strain during a
marathon movie session. Sometimes
you become accustomed to the weight of a device if you use it enough,
and then the whole debacle becomes a completely none issue.
However the weight of the iPad 4 is still noticeable even a few months after first get
ting it - pick it up and hold it for the duration of a movie and that unmistakable heft is still there to haunt you.
Retina Display
Before
we get onto all the normal insight over the frame of the new iPad 4,
it's worth talking about one top feature: the Retina Display.
Apple
has packed a huge amount more pixels into the 9.7-inch screen - 1536 x
2048 to be exact. However, despite the fact that the Cupertino brand
makes a big thing about the 330 PPI density of the iPhone 4S, we're looking at a screen that's technically a lot less sharp than its smartphone brethren - around 264PPI. Apple
has got around this fact by stating that the screen is meant to be held
15 inches from the face, rather than the 10 inches the iPhone is
supposed to be from your eyes, and as such the sharpness is the same.
Given
the fact the term 'Retina Display' really isn't a legally binding term,
we don't care. What matters is the effect - and it's one of the most
impressive we've seen on a tablet to date. If someone took an iPad,
printed out a really hi-res image of an iOS system and stuck it on the
front, we'd struggle to tell the difference - it's superb, and even
squinting up close you'll be hard pushed to notice any pixelation.
The
colour reproduction will also appeal to many, as it's pretty close to
reality - it lacks the punch of the Super AMOLED HD screens seen on the
likes of the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 for instance, but it will depend on personal preference as to whether that's a good thing. We like the vivid colours of Samsung's screens, but we know plenty of people that loathe them too.
The
main thing is things like internet browsing; photo viewing and movie
sessions are all much, much improved over the iPad 2, and is one of the
main reasons to pick up the new iPad.
Design
The new iPad,
as we said, is only marginally thicker and a little heavier than the
iPad 2, and if you pick it up with no knowledge of the former, you'll
likely be mighty impressed.
The rest of the design is premium too -
given you can be paying nearly £700 / $AU900 for a top end model, it
needs to seem like a worthwhile investment, and it does. There's
also the new Lightning connector on offer, which brings the smaller,
faster port for all your needs... unless your need is to use you
recently purchased dock, in which case you'll need to fork out for an
adaptor.
The curved edges, the oleophobic scratch-proof glass and
the aluminium chassis are all the kind of thing that some Android
tablets have tried to ape and failed. Of course, many will prefer the
feather-light frames of some of the Samsung models but, like the screen,
it really comes down to personal preference. The buttonry on the new iPad is pretty sparse though - we're talking four buttons and that's your lot.
The iconic home button is back once again, despite rumours of its demise, and is easy to reach and hit within the thick bezel. The
rest of the buttons are all clustered tightly together in the top
left-hand corner of the new iPad, with the rocker/volume key, the
mute/orientation switch and power/lock key all within an inch of one
another.
As you can see, Apple has been pretty efficient with the
button placement, with all of them performing more than one function.
And they say the iPad can't multi-task... tsk.
