If you're expecting an iPad from a loved one this Christmas, look away now. There's a new model in the works, and it'll touch down in March, according to Macotakara via 9to5Mac.
The new iPad is said to be a full-size 9.7-inch model, but to be slim and light like the iPad mini. The timescale fits, as Apple updates its key product families about once a year (the recent iPad mini and slight tweak to the full-size version notwithstanding). And it could well be looking to integrate some of what it's learned from the mini into a full-size tablet.
A source told Macotakara the exact dimensions of the rumoured device. "According to my inside source, iPad(5th) may be released in March, 2013," the site writes. "Source told that, design of this new iPad will be like iPad mini in detail, and be thinner and lightweight. (The expectation comes to have a small 4mm in height, 17mm in width, depth 2mm.)"
Must be something lost in translation there. The current full-size iPad is 241.2mm in height, according to Apple's website. A 4mm tall model, now that would be quite some widescreen. 9to5Mac notes these specs could be how much smaller the new model will be compared to the current one. If that is the case, then it'll be almost as slim as the iPad mini.
The report says a second generation iPad mini is also in the works. It's said to have a Retina display, packing the same blazingly high resolution into a smaller footprint. Other Internet whispers have backed this up as well.
So should we trust these rumours? Macotakara has been on the nose with dimensions of previous unreleased iPads, and March would be a year on from the last proper update of the full-size tablet. Let's wait and see.
Would you buy a thinner, lighter iPad? And how would you improve the iPad mini? Let me know in the comments below, or on Facebook.
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Comments 23
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anonymous 24 December, 2012 14:53
Another iPad less than a year after the ipad 4th gen????????? This is why i hate and have left apple.....went all the way up to the ipad 3rd gen then purchased a nexus 7 and galaxy note 2, i feel sorry for people getting 4th gen ipads this xmas because 3 montgs later it will be outdated.......
Ridicolous release times, their products dont even get a year life cycle anymore before the next product! It will do exactly everything the same as the 4th gen ipad but be 0.5mm thinner........eventually it will be like monthly revisions of their products........but i mostly feel sorry for iSheeps who will obviously buy this without a second thought!
H066 24 December, 2012 15:58
I still have the iPad2...two of my friends have the 3rd and 4th gen versions, and I've had all three working simultaneously and see very little difference between them - sure, on paper there is significant difference, but in practice you're talking tenths of a second quicker in apps, browsing, games etc
anonymous 24 December, 2012 16:16
@anon what are you talking about apple release timing, every android manfacturer releases numerous models and updates far more often, apple just gets more press and people get obsessed by it, if you had an ipad 3 why did it become obsolete when the 4 was released with a slight upgrade......
anonymous 24 December, 2012 18:09
Another overpriced slate that peeps will buy in the millions
Bedros Demir 24 December, 2012 20:33
how can it be 17 millimeters am i reading it wrong.
Joshua Kilcullen 24 December, 2012 22:10
They better bleedin' well not!
Joshua Kilcullen 24 December, 2012 22:11
Also at 4mm tall I don't think I'd care. Seems a teeny bit small if you ask me. Wink wink
anonymous 24 December, 2012 23:38
Children, children! If you are happy with what you have already purchased, why are you bothered by what comes out next? Your current toy will not stop working because there is a slightly different model out whenever. Don't throw your toys out of the pram like spoilt brats or your parents should give you a good spanking. Spare the rod and spoil the child, as the old saying goes.
Be happy and stop being envious or jealous and just so immature.
anonymous 25 December, 2012 00:51
The opening post from @anonymous 24 December, 2012 14:53, is typical trolling fantasy.
What utter rubbish. Don't you realise that your story is so unbelievable that nobody will believe you or take any notice.
You "Hate and left Apple" because they bring out new and updated devices ?????
Give me a break !
Jordan-Findlay 25 December, 2012 11:37
Just got a ipad 4th gen today, boot it up go on cnet then read this :P
Matt Tacchi 25 December, 2012 20:31
So pleased I did not jump from my 3rd gen device to the 4th gen one :)
It is best to just be happy with what you go - no doubt!
anonymous 25 December, 2012 21:38
I finally got my hands on my new iPad 4 today (Xmas day), bought on Black Friday but wrapped up and put under the Christmas tree.
Will I be bothered when the iPad 5 comes out? .......nah! of course not.
But then we also bought a Nexus 7 16gb a few months ago, for our son.
Was I bothered when Google dropped the price by £40 only 6 weeks after we got it? ...too bl**dy right I was bothered !
anonymous 26 December, 2012 09:28
Didn't Apple change their refresh cycle for the iPad range when the Mini and iPad 4 were released recently?
Some reports suggested that a change in the annual release date for refreshed and new models had been re-timed to take advantange of the pre-Christmas (Holidays) buying peak; especially as there are now real competitors in the marketplace.
As such it would be a surprise to see any new iPad models before the Autumn next year.
However a quick changeover to a retina diplay for the Mini would be a major boost to that line.
Mind you, would Apple be able to keep up with demand? They are going flat out now to meet the high demand for the current Mini.
anonymous 26 December, 2012 17:00
Apple are so overrated. Not a fan myself... I like the Windows Phone OS better.
AppleRocks16 30 December, 2012 18:01
This is crazy. I don't know what Apple are playing at! Oh boy, the owners of 4th gen iPads are going to be very angry. Apple will lose customers quickly with these crazy product refresh times......
anonymous 30 December, 2012 21:44
@AppleRocks16 30 December, 2012 18:01
"This is crazy. I don't know what Apple are playing at! Oh boy, the owners of 4th gen iPads are going to be very angry"
Errr! What???????
Why?
I've got a 4th gen iPad. I'm not bothered there'll be another better one along next year. why should I be? There's always a newer model at some point in the future. As for iPad's, they're still going to be doing what you want them for long after they're replaced by the next generation model.
Apple will lose customers quickly with these crazy product refresh times......
anonymous 30 December, 2012 21:47
@AppleRocks16 30 December, 2012 18:01
"Apple will lose customers quickly with these crazy product refresh times......"
Well there's certainly no sign of that happening, with the growth in iPad sales still rocketing ahead, month on month. They are selling more iPad's and iPhone's than ever before.
AppleRocks16 31 December, 2012 14:59
@anonymous 30 December, 2012 21:47
You may not be bothered, but there will be other people who have maybe just spent a staggering amount of money on a top capacity model with Cellular may be annoyed about the quick refreshes. Yes, they may be doing what you want them to do for a long time, but as software gets more advanced, the updates to the software in a couple of years may not support older iPads due to the lack of processing power. So, they will work for a while then start to miss out on new features.
To add to my second point that you raise, there will be die-hard apple fans who will continually purchase iPads because they are loyal to the brand. Also, the iOS software is getting a bit outdated, and if they don't do anything that makes it stand out ( in functionality terms), People may not pay a lot of money for a device that has had software stay the same for many years, they may want something fresh and exciting to use.
anonymous 31 December, 2012 16:19
@AppleRocks16 31 December, 2012 14:59
It may come as a surprise to you, but "normal" buyers (i.e. the vast majority) of devices like tablets and smartphones are not buying them for the OS.
Concepts like "the OS is boring" are completely alien and mystifying to most people
They are not buying tablets to play with the OS, to Jailbreak or root them, or to fiddle around with endless customising facilities. They buy these devices to actually do stuff with them, either with a serious purpose, for convenience or to be entertained.
AppleRocks16 31 December, 2012 17:44
@anonymous 31 December, 2012 16:19
The OS is what you interact with, and it may come as a surprise, but there will be people who want a decent OS, to make the tablet experience better.
anonymous 31 December, 2012 20:06
"....but there will be people who want a decent OS, to make the tablet experience better".
So those people will go with Apple then?
AppleRocks16 3 January, 2013 16:27
@anonymous 31 December, 2012 20:06
Nope, not true. There will be people who think other OS's are better - and it all comes down to that one thing - what their needs are, with some wanting a more complex OS to use where others will want something simple ( and simplicity may be decent for them as that is what they may want. Apple are lagging behind a bit on software. ( I have used Android and Apple software ) so saying people will go with Apple is jumping the gun.
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