Rumors surrounding Apple products refuse to die down and this time, Topeka Capital Markets analyst Brian White speculates that the company is preparing to launch a fifth-generation iPad and second-generation iPad Mini in March.
Relying on information he received from industry sources at the just-concluded Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2013 in Las Vegas, White observed that Apple takes up a twice-a-year refresh cycle for its iPad line-up and so the updates to the full-size iPad and iPad Mini are expected later this quarter.
"Our checks at CES indicate Apple will release the iPad 5 and the second-generation iPad mini this March. The iPad 5 is expected to be lighter and thinner than the iPad 4 that was released in October, while the form factor of the iPad mini should be similar to the first generation iPad mini that debuted in October," he observed.
It should be noted that the author did not mention the source of his information, just citing unnamed "checks" at the show, and that Apple does not have an official presence at the CES.
However, this is not just an isolated report on the release date of new versions of Apple devices. As Macrumors notes, Japanese blog Macotakara had recently reported that a thinner and lighter fifth-generation iPad will see a March release, and RBC analyst Doug Freedman had reported that the Cupertino-based tech giant is accelerating its works on a second-generation iPad Mini.
The Macotakara report had further elaborated that an iPad Mini 2 is being prepared at the Apple units, which will feature the same 7.9-inch LCD display but have twice as many pixels (2048 x 1536). It also noted that the device will have an A6X processor, the same chip used to power the iPad 4.
Although White did not make any mention of a potential high-resolution Retina display, rumors have it that both the next-gen iPads will focus on the display and will feature Retina Display-quality screens.
