Now that we know there will be an Apple event on October 22 (2013), and this is probably to announce new iPad versions, among other products, I thought it would be a good idea to talk about these two iDevices. Let’s see what we think we know about the 5th generation iPad and the second generation. iPad Mini. Keep in mind these are mostly rumors, and we’ll only be sure when Apple decides to tell us.
Let’s start with the invite that the press got for the event. It indeed confirms that there will be an event on Tuesday, the 22th of October this year. The invites look very colorful, just like the invites made for the iPhone 5C/5S event, so we’ll probably get to see some devices available in a variety of colors. This might just be referencing the iPad Mini, which is already known for its colorful look, but there are rumors that the iPad 5 might get some color makeover too.
Another thing that we can see on the invites is the saying: “We still have a lot to cover.” Seems like just a thing any company would say, right? Well, Apple is known for putting little hints in their invites, so it might mean that we are going to something new about “covers”, maybe some new version of the Smartcover? We’ll know in a few days for sure.
Will there be a bigger iPad? There is a rumor from The Wall Street Journal that Apple might be building and testing a 13 inch iPad. We probably won’t see it this year, but there might be an iPad Maxi in the future.
Next rumor that has been going around for a long time: the next iPad Mini will have a Retina-screen. I think we can be 99% certain this will happen. The iPad Mini’s only set back at the moment is its lower resolution screen, so putting in a Retina-screen makes a whole lot of sense.
The few leaks we got, tell us the iPad 5 might be a bit thinner and also lighter. Basically this means it will look more like the iPad Mini. Further leaks even let us believe it will look exactly like its little brother, apart from the size of the screen, naturally. The volume rocker will consist of two parts, not the one piece previous models had. Also, the speaker might face downward now. The fact that it will look like the iPad Mini, also backs up the idea that it will be available in multiple colors. It might come in all those flashy colors, or maybe the new colors of the iPhone 5S, which are Space Gray and Gold.
If you’ve followed the tech world a bit, you’ve seen the new feature of the iPhone 5S, Touch ID. It’s a fingerprint sensor, so you can unlock your phone and perform purchases just with one touch. No more passwords! It wouldn’t surprise anyone if the new iPad versions had the same tech built-in.
Something we all expect is 64-bit processors for the new iPad versions, of course. Few apps take advantage of this technology, for now, but we suspect putting it in a device with a bigger screen might change that dramatically. Apple always puts their latest hardware in the new iPads, so it will probably be a 64-bit A7 chip for this year’s edition.
Of course the new iPads will have iOS 7 installed, and except for the stuff above they won’t change much compared to the previous versions. For now those were the biggest rumors on the next iDevices in line. We’ll know who was right and who was wrong on the 22th of October.
This is all for now. I hope you’ve enjoyed what we have to say about this device. Not long left when we find out the real facts. As usual, special thanks to Kevin for his support, and Alex for the proofread. Stay tuned for more tech reviews from Brad and me. Until then-
Amaya Ai,
TechWebcast, Gifu, Japan