Thinner & Lighter iPad 5 Due In March

jrolson

New member
Feb 28, 2012
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Another iPad...

Back in March of this year, Apple released the iPad 3, which features a Retina display and a faster processor than the previous version of the tablet. So when Apple held one of its special events in San Francisco two months ago, nobody saw the iPad 4 coming which was released together with the long-expected iPad Mini.

But a new report claims Apple may be launching the next iPad just three months from now. Is Apple changing its release schedule to a more faster one, to cope with the competition perhaps?

Japanese site Macotakara, which has provided accurate information in the past, reports that the successor of the iPad 4 will be thinner and lighter, possibly borrowing elements from the iPad Mini:

According to my inside source, iPad(5th) may be released in March, 2013. 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).
The numbers above don't seem to represent the actual size, but the difference in size between the iPad 4 and 5. So presumably, the iPad 5 measures 237 mm by 169 mm by 7.4 mm, which is almost as thin as the iPad Mini.

Macotakara also reports that the iPad Mini 2 will have a Retina display with the same resolution and the same A6X processor as the iPad 4.

http://www.neowin.net/news/rumour-thinner-and-lighter-ipad-5-due-in-march
 

night

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May 18, 2012
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I have my iPad2 now for about a year or even less. It does everything I want and everything I need. And I would buy it again if I have to. The screen seems a bit better in the new models and it has a faster processor. Ok, but do we need it? I don't.
 

Sean

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Jun 13, 2012
682
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It was hard to take the iPad 4th gen release seriously as a full release because I think all that changed was the clock speed on the CPU. there is no difference in price between the two models from retailers that sell 3rd and 4th gen, either. I also find it odd that Apple still sells the iPad 2 at a discounted rate.

Looks to me like the dropping of the number was a justification to release intermediate versions with very minor updates that wouldn't really justify a new purchase. Sounds like they should have just waited for the fifth gen announcement and called it the iPad 4 if what you say is true. The most important thing from a consumer perspective is knowing what accessories will work and that matters most if they're changing the form-factor of the device. Harder to tell easily without versioning in the name!

As for a justification to upgrade reduced weight would do it for me, but I think I'll update my Mac Mini before my iPad which I've had for much less than a year! I'm holding off on that for next-gen wifi support though, which is also reason enough to hold off on an iPad update.
 
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superballs

Active member
Apr 12, 2012
2,653
2
This kind of announcement makes me glad to have left the Apple sandbox. I loved my iPhone4, I'm not attempting to bash hardware or start a war, but the rapid dropping and releasing of new hardware on their end in my eyes weakens their brand. The iPhone 4 was succeeded by the 4S, a semi upgrade, and if you had a 4 there really wasn't a reason to upgrade unless you needed the absolute newest tech all the time. That speaks volumes about the quality and the lasting power of the iPhone4. The same is shown regarding the iPad2 by night's comment.

It seems that they are doing much less forward-thinking with their newer products. I think there was an entire year where every android phone released was compared directly to the iPhone4 to show how well it was starting to stack up. Now, direct comparisons between the Galaxy S3 and the iphone 5 are favoring the android phones.

Admittedly, it bothers me that there's no real product differentiation between the 3rd and 4th ipad and I hope they don't continue on with this "New iPad" thing, trying to make their tablet the 'Band-Aid' or 'Kleenex' of tablets and having everyone refer to all tablets as iPads is a pretty arrogant aspiration and will just result in consumer confusion.
 

Sean

New member
Jun 13, 2012
682
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I suspect part of the removal of a "version number" for the iPad was to put it on par with the computer line which also lacks any versioning and normally includes reference to the CPU clock speed to differentiate. You also end up with a stronger brand image where psychologically the device line is thought of as a whole - versioning is no longer the main thing - so iPads as a whole are thought of well and not compared to each other as much.

Outside of close-fitting things like bumper-style cases, most accessories shouldn't be a problem if the thickness changes a millimetre or two. I also doubt there are many people who always upgrade their kit - I know the earliest I'm looking to trade up will be 2014.
 

Dutch Pinball ball

New member
May 5, 2012
523
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I have ipad 3, still very happy with it. And i could not care less that new versions are live this fast. I like new technology.

But i am more loking forward to a new ipad mini with retina and better specs then my ipad 3. Is that is around i think i will buy that one.

If not, i will keep my ipad 3 as long it works, dont need to upgrade my 3, cause its fast enough for me and i cant imagine a better screen.
 

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