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Editors’ note:This post was originally published on July 15, 2013. We’ll continue to update it until the devices launch.
If history is any indication, we can expect Apple to unveil the latest iPad and a new iPad Mini sometime this fall. In October 2012, Apple updated its popular Retina Display iPad with slightly better specs and introduced a smaller, more portable tablet called the iPad Mini.
The rumor mill quieted for a few months after last fall’s iPad launches, but it didn’t take long before people started wildly speculating about the next generations of Apple’s tablet line. Now, with only days to go before we expect to see some new iPads, the rumors of a delayed iPad Mini with Retina Display and a thinner iPad 5 are cropping up every few days.
What we think we know:
From the rumors, there is a good chance that the next version of the iPad will be thinner, lighter and have a design similar to the current iPad Mini. It will also (possibly) come in three colors: space gray, silver, and gold.
We’re calling it the iPad 5 here, but Apple has been known to not follow a specific numerical order for the iPad names, as the successors to the officially named iPad 2 were simply called the new iPad and the iPad with Retina Display.
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Details on the second-generation iPad Mini are a bit murkier. Reports say the tablet will either have the same design as the current model, or be lighter. It will also come in new colors, likely space gray, gold, and silver. The bigger news is that the smaller iPad will come with a Retina Display, which is already available on the full-sized iPad.
When will we get them:
Apple will host an event on October 22 to launch the iPad 5 and iPad Mini 2. Analysts are confident that the iPad 5 will go on sale during the holiday shopping season, likely not long after the event.
The iPad Mini is a different story. Some reports claim that the Retina screen is causing production delays and that the tablet won’t go on sale until early 2014. Other rumors say that you will, in fact, be able to buy a new iPad Mini as a holiday gift this year.
Of course, all of this is just speculation, and we won’t know anything officially until Apple announces details for its tablets sometime this fall.
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We’re tracking every rumor about the newest iPads, from the unlikely to the highly plausible below. Let us know in the comments if we missed any.
October 16, 2013
Production issues could hold back the iPad Mini with Retina
If you’re really hoping for an iPad Mini with Retina before 2014, you might be disappointed. Analysts from two Wall Street investment firms, RBC Capital Markets and Deutsche Bank, both doubt that the Retina Mini will be available for holiday shoppers due to production constraints.
October 16, 2013
Majorly redesigned iPad will spur holiday sales for Apple
Canaccord Genuity analyst Michael Walkley believes that Apple will announce an iPad at its October 22 event with a redesign significantly enough that it will get consumers to hand over their cash in droves this holiday season. However, he’s unsure if the iPad Mini with Retina will hit store shelves before the end of the year.
October 15, 2013
iPad 5 will get Touch ID, according to leaked photo
A new leaked photo from China-based site ctechcn.com shows more evidence that the iPad 5 will have Touch ID, the fingerprint sensor the debuted on the iPhone 5S.
October 15, 2013
October 22 Apple iPad event invites go out
We’ll get the first glimpses of the new iPad and iPad mini on Tuesday, October 22. The press received their invites for the event, which feature a silhouette of the Apple logo and several colorful leaves. The event will kick off at 10am Pacific time in San Francisco and CNET will liveblog all the action.
CNET
October 9, 2013
High-res photos of the iPad 5 leak out
We’ve already seen quite a few pictures of the purported new iPad 5, but here are some more. Frequent Apple products leaker Sonny Dickson published high resolution photos of the components of the iPad 5 and what it looks like all put together. There are two models in the photo, one in silver/white and one in the darker space gray used on the iPhone 5S.
October 13, 2013
Forget the iPad 5, the iPad 6 will have more pixels
We don’t even have an iPad 5 yet, but analysts are already speculating about the next iPad. KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo anticipates that the iPad 6 will come out in mid-2014, measure 9.7-inches, and have a pixel density that exceeds today’s iPad by 30 percent to 40 percent. He’s also confident we’ll see the iPad Mini 2 with Retina at the October 22, but that’s been widely expected for a while now.
October 8, 2013
Apple will unveil the new iPads at an October 22 event (probably)
Get ready everyone, sources say that Apple is holding an event on October 22 to show off the iPad 5, the iPad Mini 2, OS X Mavericks, and the Mac Pro. The news comes from AllThingsD, which is usually spot-on when it comes to unveiling Apple event news.
October 2, 2013
Touch ID might show up in the next iPads
This is one of the shakier rumors, but a video from Unbox Therapy, which has given us iPad leaks before, hints that Apple’s much talked about fingerprint sensor, Touch ID, will be available in the iPad 5 and Mini 2. There’s no hard proof, but the video hints at the fact that current home button doesn’t fit with the leaked glass panels that will supposedly be used for the new tablets. That possibly means that there will be a new home button with the fingerprint sensor.
Sonny Dickson
October 2, 2013
iPad 5 shipments will dwarf iPad Mini 2 shipments
There’s been a ton of back and forth about whether or not the iPad Mini 2 with Retina will go on sale in 2013. KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes it will be, but that shipments of the iPad 5 will outpace those of the iPad Mini 2. Specially, he expects that more than 10 million iPad 5s will ship in the fourth quarter compared with about 2 million iPad Mini 2s.
October 1, 2013
Space gray iPad 5 spotted, again
A video from iCrackUriDevice shows another look at the supposed iPad 5 in space gray, the same color Apple used for the iPhone 5S.
September 29, 2013
Purported iPad 5 gets weighed and measured
From what we’ve seen, the design for the iPad 5 and iPad Mini 2 will look very similar — an outer shell that has square edges, unlike the earlier iPad’s sloped sides. Now we’re getting a little more information on the exact size and weight of the upcoming iPads thanks to Hong Kong-based site Sw-box.com. A video from Sw-box shows that the iPad 5 is shorter, narrower (by 15mm), and thinner (by 2mm) than the iPad 4. It’s also lighter, by around 50 grams. Of course, we can’t be 100 percent sure that what’s in the video is actually the new iPad, but the device looks a lot like earlier leaks.
September 27, 2013
iPad Mini 2 is getting the gold treatment
We’ve already read reports of a space gray iPad Mini 2, but now it seems it will come in gold as well, says Chinese tech site DoNews. If it’s true, I’ll bet the gold iPad Mini 2 will be as hard to come by as the gold iPhone 5S.
Sonny Dickson
September 26, 2013
Video shows off new Smart Covers for iPad 5
Unbox Therapy posted a video that shows off purported Smart Covers redesigned for the iPad 5’s new shape. The new Smart Covers look almost identical to the earlier versions of the Apple accessory.
September 25, 2013
Photos of the space gray iPad 5 surface
Sonny Dickson, who’s become famous (or infamous) for leaks of upcoming Apple products, leaked out photos of a space gray iPad 5. If true, it spells the end of the black iPad, at least for now.
September 18, 2013
The iPad Mini 2 will come in “space gray”
According to leaked photos from French tech site NowhereElse, the iPad 5 will come in the same space gray color available on the iPhone 5S. That color will likely replace the current all-black iPad Mini.
September 12, 2013
A plausible photo of the iPad 5 and iPad Mini 2 pops up
Another photo of the iPad 5 and iPad Mini 2 has leaked from Sonny Dickson, this time showing both devices together. The site is notorious for leaking unconfirmed Apple products. The iPads in the photo look the same as earlier leaked models, so it’s plausible that what we see could be the new tablets.
September 11, 2013
iPad Mini 2 will look the same as first iPad Mini
A video has surfaced showing off the new iPad Mini 2’s case, or the outside body that will hold the internal components. According to the video from Unbox Therapy, the iPad Mini 2 has the same physical dimensions as the original iPad Mini. That likely means Apple has new internal specs up its sleeve for the iPad Mini, since the company is (maybe) not changing the outside design. At the top of the list of most-wanted and most-speculated features for the new Mini tablet is a Retina screen.
Sonny Dickson
September 8, 2013
More leaked images of the iPad 5
Sonny Dickson, who has a history of leaking Apple product images, posted a gallery of iPad 5 case photos. The images look identical to earlier photo leaks, showing a thinner, slimmer case, with sharper edges for the new full-size Apple tablet.
September 4, 2013
iPad Mini 2, coming this year
This year or next year? Analysts can’t make up their mind about when the new iPad Mini will arrive. This time, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says the iPad Mini with the Retina Display will pop up this year. He also thinks we’ll also see a new iPad Mini in 2014.
September 4, 2013
Spotted: a thinner, smaller iPad 5
We’ve already seen a thinner iPad 5, but now photos have leaked out showing a narrower iPad. A video from Unbox Therapy shows a iPad 5 case with thicker iPad Mini-style bezels, and a compact design that’s not as wide as the previous model. If the case is real, it looks like Apple didn’t sacrifice screen size when making the new iPad smaller. The back of the case looks a lot like the fifth generation iPod Touch, thanks to its sharper sides that aren’t as rounded as the earlier iPads.
August 28, 2013
No iPads at September 10 iPhone event
If you have your hopes up for an iPad 5 or iPad Mini 2 launch at Apple’s September 10 event, you’ll likely be disappointed, says 9to5Mac and AppleInsider. Apple’s past announcements point us towards a separate iPad event later in the fall.
Sonny Dickson
August 28, 2013
Photos of a purported iPad 5 show a thinner design
Apple products leak site Sonny Dickson unveiled photos of an alleged iPad 5 that seems to confirm earlier reports of a thinner, lighter tablet. The leaked photos show a front panel for the iPad 5 with thin side bezels and thick bottom and top bezels, a design that’s already being used on the iPad Mini.
August 20, 2013
Citi bets its money on an early-2014 iPad Mini Retina launch
Citi Research wrote in a note to investors that Apple will release a thinner, lighter iPad 5 and a lower-cost iPad Mini without a Retina Display that will cost around $250 in fall 2013. As for the iPad Mini with a Retina Display, it won’t show until the beginning of 2014.
August 14, 2013
iPad Mini Retina screen production at same level it was for iPad Mini last year
Parts manufacturer IHS iSuppli tells CNET that its production level of screens for the iPad Mini with Retina Display is the same as it was last year at this time for the first iPad Mini, which launched in November 2012. That means the supplier should likely have enough screens to meet demand when the iPad Mini with Retina launches, which is rumored to be sometime this fall.
August 12, 2013
iPad Mini Retina will launch this year
After much speculation that we would not get a iPad Mini with a Retina Display before 2013 is out, a new rumor from Bloomberg cropped up saying just the opposite. The rumor also says that the entire iPad line will get an update this fall, with a thinner iPad with thinner bezels and, of course, an iPad Mini Retina.
August 9, 2013
Replacement iPad 5 screens surface, have thinner bezels
Apple replacement parts dealer Macfixit Australia published pictures of what it claims are replacement iPad 5 screens. The screens are the same size as the current iPad screens, but have thinner side bezels than the current model. MacFixit also says that the iPad 5’s display will also have new connectors, called Flexible Printed Circuits, like those found in the iPhone 5.
Screenshot by Lance Whitney/CNET
July 31, 2013
Apple is tapping Samsung for Retina iPad Mini screens
First it was LG Displays, now it’s Samsung. A report from the Wall Street Journal says that Apple will likely ask Samsung to manufacture screens for the iPad Mini with Retina Display. Japan Display and LG Display will also make screens for the iPad Mini Retina, which is real and will arrive in the fall, according to the rumor.
July 31, 2013
No iPad Mini with Retina at all?
If a report from 9to5Mac is right, there’s not an iPad Mini with a Retina Display in the works after all. Hidden iOS 7 code is showing three new models for the iPad Mini, likely representing 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB devices. The code shows that these new models have the same A6 processor found in the iPhone 5, but there are no references to double-resolution images, which indicates the new iPad Minis won’t have a Retina display. Keep in mind, clues for new devices found in Apple’s code are hit or miss when it comes to what ultimately launches when Apple is ready.
July 21, 2013
Apple testing 13 inch iPad screens
The Wall Street Journal reports that Apple has been testing screens for the iPad 5 that measure almost 13 inches diagonally. That’s a significant size increase over the current 9.7-inch diagonal screen size of the iPad 2, 3, and 4.
July 18, 2013
iPad Mini Retina won’t be delayed
Going against earlier reports, Digitimes says that screen manufacturer LG Displays is making enough headway to get enough iPad Minis with a Retina display ready for an October launch.
July 15, 2013
iPad Mini 2 is delayed, again
That darn Retina Display is holding up the iPad Mini 2, says another report — this time from DigiTimes. According to the Asian site, Apple needs a stockpile of Retina Displays to mass-produce the Mini and have enough units to meet demand. Apparently, production of the screens is not slated to start until the end of 2013, meaning the device might not launch until early 2014. Also, the new iPad Mini will have a nearly bezel-less front display, the report says.
July 8, 2013
iPad 5 is on time, but Apple is still deciding the fate of the Mini’s screen
The newest full-size iPad is slated to arrive in September and sport a thinner bezel than the iPad 4’s, according to a report from DigiTimes, which cited parts suppliers. The same report tells us that the next iPad Mini might be delayed until the holiday season if Apple decides to give it a Retina Display.
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June 18, 2013
Redesigned iPad Mini now, Retina Display later
The rumor mill is not betting on a fall release of the iPad Mini 2 with a Retina display. This time, analyst blog NPD DisplaySearch said that Apple will release a new iPad Mini with a faster processor, A6 instead of the current A5, and iOS 7 in quarter three 2013. However, the new tablet will sport the same 7.9-inch 1,024×768-pixel-resolution display as the first iPad Mini’s. A 2,048×1,536-pixel-resolution Retina Display Mini is on its way, but it won’t get here until early 2014.
June 14, 2013
The iPad Mini Retina will arrive in the fall
According to market researcher IHS iSuppli, production for “less than 3 million” iPad Mini Retina Display screens will start in the third quarter of 2013, or around September. That won’t be enough for wide-spread availability of the device if Apple launches it in October. That means if the rumor is true, it’s likely that Apple will launch a new non-Retina iPad Mini in the fall and launch the Retina iPad in early 2014.
June 7, 2013 Another budget iPad Mini rumor, iPad 2 and 4 will be discontinued
Citi Research told investors in early June that it expects the iPad Mini 2 to launch in the second half of 2013 priced between $230 and $250, lower than the first iPad Mini’s price of $329. The cheaper iPad Mini will compete with other low-cost tablets, such as the Nexus 7, and stave off demand for the iPad Mini with a Retina Display, which Citi says won’t come to light until the beginning of 2014. Citi also notes that the iPad 5 will be slimmer than its predecessor and that Apple will stop producing iPad 2s and iPad 4s in quarter three of 2013.
June 6, 2013
Gumdrop Cases thinks the iPad 5 is launching during WWDC
Not a rumor per se, but iOS device case company Gumpdrop took a big gamble by announcing cases for the iPad 5, which the company was sure Apple would announce at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference. If the thinner cases fit the iPad 5 when it does launch, then the effort won’t be in vain. However, Gumpdrop CEO Tim Hickman’s track record isn’t great — another one of his companies launched an iPhone 5 case before the 4S launch and it didn’t fit at all.
June 4, 2013
Apple will put off the iPad Mini 2 launch until 2014
Apple could be making a conscious decision from to put off the launch of the new 7.9-inch tablet, said DigiTimes. It’s possible that Apple doesn’t want the iPad Mini 2 sales to overshadow the iPad 5’s, said the Taiwan-based publication, so the company is going to hold off launching the iPad 2 until after the holiday season. Also, expect 8 million iPad 5s to ship in the third quarter, the rumor says.
May 30, 2013
iPad 5 case shows that it will be thinner
A video from Vietnamese site Tinhte showed off a rumored iPad 5 case, designed to protect the new device. The case is designed to hold a tablet that’s slimmer and slightly shorter than the iPad 4, hinting that the iPad 5 will have a new look when it launches.
May 28, 2013
Be on the lookout for a budget iPad Mini
Hoping to sway those that would pick up a Nexus 7 or a Kindle Fire HD, Apple will launch a lower-cost iPad Mini 2, said research group Citi. Along with a budget iPhone, we could see an iPad Mini that costs less than $250. At that price, it’s doubtful that it will have a Retina Display.
May 20, 2013
Hefty iPad be gone! The iPad 5 will be lighter
As stunning as the Retina Displays on the iPad 3 and 4 are, they sure do add a lot of weight to the tablets. DigiTimes says that the iPad 5 will still have a beautiful screen and be lighter and thinner, thanks to thinner glass and a smaller backlight apparatus. Expect the iPad 5 to be 25 percent to 33 percent lighter than the iPad 4.
May 6, 2013
Retina iPad Mini display could go into production by June or July
NPD DisplaySearch said in early May that the display for the iPad Mini 2 with Retina Display will go into production in June or July, and one of the suppliers will be LG Displays. If the rumor is true, that would mean the iPad Mini 2 would be ready for sale in the third quarter 2013. NPD Display also noted that another iPad Mini 2 with a faster processor will launch in early 2014.
April 22, 2013
Two iPad Mini 2s this year: One with a Retina Display and one without
Though Citigroup analyst Glen Yeung said that demand for the iPad Mini is slowing, he expects Apple to release two versions of the iPad Mini 2 in the fourth quarter of 2013. One will have a Retina Display found on the iPhone 5 and iPad 4, and one will have the same 1,024×768-pixel-resolution display found on the current iPad Mini.
April 18, 2013
Thinner, lighter iPad 5
KGI Securities analyst Mingchi Kuo told investors that he expects the iPad 5 to be 15 percent thinner and 25 percent lighter than the iPad 4, thanks to a smaller battery, a better display, and a new processor.
Screenshot by Lance Whitney/CNET
April 11, 2013
New LED backlight apparatus will make the iPad 5 thinner
An analyst with NPD DisplaySearch told CNET that the iPad 5 will be thinner thanks to a redesigned backlight that sports fewer but more-efficient LEDs.
Aprill 11, 2013
iPad Mini will have a Retina Display
KGI Securities analyst Ming-chi Kuo said that Apple will give the iPad Mini 2 a Retina Display, and that could present production challenges that might delay the device.
April 10, 2013
Photos from French site show a thinner iPad 5
Leaked photos from French site Nowhereelse.fr show that the iPad 5 will have a thinner front cover and the surrounding bezel than the iPad 4. Though rumors of a thinner iPad 5 have cropped up before, this is the first photographic evidence of it, if the photos are in fact authentic.
April 9, 2013
Apple wants suppliers to start producing fifth-gen iPad in summer 2013
DigiTimes said that Apple has told the suppliers that make the parts for its iPads that it wants them to start production on the iPad 5 in late summer, around July or August.
