Report: Apple Readying New iPad, Mini May Be Delayed
Apple (AAPL) is said to be readying a new, fifth-generation, 9.7-inch iPad tablet for release this coming September, featuring a sleek, thinner bezel with more rounded edges, according to a report in AppleInsider citing supply chain sources talking to Taiwan’s IT industry publication DigiTimes.
Apple (AAPL) is said to be readying a new, fifth-generation, 9.7-inch iPad tablet for release this coming September, featuring a sleek, thinner bezel with more rounded edges, according to a report in AppleInsider citing supply chain sources talking to Taiwan’s IT industry publication DigiTimes.
DigiTimes has a well-recognized, spotty reputation for accuracy so some degree of skepticism should be applied here, but, according to the report, Apple has halved the number of LED tubes to one required to back-light the upcoming iPad’s Retina display, extended the device’s battery life and dispensed with up to 25 percent of the unit's weight. Suppliers allegedly have told Apple that they can meet expected demand for the new iPad, freeing the vendor to project shipment estimates by the end of July if it so chooses.
With a new iPad perhaps seemingly headed for shelves in the early fall, the next iPad Mini, on the other hand, may be delayed, hamstrung by display issues, according to reports. The DigiTimes report said Apple still is mulling over whether to use a Retina display for the Mini, but doing so could delay the device’s debut until Q4. In addition, Apple is said to be asking suppliers to slim the Mini’s bezel even more.
In another report, MacRumors pointed to an account in Taiwan’s Economic Daily News that claimed shortages of Retina display panels for the second-generation iPad Mini have prompted Apple to delay the device’s launch until early next year, which means it would miss this 2013 holiday season. According to the report, Apple still is deliberating over offering Retina and non-Retina versions of the unit, trying to figure out how best to differentiate different models if it were to opt for that strategy.
The drumbeat on display issues for the iPad Mini has started to get louder of late with a number of reports flip-flopping about Apple’s plans. Usually when there’s an increasing volume of noise over an impending Apple launch, there’s more than some truth to the rumors.
