It has been a few month since the Apple’s release of iPad 4 and iPhone 5 in last October. The next-generation iPad and iPhone, may still be months away, but that hasn’t stopped rumors and speculations surrounding the highly anticipated iOS devices. We collect the key rumored features and release date of the next generation iPad and iPhone enthusiasts. Read on for details.
iPad 5 Rumors - 128 GB iPad coming in 2013 fall
Apple's decision to launch the 128 GB iPad in February seems to make rumors of a new model in March or April appear unlikely, suggesting the fall as a more likely time for a refresh.
iLounge was among the sites to suggest a Spring 2013 date for the launch of the iPad 5, although the site has since backtracked from that claim to suggest that the device will be arriving in or around October. The generally reliable KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has also predicted a Q3 launch.
World of Apple's Alex Brooks notes that Apple's release of the 128 GB iPad next week lends weight to the idea that Apple will henceforth be returning to an annual release cycle for new iPad models, keeping the tablet more closely in line with iPhone launches and major iOS updates.
This is where the 128GB iPad comes in, the release sends a clear message that despite rumours to the contrary Apple will not release a new iPad in March or April and the next update to the iPad will come in October alongside the second iPad mini, iOS 7 and will ready Apple for another blockbuster year end.
Brooks notes that it would be strange for Apple to return to releasing the iPad midway through the iPhone/iOS cycle, suggesting that the double update for the iPad in 2012 was an opportunity to both align the iPad with the launch schedule for the rest of Apple's device lineup and iOS and to make a wholesale shift to the new Lightning connector.
iPad mini 2 rumors – 2,048 x 1,536 pixels on 7.9-inch tab?
The biggest criticism of the current iPad mini so far is its 1,024 x 768 resolution. Critics wonder why a Retina display wasn't incorporated into the first iPad mini to begin with. Cynics will say Apple went with a lower resolution so it had some low hanging fruit to grab for the next upgrade.
The story goes that the iPad mini 2 will have an even sharper display of 2,048 x 1,536 pixels packed into the same 7.9-inch space.
RBC Capital Markets analyst Doug Freedman - who was in China visiting chip companies in mid-December 2012 said: "iPad Mini Gen-2: Apple's gen-2 iPad mini is getting pulled-in, and is likely to have several new suppliers, with TXN gaining content."
With production of the sharper screens projected to start by the later half of 2013, the iPad mini 2 release date could be mid to late 2013? And could March be the release date for a revised version? Ming-Chi Kuo, a financial analyst with KGI Securities, has published what is believed to be a leaked roadmap of Apple products for 2013. That points at an iPad mini 2 being released late in the year.
iPhone 6 rumors - could come in a range of colours and in a range of screen sizes
A new report has suggested that the iPhone 6 or iPhone 5S could come with different screens and come in a range of colours. The prediction comes courtesy of analyst Brian White at Topeka Capital who believes Apple is now in the perfect position to take on Android.
With the Retina display likely to appear on the iPhone 5S it would appear as though Apple may shift to a larger iPhone screen for the 6 with reports suggesting the company will finally try and compete with the screen of smartphones like the upcoming HTC J Butterfly.
Analyst Brian White believes that Apple will add a third screen size to the current line-up found on the iPhone 4S and iPhone 5 offering a screen size that would rival the likes of Samsung's Galaxy S3 smartphone.
The Apple iPhone 6 release date could well be one key reason why there may not be an iPhone 5S at all. Tech website Technorati believes that Apple will be looking to regain the wow factor and to do that it needs to restrict its launches to game changing products.
While they could well launch the iPhone 5S as the ‘budget iPhone’ the iPhone 6 will be the next major version of Apple’s smartphone and the website believes that Cupertino could be looking to release it late 2013 possibly even 2014 in order to compete directly with what would surely be the Samsung Galaxy S5.
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