Mobile

iPad 5 With Radical New Design In October, iPhone 5S & Lower-Priced iPhone On Schedule, iPhone + in 2014?

Jimmie Geddes email: j.geddes@mobilenapps.com

With each passing day come new rumors about Apple's next generation iPad and iPhone. The latest rumor speculates that Apple will introduce the iPad 5 in October and not March due to supply issues. Apple is also, reportedly, moving ahead with launching the iPhone 5S and lower-priced, iPhone with plastic body this year. The 4.8-inch iPhone is not expected in 2013 but is reportedly in development and could be called "iPhone +".

The fifth generation iPad was expected to be launched in the usual March time frame Apple has always released a new iPad model but according to a new report the device will miss a March launch and will instead be released in October. One of the reasons for the rumored delay is supply issues for the iPad 5. iLounge's report also reveals that the iPad 5 will feature a radical new design and will be similar to the iPad mini.

"What does it look like? Well, it's a lot smaller than one would guess was possible: in portrait orientation, picture a 9.7" screen with virtually no left or right bezels, and only enough space above and below the screen to accommodate the mandatory camera and Home Button elements. Beyond that, it's noticeably thinner, as well, which is to say the fifth-generation iPad will be smaller in every dimension than its predecessors. As it will have the same chamfered edges and curves, calling it a "stretched iPad mini" is very close to entirely accurate."

When it comes to the iPhone 5S, the report reveals the device is nearly identical to the current iPhone 5, and as expected, will feature a camera upgrade with a slightly larger rear flash. The lower-priced, plastic iPhone will be launched on China Mobile to bring a lower cost iPhone to the carrier. It's pretty safe to assume that Apple will release this iPhone in more countries other than just China.

As for "iPhone Math" rumors, they do have some truth, according to iLounge.

"Addressing the so-called "iPhone Math"-hinted by one source as a mistranslation of "iPhone +"-we've been told that this is another new model and in early prototyping stages, certainly not expected in 2013. It supposedly has a 4.7" screen, at least for the time being. It might never make it to market, and plenty could change before it does. Consider it Apple's "just in case / Plan B" hedge against ever-growing Android phone screen sizes."

In another report, iLounge added some more details about the iPad 5, iPhone 5S and second-generation iPad mini:

"(1) The iPhone 5S is still months away from mass production, but our source suspects that the star feature will be an upgraded rear camera-perhaps featuring Sony's 13-Megapixel sensor, plus the aforementioned flash upgrade-along with a processor bump. Current prototypes are codenamed N51 and N53, with July mentioned as the target date.

(2) The iPad 5's code name is J72. As mentioned before, it looks like an October release, give or take.

(3) The second-generation iPad mini has a code name of J85, and is currently planned for October, as well. Everyone we've spoken with assumes that it will look and feel basically the same as the first-generation model but feature a Retina screen. That said, no one has actually come up with deeper details on it quite yet. If it's going to go Retina without substantial body changes, it will need a thin, dense screen (read: IGZO), and it remains to be seen whether there will be enough of those to go around this year."

© Copyright 2020 Mobile & Apps, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.

more stories from Mobile

Back
Real Time Analytics