Once again the rumours turned out to be true – Apple has confirmed it is holding another launch event on October 22, just a month after its latest iPhones hit the shelves.
Invites have been sent to journalists entitled ‘We still have a lot to cover.’ The invitation additionally shows a number of colourful leaves about the Apple logo in the background. Experts believe the tech giant could be about to announce a new iPad mini as well as an improved iPad – dubbed iPad 5 – at the Tuesday event.
This would be almost a year to the day since Apple’s CEO Tim Cook unveiled the first generation mini, and the release would see the tablets go on sale in time for Christmas.
Apple historically launches products on a Tuesday, making them available for pre-order the following Friday, before putting them on sale the Friday of the week after.
This suggests any new devices announced on 22 October will be on sale by 1 November.
Leaked photos have already hinted at what the tablets could look like, including a range of colourful cases, and in an investor note analysts state Apple could also be working on a 13-inch model.
Barclays Equity Research claimed the latest 64-bit architecture – seen in Microsoft’s new Surface 2 tablet – could pave the way for a 13-inch iPad designed to appeal to laptop users.
The 64-bit models are said to be more powerful and can handle more multitasking functions.
Rumours in August also claimed suppliers in China had been asked to ship larger displays, potentially for use on new Apple products.
During the iPhone announcement on 10 September, Apple’s CEO Tim Cook said: ‘Our teams are hard at work on some amazing new hardware, software and services that we can’t wait to introduce this Fall and throughout 2014.’
The current iPad mini came out in November 2012 and if Apple follows suit, this would confirm a mid-October announcement followed by an early-November sale date, in time for Christmas.
The price of the current iPads is also being cut in various regions, suggesting a new tablet is coming.
It’s likely the iPad mini 2 will keep the current 7.9-inch screen and not drop to 7-inches, in a bid to stay slightly bigger than Google’s Nexus 7, Tesco’s new Hudl and the MyTablet from Argos.
If Apple adds the Retina display seen on its new iPhones and larger iPads, its possible the second-generation iPad mini will be heavier and thicker.
However, leaked photos of the casing suggest it will be thinner, meaning Apple may wait to add the high-definition display to later models.
According to Apple site, 9to5Mac, the rumoured iPad 5 will also keep the 9.7-inch, high-resolution screen seen on older models.
The camera is due an upgrade, too, and is thought Apple would move to an 8MP rear-facing lens, with the possibility of even a 12MP camera being added.
Leaked images from Tactus additionally suggest the iPad 5 will be thinner than its predecessors.
Technology site Expert Reviews believes Apple will stick with its traditional pricing strategy for both models and charge the same price for its new products as it did for the outgoing models.
For example, the 16GB iPad 5 is expected to cost around £399 (approx R6303.80), this raises to £479 (approx R7567.72) for 32GB and £559 (approx R8831.64) for 64GB.
If Apple additionally follows its iPad 4 launch and introduces a 128GB iPad 5 model, this should start at around £639 (approx R10049.49) for 128GB, while 4G-ready models will cost more still.
Similarly, the iPad mini is expected to launch with at around (approx R4249.93) for 16GB and then in £80 (approx R1263.92) increments for the 32GB and 64GB models. Models with 3G and 4G access will cost more.
Apple could also launch a new line of Mac computers including a Macbook Pro and Mac mini at the event. Both are expected to be fitted with Intel’s Haswell processors that boost speeds and battery life.
Source: DailyMail
