January 01, 2013
A
sales assistant holds an iPad mini next to a customer holding an iPad
during the China launch of the iPad mini, in Wuhan, Hubei province,
December 7, 2012. — Reuters file pic
According to numerous Southeast Asian supply chain
partners, the next Apple iPad will be unveiled in March and will be
slimmer and lighter but just as powerful as the current full-sized iPad.
The iPad Mini will get a resolution upgrade so that it boasts a HD
screen like its big brother and several of its 7-inch competitors.
According to Taiwanese sources quoted in Digitimes,
the iPad Mini was going to have a high-resolution display from launch
but the extra cost would have made the devices too expensive — however,
the price of panels has fallen sufficiently for the displays to be
integrated into future models without increasing the retail price.
Meanwhile, sources from China, reported in the usually reliable Japanese Apple technology site Macotakaea,
claim that the fifth generation iPad will only use one, rather than
two, LED backlights to illuminate its screen in order to reduce weight,
while the bezel around the display will be reduced, as with the iPad
Mini, so that the device will be 4mm shorter, 17mm narrower and 2mm
thinner, while retaining its 9.7-inch display.
As to the speculation that both devices will debut in
March, this is traditionally the month that Apple releases new tablets —
the only exception being in October 2012, when an updated iPad and new
iPad Mini were launched to capitalise on the roll-out of 4G LTE mobile
connectivity and to cash in on the growing market for smaller tablets
respectively. — AFP/Relaxnews
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