Tag Archives: iPad 5

Retailers Offering Big iPad Discounts, Maybe We Will See a New Model This Month

by on in iPad

Best Buy Discount iPads

Best Buy are offering heavy discounts on various iPad 3 models this week. As 9to5Mac reports, current deals at Best Buy offer up to 30% off standard retail prices.

One of the most enticing deals will let online shoppers get their hands on a 16GB Wi-Fi only model for just $314. A 32GB Wi-Fi only model is available for as low as $384 ($165 off retail).

Fortune Tech also has a piece up today, noting that deep price cuts this week at several retailers are also including the iPad mini and speculates that this is an indication that new models are coming soon:

On Wednesday, Wal-Mart (WMT), Best Buy (BBY) and MacMall initiated clearance sales, reducing their 3rd-generation iPad and current iPad mini prices roughly 30% across the board — a pretty good sign that Apple is about to replace the old models with new ones.

I would not be at all surprised to see a new iPad release as early as this month, as I’ve mentioned before when talking about the possible move to 6 month refresh cycles for the iPad. But I expect and hope that Apple will hold off releasing a new iPad mini until they can add a retina display to it – and all the latest leaks / rumors I’ve seen on that topic suggest that’s not likely to happen until towards the end of this year.

It would be great to see a new iPad that borrows a bit from the iPad mini though. If we are going to see that this month then we should see one of those lovely Apple event invites issued over the next week or two.

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iPad Rumor of the Day: New iPad Release as Soon as April

by on in iPad Rumors & Myths

iPad 5 render

Image Source: Martin Hajek

So today we’ve got a promising sounding iPad rumor that says Apple may be gearing up for a new iPad release as soon as April. This comes via Rene Ritchie at iMore, who has a very solid recent track record on predicting new Apple product launch and release dates.

Here’s the gist of what iMore has heard:

We’ve also been told an April-ish launch is getting serious consideration for the next-generation iPads, but we’re really not sure what to make of that yet. iPad 5 casings have already begun to leak — the only big redesign in the line — so that could make sense. Retina for the iPad mini, however, still doesn’t sound imminent.

I’ve said before and still think that a twice a year refresh pattern for the iPad sounds right to me. They did it last year and it would make a lot of sense to me if the iPad 5th gen gets a Spring release and then the iPad mini sees a late Fall release. That should allow for substantial upgrades to the ‘standard’ iPad and hopefully enough time for Apple to work out a way to add a retina display to the iPad mini.

My only other quick thought is that while an iPad mini with retina display should be a monster hit right away, the iPad 5 will need some major new features to create anything like as much excitement.

What are your thoughts on the new iPads we’ll see this year?

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Lovely iPad Rumor of the Day: Apple Moving to 2 iPad Releases Per Year

by on in iPad Rumors & Myths

iPad 5 Mockup

Image Source: Martin Hajek

I know, I know – new iPad rumors already – when we just saw the release of two new iPads a couple of months ago. Crazy, right? Well, maybe not so much. Today MacRumors and others are reporting on Wall Street analyst Brian White’s prediction that we’ll see 2 more new iPads released in March:

Our checks at CES indicate Apple will release the iPad 5 and the second-generation iPad mini this March. The iPad 5 is expected to be lighter and thinner than the iPad 4 that was released in October, while the form factor of the iPad mini should be similar to the first generation iPad mini that debuted in October.

Even more interesting is that over recent weeks Horace Dediu of Asymco discussed the possibility of Apple switching to a twice a year release schedule for at least some of its star products – and put forward some solid reasons why this is plausible. Then Graham Spencer at MacStories did some further research and analysis around Dediu’s case and posted his thoughts this week. He weighs up a number of factors to do with release schedules, international rollouts timing, spreading out demand peaks and troughs better over the course of the year and ends up saying his guess is that Apple will move to a twice a year release schedule for the iPad and iPhone in 2013, while pointing out that it’s a tough call and a very tough thing to pull off for Apple.

[click to continue reading…]

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iPad 5 Renderings – Too Soon?

by on in iPad 5

iPad 5 Render

Shown above is what a thinner, more iPad mini-like iPad 5 might look like, based on the latest rumors on the iPad 5th gen.

The render was created by Martin Hajek, who created a set of iPad mini renders that proved to be not far off at all when the iPad mini was unveiled.

I know it seems awfully early to be talking about an iPad 5 when the iPad 4th gen was only released less than two months ago – but I’ve seen a good amount of speculation that Apple may be moving towards a 6-month refresh cycle for the iPad, so it’s not too crazy to think we might see a new iPad or iPads come March / April time next year.

I certainly hope and expect that whenever the iPad 5 is released it will follow the iPad mini in being thinner and lighter.I have also grown to like the slate back of the iPad mini a lot, so I wouldn’t object to that being adopted in a 5th gen iPad either.

What do you all think and what are your expectations for the iPad 5?

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