Sam Oliver
A new report claims Apple is gearing up to launch a second-generation iPad mini with Retina display in the third calendar quarter of this year, with a redesigned 9.7-inch iPad also in the works.
The details were reported on Monday by CNYes (via Macotakara), which said that Apple has not seen a significant decline in iPad mini shipments since the device launched in late 2012. In all, Apple is reportedly planning to ship 55 million iPad mini units in calendar 2013.
But Apple has also reportedly cut its shipment projections for its full-size 9.7-inch iPad, the report said, from 60 million units to 33 million. In all, Apple is rumored to have revised its expected iPad shipments downward from 100 million to 88 million.
Those numbers are identical to what was reported by the NPD Group in February, which claimed that full-size iPad sales "collapsed" in January. It's expected that the 7.9-inch iPad mini will become the market leader this year, cannibalizing sales of the 9.7-inch iPad.
Monday's report also indicated that Apple is planning to debut a new fifth-generation iPad with a redesigned aluminum alloy metal chassis. It's expected that the new hardware will feature the a design similar to the iPad mini, with a thinner bezel and lighter frame.
But the report suggested that Apple is likely to face yield problems with its sixth-generation full-size iPad, much like the company saw in ramping up production of the iPad mini last year.
If Apple does launch new iPads in the third quarter of this year, it would be later than was recently predicted by iMore, which has a strong track record in forecasting the company's future product plans. Rene Ritchie also claimed earlier this month that Apple's next iPad mini isn't likely to sport a high-resolution Retina display.
Prior to 2012, the iPad was updated by Apple on an annual refresh cycle. But late last year, the company surprised by launching the fourth-generation iPad about six months after the third-generation model debuted. The hardware was upgraded to an A6X processor and added the new, smaller Lightning port.
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15 Comments
It sounds like they are saying it will debut in the late third quarter *because* of their discovery that iPad mini sales haven't slacked off at all since launch. This is faulty reasoning if true.
[IMG ALT=""]http://forums.appleinsider.com/content/type/61/id/22190/width/350/height/700[/IMG] waiting
Hope the redesigned iPad 5 comes sooner that the 3rd quarter...I sold my iPad 4 on eBay!
I had an iPad2 and loved it. I sold it to get an iPad3 (which I haven't done yet). Went to an Apple store this weekend and looked at the Mini. I know it's smaller but it just felt slim and trim compared to the full size iPad. The Mini is the future of iPads.
I will be getting the iPad Mini very shortly! It's the best iPad for me.
P.S. Not sure I would pay more for Retina. And I hope having a Retina display doesn't make it thicker and heavier. If so I will get a first gen. Mini!
I used to agree that the Mini is the future. Holding one sold me! But now I'm not 100% sure... once I hold a truly lightweight FULL iPad (the next one MIGHT reach that level, might not) then I'll know. The more I think about it, the more I think the beauty of the Mini is the weight, not the screen size (which comes down more to preference, and many people want a bigger screen--and people have shown demand for Apple's higher and products over their lower ones in the past, so price alone won't steer masses away from the big screen if they want one). If the next full iPad is not a LOT lighter (see the amazing change from iPhone 4S to 5) then I'll want a Mini (retina please, but I still predict that's going to need a ton of power/battery AND big yields, and thus won't happen this year). Even though the Mini lacks the big screen I desire, weight matters more. And the mini's screen is 80% as larger in width and length. Not THAT small, despite the small case they squeezed it into. (8" Mini has a bigger screen but is physically smaller than 7" tablets.) Just give me a 128GB mini. I hoard massive games shamefully. I take all these predictions with salt, though--they're just guesses based on a complex supply chain. And of course, any wrong guesses mean "Apple has slipped" :p