Kevin Bostic
The last few months have seen multiple leaks hinting at the design of Apple's next iPad, but now a picture released to the Internet purports to show the actual rear casing of the tablet, again suggesting Apple may adopt an iPad mini-like design for it's next full-size offering.
The image showed up Monday on tech blog Tactus, which last week showed off both a supposed low-cost iPhone shell and new cases said to be designed to the specs of the next iPad. Monday's image appears to largely match the design aesthetic seen in those leaked cases, as the rear casing shown keeps the look of Apple's iPad mini.
Aside from the image, the post suggested that the next iPad will retain its 9.7-inch screen size, but with much thinner bezels. It may also contain an A7X chip.
The report also holds that Apple use a thinner LED backlight, allowing for a lighter design, as was previously rumored. The company may also be leveraging Indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO) displays in its next iPad. Likely provided by Sharp, these displays can pack twice the resolution of a conventional LCD screen with up to 90 percent power savings.
Well-connected analyst Ming-Chi Kuo indicated last week that Apple's fifth-generation iPad will be 25 percent lighter and 15 percent thinner than the previous third- and fourth-generation designs. The slimness will reportedly come from new GF2 screen technology, a change from the current iPad's GG touch tech.
Improvements in performance are also expected to allow Apple to utilize smaller batteries within the next iPad, which will result in a significant reduction in weight. The weight is rumored to be around 500 grams, down from the 650-gram size of the current fourth-generation model.
Introduced last fall, the iPad mini featured thinner bezels and a more curved casing than the full-size iPad. It also sports stereo speakers on the bottom of the device, as opposed to the single speaker located on the rear of the current iPad.
William Gallagher
Christine McKee
AppleInsider Staff
Chip Loder
Malcolm Owen
24 Comments
Not expecting any new design. iPod, iPad mini and iPad belong to same design language.
But iPhone must be radically new.
But iPhone must be radically new.
No, it mustn't.
Can't tell, I see symmetrical features on the bottom, could those be stereo speakers? Also, unless the case manufacturer is just guessing, there does not appear to be a flash for the rear facing camera added this time around.
[quote name="Mac_128" url="/t/157104/supposed-apple-ipad-5-rear-casing-again-shows-mini-like-design#post_2314573"]Can't tell, I see symmetrical features on the bottom, could those be stereo speakers?[/quote] The iPad mini has stereo speakers so I think it's a safe bet the entire iPad line will have going forward.
Not expecting any new design. iPod, iPad mini and iPad belong to same design language.
But iPhone must be radically new.
How do you make a "radically new" phone design, when it has to accomodate a very specific screen size and shape, be as thin as possible, have as little bezel as possible, and be comfortable and practical for hundreds of millions of people to be sold around the world? I don't get it. Every SINGLE smartphone that exists now looks more or less the same- a glass slab, surrounded by plastic or metallic material. I'm not sure how "radical" one can make the physical shape or design anymore. Blinking lights maybe? Random things jutting out? Triangular?