iPad 5

Apple updates touch tech in upcoming iPads

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 24, 2013

DigiTimes in January wrote Apple's fifth-generation iPad could adopt the iPad mini's thin-film touchscreen technology called GF Ditto, also better known as GF2. NPD DisplaySearch is well-versed in all things concerning mobile screens and yesterday they corroborated the rumor.

Specifically, DisplaySearch notes Apple’s shift toward in-cell display tech for the iPhone 5 and GF2 for the upcoming iPads has resulted in major shifts in the touch-panel industry supply chain. Basically a double-sided ITO film, GF2 has allowed Apple to make the iPad mini much thinner and significantly lighter compared to the bulkier G/G touchscreen tech driving the iPad 3.

As the iPad 5 is widely expected to adopt the iPad mini's thin and light appearance, obviously a major part of that will be Apple's adoption of the advanced GF2 technology...

Analyst: iPad 5/iPhone 5S/budget model in September, no Retina iPad mini in 2013

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 22, 2013

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo is fast becoming the de facto most reliable Apple watcher. Expanding on his April note which advised investors to brace themselves for a delayed iDevice roll-out over manufacturing "challenges," his just-updated shipments timetable now offers more in way of detail.

Long story short, the analyst is expecting the iPhone 5S in late-September, but in limited quantity, with the oft-rumored plastic iPhone (he's calling it an 'iPhone Lite') becoming available even sooner than the iPhone 5S in early-September because its chassis is easier to make than the two-tone iPhone 5S design.

Early September will also bring us an updated iPad 5, he said, but there will be no iPad mini successor this year due to engineering issues. As for the Mac family, Kuo sees a mid-September launch of a Haswell-enabled Retina MacBook Pro, with a Haswell-driven iMac up for a late-August introduction. The full breakdown is right after the break...

Apple reportedly ordering large amounts of touch panels for next-gen iPads

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 19, 2013

The somewhat reliable Taiwanese trade publication DigiTimes yesterday changed course to say a second-generation Retina iPad mini upgrade is in fact launching this Fall, contrary to previous reports by Economic Daily News and NPD DisplaySearch, which called for a 2014 launch.

And in another sign of production ramp-up, DigiTimes reports that Apple's touch panel suppler TPK is expecting its third-quarter performance to improve due to significant One Glass Solution (OGS) touch panel orders from Apple...

DigiTimes: iPad 5 with optimized battery in September, Apple ‘still adjusting’ new iPad mini

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 8, 2013

According to the supply chain sources who spoke to DigiTimes, the Taiwanese trade publication infamous for its mixed track record, Apple will release a fifth-generation 9.7-inch iPad in September. As for the second-generation iPad mini, the company is "still adjusting" that device.

What this means is that iPad mini 2 specs have not been decided on yet. Its bigger brother may sport a longer battery life than the usual ten-hour rated performance iPads are known for due to an optimized battery design...

Alleged iPad 5 schematics picture iPad mini-like design

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 1, 2013

A French blog which earned a reputation of posting images of geniunie-looking Apple product parts is back at it again, posting this morning a set of purported design schematics claimed to be for Apple's fifth-generation iPad.

Matching up a number of past reports, these alleged photographs suggest the iPad 5 indeed has adopted a form factor very similar to the current iPad mini model...

New report claims redesigned iPad coming in Q3, new iPad mini in Q4

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 11, 2018

This year has been kind of a weird one for Apple in terms of product releases. It's June now, and we have yet to see a new iPad this year (no, I'm not counting the 128GB model). That hasn't happened since the tablet's inception back in 2010.

But it's coming. Or should I say they're coming. Apple is expected to release both a new iPad and iPad mini this year. And according to a new report out of China, the former is coming in Q3, and the latter will arrive just before the holidays...

Another iPad 5 front panel leaks (update: debunked)

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 31, 2017

A new image has popped up on a reliable Chinese web site, showing what appears to be a front panel for Apple's upcoming fifth-generation iPad. Matching up previous leaks, the part features skinnier side bezels that Apple first tried on the iPad mini. The part has holes for the FaceTime front camera and the Home button in the same position as the iPad mini’s bezel, along with the touchscreen connector.

Update: as pointed out by the French blog NowhereElse.fr, the image depicts an iPad mini digitizer. Move along folks, nothing to see here...

Alleged case video depicts reduced iPad 5 width and height

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 30, 2013

A rather credible Vietnamese publication has posted a video Thursday which purportedly depicts a case thought to have been designed for Apple's next-generation full-size iPad, the iPad 5. Now, rumor mills expect the next iPad to adopt the iPad mini's narrow side bezels and thinner appearance.

Although iDB couldn't confirm the authenticity of the video at press time, it does indicate that narrower side bezels on the iPad 5 could result in a device that's both narrower and has slightly reduced height compared to the current-generation iPad 4...

DigiTimes: 33 percent lighter iPad 5 on track for September release

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 20, 2013

DigiTimes, the-sometimes-reliable Taiwanese trade publication, on Monday ran a report which quotes sources with Taiwan's supply chain who claim that a fifth revision to Apple's full-size 9.7-inch iPad will be 25-33 percent lighter than its previous generation.

The fifth-generation iPad is believed to be entering trial production next month, meaning the device should be on track for a rumored September launch. Initial output is pegged at up to three million units until Apple and its manufacturing partners reach yield levels necessary to ramp up production...

Alleged iPad 5 rear shell highlights new design

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 27, 2016

Case maker Tactuc is on a roll lately. After the vendor, in what some people likened to a PR stunt, last week released a batch of photos purported to depict a polycarbonate shell for a rumored less-pricey iPhone model, the company is back at it today with a new leak claimed to represent the rear shell of a fifth-generation iPad. There isn't much to glean from the photograph and, of course, we have no way of telling whether or not this is the real deal, an early prototype or a shell for some other product. However, the image does bear resemblance to iPad molds Tactus leaked earlier...

Apple may have delayed next-gen iPads over fire at LG Display’s subcontractor plant

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 17, 2013

An analyst report last Tuesday disappointed folks who were holding their breath for new iPads before this summer. As iDB told you, KGI Securities' rather accurate analyst Ming-Chi Kuo cited a number of "technical challenges" that Apple is currently facing in manufacturing the second-generation iPad mini and fifth-generation full-size iPad, leading him to believe that both products won't hit the market until Fall.

I've come across an accurate report which might explain that a fire which last week broke out in one of LG Display's subcontractor plants has forced Apple to frantically seek for alternative suppliers who could supply backlight units for iPads and MacBooks. All options are on table, including the display-making unit of Apple's frenemy Samsung...

iPad 5: lighter and thinner thanks to tweaked display assembly

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 12, 2013

Several supply chain checks are now pointing to Apple's fifth-generation iPad being lighter and thinner over its predecessor, the iPad 4. According to one display expert, Apple will achieve the thinner appearance in a lighter device thanks to advancements in the display department. For starters, in reducing the size of LED backlighting and improving its efficiency, Apple engineers will be able to reduce the overall weight of the device. The company may also use a new kind of touch sensor, he speculated Friday...