Apple's next 9.7" iPad to be 'significantly lighter and slimmer'

Posted:
in iPad edited January 2014
Apple's full-size iPad is set to shed some excess, with a thinner and lighter fifth-generation redesign expected to arrive this year.

The next 9.7-inch iPad is expected to borrow design cues from its smaller sibling, the 7.9-inch iPad mini, according to KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. He expects the fifth-generation iPad to be "significantly lighter and slimmer" than the design featured in the third- and fourth-generation models.

In addition, Kuo said Apple's "iPad 5" will feature a narrow border design, similar to the one found on the iPad mini. To compensate for that smaller border, the iPad mini features advanced software that allows the system to ignore unintended touching of the screen during one-handed use.

iPads


Kuo has forecast Apple to release a new full-size iPad in the third quarter of 2013. That goes against some other recent rumors, which pegged a fifth-generation iPad to launch in March, which would be about six months after the launch of the iPad 4 and would continue with a twice-per-year upgrade cycle.

Last year, Kuo accurately predicted that Apple would launch a modified new iPad before the end of 2012. At the time, that news was seen as a surprise, because Apple had just updated the iPad in March, and previously had only refreshed its touchscreen tablet once per year.

But Apple did in fact announce a new fourth-generation iPad in October, featuring a new Lightning dock connection, as well as a faster A6X processor.

Predictions


Kuo also believes Apple's 2013 lineup will include an updated iPad mini with a high-resolution Retina display. He expects the next iPad mini to have the same 2,048-by-1,536-pixel resolution as the full-size iPad, which would pack in more pixels per inch on the smaller 7.9-inch screen and would allow developers to write their applications for one shared resolution.

And while some have said they expect Apple to launch a full-fledged television set this year, Kuo doesn't see that happening. His product roadmap predictions call for a refresh to the Apple TV set-top box this quarter, but an Apple HDTV won't show up until 2014 at the earliest, he said.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 76
    nhtnht Posts: 4,522member


    Did you guys just parlay one analyst report into two+ articles about the same thing?

  • Reply 2 of 76
    simtubsimtub Posts: 277member
    So many rumours this week...

    I'd rather they kept the size and added a bigger battery to be honest. 20hour battery life would do me just fine. I'm looking to get a new iPad this year as I'm still rocking Generation 1.

    But if the iPad mini goes retina then that's a sure fire buy.
  • Reply 3 of 76
    oflifeoflife Posts: 120member
    Apple's policy of simply faster thinner may not prove profitable forever. They need to innovate, as Microsoft have done so well with the Surface tablets. Else, the iPad value prop is going to fade. Exhibit A: Sales of iPhone 5 - VS - Galaxy S3.
  • Reply 4 of 76
    blackbookblackbook Posts: 1,361member


    Most plausible rumor all week.

  • Reply 5 of 76
    anonymouseanonymouse Posts: 6,857member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Oflife View Post



    Apple's policy of simply faster thinner may not prove profitable forever. They need to innovate, as Microsoft have done so well with the Surface tablets. Else, the iPad value prop is going to fade. Exhibit A: Sales of iPhone 5 - VS - Galaxy S3.


     


    You forgot the sarcasm tag.

  • Reply 6 of 76
    anonymouseanonymouse Posts: 6,857member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Oflife View Post



    Apple's policy of simply faster thinner may not prove profitable forever. They need to innovate, as Microsoft have done so well with the Surface tablets. Else, the iPad value prop is going to fade. Exhibit A: Sales of iPhone 5 - VS - Galaxy S3.


     


    Then, let's assume he was being sincere....


     


    How does the logic of that work? Exhibit A for how the surface (a tablet) is so innovative is a sales comparison of two smartphones, neither of which is sold by Microsoft? (Ignoring the factual basis of his numbers.) Do people really think like this? Or is this level of irrationality a sign of trolling?

  • Reply 7 of 76
    macxpressmacxpress Posts: 5,801member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Oflife View Post



    Apple's policy of simply faster thinner may not prove profitable forever. They need to innovate, as Microsoft have done so well with the Surface tablets. Else, the iPad value prop is going to fade. Exhibit A: Sales of iPhone 5 - VS - Galaxy S3.


     


    You also need to make a device thats useable and quite frankly, Microsoft totally missed the mark on this one. Sure it may be new and different from anything else, but that doesn't necessarily mean its better. For one, the attachable keyboard is one of the worst keyboards I've ever typed on. So it may be cool, neat, different and all that but at the end of the day it doesn't make it a better tablet. 


     


    Windows 8 while is more usable on a tablet because of its design, I don't think is a better OS than iOS in the tablet space. Its still so different that its not exactly intuitive to use. This is where Apple has the market nailed, along with the apps. Microsoft may think they have the upper hand with apps because they "claim" it will run Windows apps, but the fact of the matter is, that comes at a price which is higher than the iPad. So why buy one? In the end, I don't think anyone has Apple beat on price, features, usability, etc...

  • Reply 8 of 76
    blackbookblackbook Posts: 1,361member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Oflife View Post



    Apple's policy of simply faster thinner may not prove profitable forever. They need to innovate, as Microsoft have done so well with the Surface tablets. Else, the iPad value prop is going to fade. Exhibit A: Sales of iPhone 5 - VS - Galaxy S3.


     


    The Surface is a joke. The Surface RT doesn't run Windows Apps so it's a non-starter, and the Surface Pro is thicker and heavier than a MacBook Air.


     


    Great news for you. The iPhone 5 is outselling the Galaxy S3, so I guess that means Apple has nothing they need to change?

  • Reply 9 of 76
    nhtnht Posts: 4,522member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by anonymouse View Post


     


    Then, let's assume he was being sincere....


     


    How does the logic of that work? Exhibit A for how the surface (a tablet) is so innovative is a sales comparison of two smartphones, neither of which is sold by Microsoft? (Ignoring the factual basis of his numbers.) Do people really think like this? Or is this level of irrationality a sign of trolling?



     


    Well, assuming he's sincere...when the iPad hits the thickness of the iPod Touch I guess it'll be thin and presumably light enough.  But we're a long way from there.


     


    I think that Surface RT is DOA but Surface Pro will have legs.  That's not an issue for the iPad as much as the MBA.  If there were a tabletized MBA I think that would be killer.  Dock to keyboard for a mac experience.  Undock for an iPad experience.  Most iOS apps will run on x86 so it is possible.  A digitizer would be great for artists and note takers.


     


    There are many roads not taken by Apple and that's deliberate.  The focus on the roads they take leads to great products but it's fun to think about what else could be.

  • Reply 10 of 76
    ivladivlad Posts: 742member
    Is this serious. WTF? Yes and next year computers will be more powerful and faster.
  • Reply 11 of 76
    kpomkpom Posts: 660member
    This makes sense. The biggest complaint I hear about the iPad, particularly from women, is that it is too heavy. The iPad mini is nice and light, but lacks the Retina Display, and the technology might not be feasible to add it in 2013 (battery life probably being the biggest hindrance).
  • Reply 12 of 76


    Dang, looks like my prediction of a heavier, thicker fifth generation iPad is going to turn out wrong.


     


    I'm still holding out hope my prediction of a worse screen resolution on the iPad Mini is correct.

  • Reply 13 of 76
    lkrupplkrupp Posts: 10,557member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Oflife View Post



    Apple's policy of simply faster thinner may not prove profitable forever. They need to innovate, as Microsoft have done so well with the Surface tablets. Else, the iPad value prop is going to fade. Exhibit A: Sales of iPhone 5 - VS - Galaxy S3.


     


    And the surface tablets are selling so well too¡ So well that Samsung decided not to make any. Samsung doesn't release any unit sales figures either so we only have analyst estimates of how many S3s were sold. We found out Samsung lie like rugs. When actual sales figures were forced out of them at the trial we found out how dismal their tablet sales were didn't we. That makes your "Exhibit A" a big pile of dung doesn't it. You did use the cop-out word "may" however to hedge your bets, like all the clueless analysts do. 

  • Reply 14 of 76
    paxmanpaxman Posts: 4,729member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post

     He expects the fifth-generation iPad to be "significantly lighter and slimmer" than the design featured in the third- and fourth-generation models.


    [Scratches head]


     


    Wow! This guy really know's his shit. How could he possibly have figured that out?? I might, if I spent HOURS thinking about it, come up with ONE of those predictions... but ... words fail me... 


     


    [shakes head in awe / disbelief]

  • Reply 15 of 76
    paxmanpaxman Posts: 4,729member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by odditie View Post


    Dang, looks like my prediction of a heavier, thicker fifth generation iPad is going to turn out wrong.


     


    I'm still holding out hope my prediction of a worse screen resolution on the iPad Mini is correct.



    I'm with you on that one. And a worse resolution pretty much guarantees a slight weight increase and shorter battery life. 

  • Reply 16 of 76


    do you suppose it will also be faster???

  • Reply 17 of 76
    Hey, where's the Mac Pro they were promising?
  • Reply 18 of 76
    ifij775ifij775 Posts: 470member


    I prefer the larger iPad, so this would be a welcome change. Push the iPad mini upto a retina display and you have the 2 best tablets on the market. This would leave Amazon and Android to duke it out for the $200 tablet space.

  • Reply 19 of 76
    ifij775ifij775 Posts: 470member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by nonimus View Post



    Hey, where's the Mac Pro they were promising?


    This is either on the way or on the way out. It probably isn't a big money maker, so analysts don't really care.

  • Reply 20 of 76


    Well Duh.

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