First Photos of the iPad 5 Rear Shell Show a Significantly Smaller Enclosure

Menel said:

This.

If this comes in March, big IF. It'll still have A6X.

But with a smaller case, they've had to have made some major new evolution of battery technology... or we'll be looking at a 6-8hr battery life iPad, and Apple's not going to make that sacrifice.

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Yea I'm thinking early April and it will have a new smaller die version of the A6X which will be smaller and more power efficient. From what I can tell the only thing holding it up is that new thinner screen.
The "new" 128 gig iPad being released now just makes me think they are going to use up iPad4 parts inventory at the factory in anticipation of moving onto a new model.

SeattleMoose said:

I "almost" bought the iPad3 but procrastinated. So a few weeks ago I decided to jump in and buy an iPad4. THEN....I read THIS. So now back to waiting.

If a new iPad comes out in March then FINALLY I am springing for it.
However, if a new iPad does NOT come out in March, well then I can't wait until September so I may get an iPad3 (don't need "retina") to minimize the $$$ spent in case I really like the September version.

So I guess all this has done for me is to eliminate the iPad4. Whew....I think I confused myself

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I think you'll always be waiting

Looking good so far. I'll spring for this come spring. Upgrading from iPad 2.

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koban4max said:

at this point...speed is useless. ipad needs to be more useful rather than being a toy. Thin and small isn't cutting it...except those who have weak arms.
I expected apple to be more honest about themselves and start thinking about how to make ipad more effective. Why can't ipad be ipad with phone capability or something ..i don't know.

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I'd kinda want to think along the lines of MS Surface Pro. How to make a tablet/laptop with OS X?

intopieces said:

There really is nothing that my iPad 3 can't do. I'm not a very big apps person, so much that I managed to reduce mine to one page of apps and eliminate the dock all together using Springtomize. I don't even need more space.

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that's true for now. Wait until Apple releases their new iOS and boom, ipad 3 becomes a dinosaur.

TouchMint.com said:

Lol I am not sure it will kill but I know what you mean. I was def going with a new mini but now that they have the reg in a smaller form factor it is going to be a harder choice.

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Me three... lol

I wanted retina mini but if ipad will lose the fat, I am going w/ ipad ;-)

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whatever it is.. I just want them to release in march.. not oct.. that's epic fail.. For sure.

omenatarhuri said:

Looking good so far. I'll spring for this come spring. Upgrading from iPad 2.

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I'd kinda want to think along the lines of MS Surface Pro. How to make a tablet/laptop with OS X?

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You could look into one of these...

http://www.modbook.com/

saccento said:

Who are ya kidding? That's iPhone 6!!

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You may be closer to the truth than you know... The trend has been for tablet sized phones!!!

GreatDrok said:

Quite likely the battery and screen mean retina can't be put in the mini just yet so they're moving towards it by reducing the size of the full size one. Would make sense if they retired the iPad 2 so you just have the choice of iPad mini and iPad 5 where the 5 has the distinguishing feature of retina.

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I hope that they can at least get a retina in it. it's hard to go back and look at an iPad 2/1 now.

Nuvi said:

Sure, Apple Maxi Pads for everyone. Fanboys are mortified.

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Im absolutly not a fanboy. Not since the "new lines of products" -

Looks great! If I had any guess as to what the back would look like, a larger mini look like this would be it!

spooky23 said:

LOL at 'big fat and total ancestor'. Apple must lap up that type of perception knowing people will always dump the last gen and upgrade when ever they release an upgrade.

What an Apple device looks like is usually irrelevant considering people go and stick a £50 case on it so nobody can see what its back looks like anyway.

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The iPad 4 is so big and so ugly. It literally looks like a PC from the 90s when compared to the iPad mini. Yeah, it works and it does its job. Its looks are just unbearable.

BmMac427 said:

Why not go with the macbook air? Very portable. Id go with a laptop over an iPad first. Thats just me.

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I'd go for the Air because it's a full notebook experience with the ultra portable form factor. However, I need to have something with the power of at least a base MacBook Pro. I'd go for a non-retina 13" Pro but I really don't have use for the not-so SuperDrive and a retina display is an added bonus.

In the end, I'll probably get a 13" Retina MacBook Pro and a full-sized iPad if it's as thin as the mini and much lighter than it is now. Of course, my dilemma with getting an iPad mini is the fact that I have an iPhone 5 and I feel like the screen is big enough for most things that I'd do on a mini. So if I go with a tablet I feel like I should go for the full-sized model with the larger display instead of the mini. So this becomes a game of functionality versus portability. Damn, now I just complicated this because there are more choices than before. Stupid fragmentation!

first of all the battery life is going to be spectacular on the new big iPad. IGZO display, 28nm processor which will be more power efficient then the A6X right now. improvements in software will make the ipad battery much improved imo

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what i love about Apple products like the iPhone and iPad and iPod touch is that there like thin slabs of awesome technology. that new iPad design looks like its going to be amazing to hold in your hand, looks so thin along with a super new powerful quad core a-15 processor and a IGZO display? dam i really think i might have to get this along with iOS 7 which i really think will be a great update to iOS

Hopefully the next iPad will get the laminated screen too.

Was thinking my next iPad upgrade would be to a mini. But this, with a 128GB storage would keep me to the larger format.

koban4max said:

at this point...speed is useless. ipad needs to be more useful rather than being a toy. Thin and small isn't cutting it...except those who have weak arms.
I expected apple to be more honest about themselves and start thinking about how to make ipad more effective. Why can't ipad be ipad with phone capability or something ..i don't know.

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I don't get it. More effective/useful how? Why do you think it is just a toy? It has already been clearly demonstrated that the iPad is used professionally, from music to enterprise to airlines to education....

If you are alluding that the way that the iPad operates is not to your liking or not preferred in your line of work is another story, and a valid point.

But the iPad is anything (literally) but "just a toy". It is only limited by the imagination of developers, and your own.

daynel said:

I'm getting tired and annoyed of product leaks!

I miss the days when products were not basically leaked piece by piece and essentially put together weeks before the announcement. I miss the days of not knowing what was going to be unveiled at the keynote. I miss the feeling of complete surprise and awe when the product was finally unveiled after waiting on the edge of my seat for what felt like an eternity.

Sure the leak if the iphone 4 was some fluke freak accident - and shocking at the same time, but knowing what the iphone 5 looked like a month before the keynote was just down right annoying.

I wish the supply chain would stop leaking images

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It seems since the death of SJ, the supply chain leaks to the media are like a run-away freight train. Guess no fear of retribution from the head man!

iMikeT said:

I'd go for the Air because it's a full notebook experience with the ultra portable form factor. However, I need to have something with the power of at least a base MacBook Pro. I'd go for a non-retina 13" Pro but I really don't have use for the not-so SuperDrive and a retina display is an added bonus.

In the end, I'll probably get a 13" Retina MacBook Pro and a full-sized iPad if it's as thin as the mini and much lighter than it is now. Of course, my dilemma with getting an iPad mini is the fact that I have an iPhone 5 and I feel like the screen is big enough for most things that I'd do on a mini. So if I go with a tablet I feel like I should go for the full-sized model with the larger display instead of the mini. So this becomes a game of functionality versus portability. Damn, now I just complicated this because there are more choices than before. Stupid fragmentation!

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Hahaha, I understand your dilemma.

If I were you, I'd still go for the non-retina pro. Reason? Upgrade-ability.

The cMBP can be easily be upgraded with a second drive bay (in the optical drive spot), RAM can be upgraded to capacities that often exceed Apple's specs, and its weight difference is relatively negligible. It also has all the ports you could ever need: Ethernet, fw800, USB3, Thunderbolt, SDXC. This could be useful for getting existing peripherals available now that could become inexpensive as they move to other IO formats. It really is a very flexible machine.

As such, that machine will have legs. Unless you upgrade frequently or value portability and/or screen quality over everything else, the non-retina is the better investment, in my opinion. However, it all depends on how you use your devices. Good luck!

Does anyone know what the physical dimensions would be for the casing? The current iPad can almost fit into the pocket of my lab coats. If this is an inch or so smaller it would fit. This is the only reason why I was contemplating getting a mini. If the full-size iPad will fit in the pockets then I will be getting one of them instead of the mini.

For me it was defenitely more fun in Job's times, when there was one or two updates in a year. The iPhone lasted at least a year as new and up-to-date device and so did the iPad (not to mention the Macs, there it is still the same or worse for the MacPro) - but now? My iPhone is barely a month old and I read already about not only iPhone 5s but iPhone 6, similar with my iPad 4. Rather then making incremental steps better stick to your roots, Apple and INNOVATE in big steps! I can see the direction the new iPads are going but with these rumors people will hold back more to buy a new one.
And the fun is somewhat gone. Remember the anticipation for the iPhone? Or when the iPhone 4 came out?Now I actually don't want to look any more because I see my one month old gadget being "old" already (and yes, I know, the usability doesn't change and I should be happy for those who may want to wait for the new one, and Apple needs to go with the flow and competition - but still).

rtr1985 said:

Some folks argue that tablets are slowly killing the laptop computer for most consumers. Thus, something will eventually kill the tablet. I believe it will be some kind of super-phone that can power multiple types of input devices. For example, tablets will simply become thin, lightweight monitors that run wirelessly off your phone.

The tablet/smartphone market is already basically a menu of screen sizes. There is not much difference in core functionality.

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No way. Not a phone. For many people as well as practical applications, size matters. You'll just see varying sizes and implementations of the tablet concept.

Using Steve Jobs' analogy, I see it like this (roughly):
Desktops = trucks
Laptops = cars/crossovers (CR-V, etc)
Tablets = sub-compact cars, motorcycles, bikes
Smartphones = motorcycles, bikes (1-person vehicle)

Each has a useful application, but may not necessarily obviate the other.

The tablet is here to stay, until holographic displays beamed directly into your eye from a lapel-sized computer comes along.

I wonder If we'll ever see Macbooks with Slate design? I think It would look awesome..

hansemat000 said:

I missed the day when each device had its own unique look. Now they all just look the same.

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Its just like walking into a car dealer where every car would be the same, and ask "Can i buy a Commodore?" to which the reply would be "Which one"

I wonder how 3rd party accessory makers feel about this. On one had they have to redesign everything but on the other hand they can resell their market resets and they can resell to old customers. This is unlike apps where when you get a new phone or device everything carries over in your itunes account.

This looks really really good. However, it also means that there is not going to be a retina Mini.

There's no way Apple would do both an iPad 5 and a Mini that are so similar, the Mini being the low-end cheaper model, while having much higher DPI than the premium iPad 5. Not going to happen.