People also have to understand that one of the reasons the ipad 3 and 4 came 6 months apart is mainly because of the lightning connector
The iPhone 5, new ipad nanos and the ipad mini came out around the same time , so for them to leave the ipad without the lightning connector would be not be apple like since their really trying to push this technology out
Okey but following this logic, it would make sense for Apple to release an iPad with similar design to that of iPad Mini. It would be just like leaving iPad without the lightning connector when the other devices have it: iPad with old design next to the iPad Mini with the new design. It just makes sense to have both iPads with similar advances in design.
I really hope this will happen in March as I will surely buy my first tablet then. As I need a tablet with a keyboard and a good note-taking program compatible with MS Office, I was about to leave the Apple-camp for Win8-tablets. Unfortunately, Win8-tablets aren't exactly as mature as iPads. IPad 5 will be lighter and smaller, and MS Office for iPad is going to be a reality (from what I understand). I do realize however that I will have to wait for the iPad 5 to come out and Zagg and others to come up with nice keyboars (as obviously the new design of the iPad is not compatible with the accessories of iPads 1-4).