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WSJ: Thinner iPad and Retina iPad Mini Expected on Tuesday

Sunday October 20, 2013 8:23 pm PDT by Juli Clover
Apple will introduce a high resolution Retina iPad mini and a thinner, lighter version of the standard 9.7-inch iPad during its Tuesday event, reports The Wall Street Journal, confirming months of product leaks and rumors.
Apple is now readying a revamped iPad Mini with a high-resolution "retina" display. It’s also working on a thinner, lighter version of its standard 9.7-inch iPad, using a thin film instead of the glass found in existing models, based on information from the company’s parts suppliers.
While a fifth-generation iPad with thinner side bezels and an overall smaller size has been widely expected, the release of the Retina iPad mini has been less certain, given multiple reports in the last few weeks suggesting serious supply chain issues.

macrumors-ipad5c
Rendering of the fifth-generation iPad between iPad mini and fourth-generation iPad
It was unclear whether the Retina iPad mini would be ready for Tuesday’s announcements, but in addition to The Wall Street Journal, two reliable sources, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo and AllThingsD, have also indicated that the Retina iPad mini will make its debut on October 22.

Alongside a Retina screen, the iPad mini is expected to include an A7 processor, while the full-sized iPad will offer an A7X processor. Both iPads will include upgraded cameras, and could also offer Apple’s new M7 motion tracking chip. AllThingsD has also indicated that Haswell MacBook Pros will be unveiled during the event.
Finally, I’m told we’re likely to see a slate of new MacBook Pros upgraded with Intel’s latest Haswell processors. Apple brought Haswell to its MacBook Airs earlier this year, giving them a nice boost in battery life and graphics. It has been expected to do the same for its professional laptops ever since. Tuesday should see the announcement of that move.
Aside from the iPads and the Haswell MacBook Pros, Apple is expected to announce a number of other hardware and software products, including Mavericks, revamped versions of iLife and iWork for both Mac and iOS, the redesigned Mac Pro, and possibly a new display to go with it. A minor update to the Apple TV may also be included, and it’s possible that the Mac mini could be updated as well.

Related Roundups: Mac Pro, Apple TV, tvOS 12, iPad mini 5, MacBook Pro, iPad
Tag: wsj.com
Buyer's Guide: Mac Pro (Don't Buy), Apple TV (Don't Buy), iPad Mini (Buy Now), MacBook Pro (Caution), iPad (Don't Buy)
[ 224 comments ]


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Aluminum213
71 months ago
I'm SHOCKED
Rating: 13 Votes
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djtech42
71 months ago
iPad Mini 2: Resolutionary
Rating: 12 Votes
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aloshka
71 months ago
We already know this?
Rating: 11 Votes
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Jayse
71 months ago
My mind, body and soul are ready...to have no money left for Christmas presents for anyone else but myself!
Rating: 8 Votes
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SunshineFires
71 months ago

We already know this?

It ain't official until the WSJ confirms it. :D
Rating: 8 Votes
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jaw04005
71 months ago
A thin film instead of glass? Surely not.
Rating: 7 Votes
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AnorexicPig
71 months ago

Was thinking the same thing. The old iPad model they have there has iOS 5!


Actually it's iOS 4 :eek: . The iPod was changed to Music in iOS 5.
Rating: 7 Votes
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SmokyD
71 months ago
I'm betting on an A6X in the new mini, not an A7.
Rating: 6 Votes
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Rogifan
71 months ago

thinner bezel = horrible idea, another example of Apple's form over function.


Seems to work fine on iPad mini. Maybe you need the Nexus 7. That has plenty of bezel. :D
Rating: 5 Votes
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iSunrise
71 months ago

I doesn't make sense to me that the mini will have an A7 processor. It will need to drive 4x the pixels which in my opinion means it will have either the A6X or A7X processor.

Though, I'm leaning towards the A6X because I feel that Apple will want to keep its costs down.

The A6X has the same GFLOPS like an A7 and an A7 is WAY more power-efficient than an A6X. Also, it has a WAY faster CPU (Cyclone vs. Swift). I think you need to think about that again. What you wrote doesn´t make any sense at all. The only possibility to solve that would be to shrink the A6X to raise it´s power-efficiency, which is NEEDED for the mini (and cut some costs along with it), because of the smaller battery and the rumored Retina display.

Also, what some people don´t seem to grasp:

The X doesn´t mean anything other than an extension to the A7 SoC (X = eXtended) towards more powerful graphics (because of the 2048x1536 resolution). The A7 already has 4 Rogue clusters that are extremely powerful compared to the old PowerVR 5 series cores. There is absolutely no correlation between the X and Retina other than the fact that you need more GPU performance to drive more pixels. The A7 is almost a bit too powerful (graphics wise) for a smartphone like the 5s. This thing is a monster and only needs to drive a 1136x640 resolution.
Rating: 5 Votes

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