Following earlier claims about Apple’s upcoming iPhone and iPad lineup, iLounge editor Jeremy Horowitz has published an additional report claiming that the next iPad mini will be upgraded with a Retina display, and will be released by October. The report also claims that the iPhone 5S will include a faster processor, as well as a 13-megapixel camera.
Horowitz also provides supposed internal code names for the upcoming iPhone and iPad hardware:
(1) The iPhone 5S is still months away from mass production, but our source suspects that the star feature will be an upgraded rear camera—perhaps featuring Sony’s 13-Megapixel sensor, plus the aforementioned flash upgrade—along with a processor bump. Current prototypes are codenamed N51 and N53, with July mentioned as the target date.
(2) The iPad 5’s code name is J72. As mentioned before, it looks like an October release, give or take.
(3) The second-generation iPad mini has a code name of J85, and is currently planned for October, as well. Everyone we’ve spoken with assumes that it will look and feel basically the same as the first-generation model but feature a Retina screen. That said, no one has actually come up with deeper details on it quite yet. If it’s going to go Retina without substantial body changes, it will need a thin, dense screen (read: IGZO), and it remains to be seen whether there will be enough of those to go around this year.
If the report is true, it will be interesting to see what Apple announces during their first quarter, if anything. Previously, Apple has announced new iPad hardware during the first quarter, which would make an iPad release later in the year a significant break away from their current release schedule.
