Digitimes, the publication with the oh-so iffy track record, has published a report saying a redesigned version of the full-sized iPad will go into production in the July-August timeframe and will ship sometime in Q3 of 2013. The next-generation iPad mini will follow it to market a few months later.
As for what this new iPad model will include, the report repeats our previous claims of a thinner, lighter, iPad mini-like body with narrower bezels. Digitimes previously claimed that the new iPad could weigh in at under one pound (for comparison, the iPad mini weighs 0.68 pounds)…
The report claims Apple will begin shipments of the new iPad with 5 million units during Q3. It also claims that the reason the iPad mini will follow a few months later, as opposed to a simultaneous release alongside its full sized sibling, is to retain interest in the full-sized iPad, claiming that full-size iPad sales have been affected in its current generation due to the near simultaneous release of the mini last fall. However, some market observers believe the delay in the release of an updated iPad mini is due to problems in the supply chain.
While Digitimes has been hit-or-miss in its previous predictions, this most recent report jibes well with a previous timeline by reliable KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo who saw the next iPad mini’s release being pushed back, with a September-November timeframe. Digitimes’ claim sees the mini coming to market at the end of that timeframe, at the start of the lucrative holiday shopping season.
