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Apple will release a new iPad and an iPad mini with Retina display before the end of 2013, according to KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
In a new research report, Kuo suggests that Apple’s component suppliers will begin shipping during Q3 and Q4 of 2013, putting them on track for a 2013 launch of two new iPad models.
Kuo, who has a good track record for predicting Apple’s product roadmap, suggests that the two devices will be a re-designed iPad 5 and an iPad mini 2 with Retina display, both of which will run on a new A7X chip.
The casing components for both upcoming products have already been heavily leaked, showing little change in the iPad mini’s overall design, but a complete overhaul of the iPad 5 to bring it in line with the design language of its pint-sized sibling.
Beyond the obvious design changes, Kuo suggests that the other major change to the iPad 5 will be TDD-LTE support, allowing the device to be used on China Mobile.
The iPad mini 2, however, is thought to receive a significant upgrade in the form of a Retina display, with Kuo reporting that it will make use of the A7X chip to drive the power-hungry display panel.
Interestingly, Kuo notes that 2014 will see Apple introduce a low-cost iPad mini into the mix, with a non-Retina display and A6 chip, although details on this seem a little more sketchy.
