Fri, 07 Jun 2013 New iPad 5 release date, rumours and leaked images

Welcome to our new iPad 5 release date, rumours and leaked images article. Here we plan to do everything that the title suggests. We'll be bringing you everything we know about the new iPad 5 release date so you can know exactly when the new iPad 5 is coming out. Also we are going to bring you a few of the juiciest spec rumours that are flying round the web's most trusted tech websites too. Finally we have some ideas of how the iPad 5 will look, and we'll include any leaked iPad 5 images in this article. So sit back and relax we've got the new iPad 5 covered. Updated 7 June 2013

While many people are focusing on the next generation of iPhone or iPad mini, the iPad 5 release date itself is perhaps more important. The iPad 5 is expected to be Apple's best-selling iPad, and there are lots of rumours already about what the new iPad 5 will be like.

Apple itself has typically kept quiet about any developments on the iPad front, but we expect iPad 5 rumours, especially regarding the new iPad 5 release date to intensify over the next few months. SEE: Apple: The next generation - our iPhone mini, iPad 5, iWatch and iOS 7 wishlist

New iPad 5 release date

Speculation regarding a new iPad 5 release date is rampant at the moment, but we do expect a new iPad 5 model to be released at some point in 2013.

Narrowing the new iPad 5 release date down further than that requires some speculation. We can look at Apple's history with iPad release dates. It's interesting to note that the first iPad was released less than two years ago in April 2010. Apple then followed that with an iPad 2 in March 2011, iPad 3 in March 2012, and a surprise iPad 4 in November 2012.

Rumours suggest a new iPad 5 release date of June 2013

Jefferies analyst Peter Misek wrote in a research note in December that he believed Apple's fifth-generation iPad will be thinner and lighter with a June 2013 launch.

With Apple's WWDC 2013 happening in June, too, some have suggested that Apple could use the event to launch the iPad 5. However, the majority of experts expect a launch later in the year. See: What to expect from Apple at WWDC

That hasn't detered iOS accessory maker Gumdrop, though. The company has made 15,000 iPad 5 cases in preparation for the unlikely WWDC launch... that's a big bet. See: iPad 5 rumour rollup for the week: New cases leaked, to arrive on 18 June?

See also: Best cases for the iPad

The new iPad 5 released date could be late 2013

iLounge's Jeremy Horwitz claims to have inspected a physical model of Apple's next iPad, which he thinks will arrive in October alongside a Retina display iPad mini 2.

Taiwan-based research firm TrendForce believes that a completely redesigned iPad 5 will launch in the third quarter of 2013, reigniting consumer interest in Apple's 10in tablet.

On 10 April, we reported that the iPad 5 may not enter production until July or August, according to Taiwan sources. This would indicate a late 2013 launch.

Then, in June, a different report said that Apple could be planning to begin mass production of the iPad 5 as soon a July in preparation for a third quarter launch.

See also: Apple clears out iPad and MacBook stock - new hardware on way?

New iPad 5 rumours

The new iPad 5 rumours are starting to come through the pipeline, although they are few and far between so far. Here is what we expect the new iPad 5 features to include.

See:

iPad 5 rumours: iPad maxi, cheaper iPad mini, iPad 5 released for Christmas

iPad 5 rumour rollup: Lighter and less filled, September launches, clearance confusion

iPad 5 rumour rollup: iPad mini with Retina display, plus iPad stylus, just because

iPad 5 rumour rollup: Leaked photos, display speculation, price, release date

New iPad 5 will have Inductive Smart Cover

This Apple patent suggests that a new iPad 5 Inductive Smart Cover will contain its own battery that will hold charge and. The charge will be then sent wirelessly from the Smart Cover to the iPad as you carry it around. The Smart Cover could either have its own Lightning connection, or take charge from a plugged-in iPad and then send it back the other direction when you use it. This will extend the battery life of the iPad.

New iPad 5 will have one LED Light Bar Retina Display

The new iPad 5 will keep the 9.7in Retina Display, however rumours suggest that the new iPad 5 will have just one LED Light Bar inside (the current iPad has two LED Light Bars). This is rumoured to be because Apple will be using newer, more efficient LED Light Bars than previously.

The LED Light Bars enable the iPad to display brightness and color accurately, and two are currently required to power the the iPad Retina Display.

New iPad 5 will have IGZO display

Jefferies analyst Peter Misek wrote in a research note on that he believed Apple's fifth-generation iPad would have an IGZO (Indium gallium zinc oxide) display. These displays allow for smaller pixels which enable a device to have a higher resolution, or a higher reaction time for the display.

The IGZO displays are rumoured to be developed by Sharp. Sharp said the new technology allows for twice the detail of existing panels at the same transparency, which means high-resolution devices can be designed that require less power and space for backlighting. The company said the new displays cut power consumption by up to 90 percent versus those currently in use.

New iPad 5 will be thinner and lighter

Taiwanese news source DigiTimes reported first on switch to a single LED Light Bar in the upcoming new iPad 5 release. Removing one of the LED Light Bars will free up some space inside the new iPad 5, enabling Apple to produce a lighter and thinner device. It also has an advantage of reducing the power requirement of the new iPad 5, again enabling Apple to create a smaller and thinner new iPad 5 because it will not require so much battery space (the iPad is essentially one large battery with components inside and a display attached to it).

In January, trusted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo from KGI Securities said that he predicts that Apple will launch a thinner, lighter 10in iPad in 2013, alongside a Retina iPad mini 2 and a cheaper iPod touch. The new iPad 5 could have a design similar to the iPad mini, and could be available in the same black and slate and white and silver designs as the smaller tablet.

In fact, the iPad 5 could be 33% lighter than its predecessor, according to a Digitmes report in May.

New iPad 5 will look like the iPad mini

Although we have no firm idea of what Apple is planning with the new iPad 5 design, we can reasonably believe that it will take its cues from the recently restyled iPad mini and iPhone 5.

As with the iPad, it comes in two colours: white and black (although further colours have been introduced to the iPod touch, and these are a possibility).

There has also been this rumour that the next-generation iPhone 6 will come in a variety of colours. It is possible the the new iPad 5 will also come with more colourful options.

New technology will boost iPad 5's performance and reduce power consumption

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) is developing a 16nm process that Apple may adopt for future iPhone and iPad chips. The process should boost performance and reduce the power consumption of new Apple products.

iPad 5 will have better camera

It's likely that Apple will give its next iPad a camera boost, and four Apple patent filings published in April add further evidence to that theory. The patents relate to colour balance and correction.

New iPad 5 will have tougher Gorilla Glass 3 display

Corning has developed a new version of its Gorilla Glass for smartphones and tablets that it says will result in 40 per cent fewer scratches, and will arrive in devices later this year, possibly including Apple's iPhone 6, iPad 5 and iPad mini 2.

Other reports have suggested that Apple may use oxide-based LCD screen for its next-generation iPad 5 to bring a "stunning" display that is thinner and more power efficient to the tablet.

SEE: The new features coming to a tablet near you

AND: iOS will surrender top tablet spot to Android in 2013, says IDC

iPad 5 to use thin-film touch panels used for iPad mini

Apple is reportedly planning to use the thin-film touch panels it uses in its iPad mini for the upcoming iPad 5.

In March, Digitimes reported that suppliers of thin-film panels will see a significant increase in orders from Apple in the third quarter of the year, as the company prepares to release the fifth-generaiton iPad.

iPad 5 could be flexible

A new patent filing and job listing indicate that Apple is interested in implementing flexible components in future products, which could include a bendable iPad.

iPad 5 could have vibrate mode

Apple has been granted a new patent for a chip that would allow Apple to introduce a vibrate mode to its next iPad.

New iPad 5 leaked images

During the run up to any new Apple launch there are typically images of the external cases, and internal components. We expect there to be lots of new iPad 5 leaked images prior to the launch, so we'll upload them here as soon as we get them.

A designer has created a 3D model of what he expects the thinner, lighter iPad 5 to look like, as shown below.

CiccareseDesign has also created new iPad 5 renders to illustrate what the new iPad may look like next to an iPad 4 and iPad mini, as shown below.

Photos of an alleged iPad 5 backplate have emerged online, showing a black & slate 10in iPad back that takes its design from the iPad mini. The part is apparently almost as thin as the iPad mini's back plate, also pictured for comparison purposes.

In April, photos of an alleged iPad 5 front panel with iPad mini-like design were leaked online.

In April, a photograph displayed on technology blog Tactus appears to show the rear casing of Apple's iPad 5, showing a component that boast similar qualities to the iPad mini in terms of its thickness and design.

See also:

New Mac Pro, iPhone 6, Retina iPad mini 2 most wanted Apple products for 2013

Apple rumour round-up: iPhone 6, Apple Television, new MacBooks, iPad mini 2, iOS 7

Apple CEO Tim Cook says nothing, but reveals plenty

Should I buy an iPad mini and iPad 4?

Tim Cook reveals Apple is working on "amazing" new products in "exciting" new categories

Steve Wozniak: 'Apple is working on new products that will surprise and shock us all'