Thu, 11 Apr 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 18 March 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.

iPad 5 release date could be April

In mid-January, it was reported that Sharp had reduced the production of Apple's full-size iPad displays to a 'minimal level', which some said indicates an upcoming iPad update.

A report from iMore on 5 March suggested that the iPad 5 would be launched 'April-ish'.

Plus, in early April, a discussion between various trusted tech reporters hinted that Apple could be behind schedule with its iOS 7, but that the the company is still planning to hold an April iPad event.

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.

There seems to be no firm reason for the slightly later release date, although it makes sense when you consider the recent release of the iPad 4, and the impending Apple Television. A slightly later June launch could make sense.

In March, reports suggested that the next iPad would have low supplies due to touchscreen shortages, but may launch in April or June.

The new iPad 5 released date could be late 2013

It may be that Apple decides to move the new iPad 5 to a later point in the year, perhaps October or November 2012 to match up with a pre-Christmas launch of other products like the iPod and iPhones.

This later iPad 5 release date would also allow Apple to focus on an Apple Television launch in the first half the year.

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.

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: Mid-week iPad 5 rumour round-up

AND: iPad 5 rumour rollup for the week: Release date speculation, camera improvements expected

AND: Mid-week iPad 5 rumour rollup: Q4 release date, digital pens, lower price tag

AND: iPad 5 rumour rollup for the week ending 22 March

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.

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.

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.

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