Tag Archives: iPad

Following on from reports showing new iPad 5 cases that indicate a revised design, a substantial number of new iPad 5 cases have appeared on e-commerce site Alibaba.com. The cases, specifically touted for the as-yet-unannounced iPad 5, show a similar design to those revealed in the initial report, indicating that they have been engineered for an iPad with squarer edges that the current generation iPad.

The new cases also contain an additional hole in the top center of the case, likely for a microphone, as well as slots for speakers positioned either side of the Lightning connector instead of just on one side.
Continue reading →

Third party case manufacturers for iOS devices are now starting to produce cases for the next generation full size iPad 5 which appear to showcase a brand new design that takes influences from the iPad mini. One case manufacturer Minisuit showcased its new iPad 5 case next to cases for the iPad 4 and the iPad mini, and have created a case showing a significantly modified design (via MacRumors). While the third party case manufacturers may be taking a gamble with such early production of these cases, they occasionally obtain early specifications for new Apple devices so that a significant number are available upon product launch.

The new case seems to show an iPad 5 that has slightly smaller form factor compared to the iPad 4. This is likely due to a smaller bezel around the screen, as has been debuted with the iPad mini, rather than any reduction in screen size. The edges of the iPad 5 case also appear to be slightly squarer.
Continue reading →

A series of new images have appeared which apparently show the rear-shell of the as-yet-unreleased iPad mini. The images were posted to the Chinese site WeiPhone and seem to show an aluminum shell that looks slightly thicker than the current generation iPad mini. The shell also appears to have a blue Apple logo and ‘iPad’ writing, although it is unclear if this is simply placeholder colored areas that would be printed black in a subsequent manufacturing process.

While the shell appears moderately thicker, it is difficult to establish exactly how much due to the lack of comparison or measurements of the panel. The iPad 3, the first iPad to sport a Retina Display, was moderately thicker than the iPad 2 to accomodate the increased battery capacity and high resolution screen. Interestingly these images show a rear panel that has not yet received the chamfering treatment that debuted with the original iPad mini.
Continue reading →

The supplier of the display for the first generation iPad mini, AU Optronics, has apparently caught up with demand for displays for the smaller iPad device and is actually starting to prepare for the second generation iPad mini. The report comes from Digitimes who say that the supplier has managed to increase the yield of the displays used in the first generation iPad and, as such, supplies and availability of the first generation device are expected to to be significantly higher in the coming months.
Continue reading →

A new report is suggesting that increasing the quality of the screen on a Retina Display iPad mini would likely increase the cost of the device by up to $12. The report comes from Digitimes who say that Apple ‘may’ introduce a new version of the iPad mini and that it could carry a Retina Display-ready 2048 x 1536 pixel screen. This would translate to $12 being added to the cost of the device and carrying the component bill over the $200 per unit mark, assuming prices for other components remained the same.

The report further suggests that with the extra costs associated with putting a Retina Display into the iPad mini, including increased backlighting and LEDs, the total cost of the Retina Display iPad mini could increase by around 30%. Interestingly, the mention of LEDs in this report is strange in the context of recent statements by Tim Cook, CEO of Apple who suggested that OLED displays were inferior in color saturation compared to the Retina Displays.
Continue reading →