Photo of what is rumoured to be the new iPad 5 The latest reports concerning what Apple may or may not be planning to launch before the end of this year are centred on the second generation 7.9-inch tablet .
According to the Wall Street Journal, the second-generation iPad Mini, widely expected to launch in September, will have a higher definition Retina display after all and will also be available in a choice of back plate colours.
The original device, launched in October 2012 sported a standard definition 7.9-inch display and was available with either a black or a sliver-white anodized alloy back. However according to unnamed sources, Apple, that most secretive of tech companies, is planning to offer potential owners a choice of colours like the iPod touch.
There is no doubt that a new small tablet will be launched later this year, the only disagreement so far is focused on screen resolution. Reports earlier this year, courtesy of Apple analyst extraordinaire, Ming-Chi Kuo, of KGI Securities, stated that due to the prohibitive costs, the next iPad Mini would be a stopgap product and that a high-resolution version wouldn\'t be launched until 2014 when manufacturing costs had fallen.
However, in recent weeks news has emerged that despite their love/hate relationship, Apple has chosen to partner with Samsung in order to build smaller high-resolution displays for smaller devices, leading the Wall Street Journal to the conclusion that the Retina iPad Mini will be coming out this year.
Looking around at the current state of the small tablet market, if Apple doesn\'t up the resolution on its next device, it will be the only branded tablet in that space that doesn\'t offer a 1080p viewing experience. The latest Google tablet, the Nexus 7, has a high definition screen as does the existing Amazon Kindle Fire. What\'s more, the next generation Amazon tablet, also expected to launch in September, is claimed to have a higher resolution still, while Samsung has a number of 7-inch, 8-inch and 10-inch tablets with HD displays on offer in different territories.
Source: Relaxnews (AFP)