iPad mini 2, iPad 5 last minute specs clarification
This weekend there will be plenty of people looking forward to the iPad event that is taking place on October 22, just two more days away. We expect to see the iPad 5 and iPad mini 2 launched, as well as MacBook Pro additions. Now just ahead of the Apple event we have iPad mini 2 and iPad 5 last minute specs clarification.
There has been a huge amount written about both of the new iPads over the last few months with plenty of leaks and rumors coming out. We often find that some rumored specs and features fall by the wayside after a time, never to be mentioned again. However some possible new iPad features and specs stick around and become more widely rumored, and many of these make it to the finished articles.
This means that by the time devices are officially introduced we have a good idea of what to expect. In the case of the iPad mini 2 and iPad 5 specs and features though, it’s been a very mixed picture on what to expect, and the picture seems to change on a weekly basis.
For example, with the upcoming iPad mini 2 and iPad 5 we’ve had differing reports on whether they will or will not feature the new Touch ID fingerprint scanner that debuted in the new iPhone 5S. Another issue that has been widely discussed is whether the iPad mini 2 will feature a Retina display, and the likelihood of this seems to be a movable feast.
Now, just ahead of the iPad 5 and mini 2 launch event, a new research report has just been released by KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo that summarizes the latest expectations regarding the new iPads. We’ve seen plenty of leaked images and videos of iPad 5 and mini 2 casings so on the design front it looks as though much of what we expected is accurate.
The iPad 5 is anticipated to be narrower, lighter (500g) and slimmer (7.5mm) with smaller bezels and designed more along the lines of the iPad mini. However, although a Touch ID sensor seemed to be a likely inclusion very recently, Kuo disputes this and feels this feature will not appear for the iPad 5 or iPad mini 2.
One of the most hotly disputed rumors regards a Retina display for the iPad mini 2, and many of our readers felt this was an important inclusion. Despite recent reports that this may not appear this time around, Kuo also expects that the iPad mini 2 will have a Retina display with resolution of 2048 x 1536, although there are fears that production numbers may be limited initially.
Recently there has been a lot of talk that the new iPads will come in color options to match the iPhone 5S with a new gold version being leaked. This looked like one of the more likely rumors, but surprisingly Kuo disputes this and feels that neither iPad will feature a gold color option.
Kuo also predicts that the iPad mini 2 will have the 64-bit A7 processor that featured in the iPhone 5S, and predicts the iPad 5 will have a new 64-bit A7X chip. The iPhone 5S also came with a new M7 motion co-processor and Kuo also feels that both of the new iPads will feature this as well.
For some time we have felt both iPads were likely to have improved cameras and Kuo also reinforces this, saying that the iPad 5 and mini 2 will both feature an 8-megapixel rear camera. Of course, none of this can be verified just yet, but we should hopefully have all of the specs, features and iPad mini 2 and iPad 5 release dates confirmed on October 22.
Kuo has come up with plenty of reliable information about upcoming Apple devices previously, although he has missed the mark on the odd occasion. For now though, this is probably the most accurate assessment of what can be expected.
We’ll be bringing news on the iPad 5 and iPad mini 2 as the event unfolds and should also be able to provide confirmed pricing and hopefully iPad 5 and iPad mini 2 release dates. Going by patterns of previous Apple launch events we expect the tablets will release within a few short weeks of the official introduction.
What are your thoughts on these last minute clarifications on the iPad 5 and mini 2? Are you pleased to hear of the improvements expected for the processors and cameras, and of course the Retina display for the iPad mini 2? Maybe you’re disappointed that it looks as though Touch ID will not feature for either tablet this time around? Let us know with your comments.
Source: MacRumors
Comments
28 thoughts on “iPad mini 2, iPad 5 last minute specs clarification”
A retina iPad mini will be awesome
Also a non-retina ipad mini’s introduction will boost nexus 7 sales
keep dreaming that dream … the reality is that people who don’t want to pay a premium price for an Apple product aren’t going to give the mini retina the time of day anyway. If Nexus was that great it would have owned the market by now.
I’m not a apple hater, I own a MacBook pro, iphone and iPod touch 😀
And I’m super exited on what apple will bring to the table especially after the introduction of nexus 7 with 1920 by 1200 display resolution and Samsung note 10.1 with 2560 by 1600 resolution.
I have apple products and love them, but that doesn’t mean that they can kick my balls by sticking me a $100 premium over nexus 7 and under deliver. Money doesn’t exactly grow on backyard so need to be a little rational with my purchases and not a blind fan boy.
I am super hopeful that they bring a retina mini out on Tuesday … even if it means the supply chain is tight and the delivery cycle slow. If they don’t I’ll have to decide between the iPad 5 and waiting for a retina mini to appear. If they want to compete in that section of the market a higher res screen on the mini has to be thought of as a fait accompli.
I’ve never used the Android platform, but have never heard or read anything that made me want to try it. Wait, I take that back, I did mess around with an Android tablet once at Best Buy, and just wasn’t impressed. And Microsoft’s operating system has been laughable for years. There is something about the organic fluidity of IOS that makes intuitive use very easy.
I think there are people who just love to hate Apple. I’ve never been an Apple hater, and used Macs all the time when I was in college. But after college I was firmly ensconced in the PC world for 20+ years. Then I got my first ipod touch, and then a first gen iPad … and when my last Dell notebook had its third hard drive failure in less than four years, I bought a MacBook Pro. Apple has ALWAYS been known for making exceptional products that LAST.
It may be the case that Apple loses market share over time as other companies catch-up with the standard they’ve set, but it will be a very long time before any of those competitors can say they’re producing products of the same quality and durability as Apple.
I’m hopeful that they’ll release a Retina-based iPad Mini just because Apple needs to work with what makes them popular in the tablet market. My biggest complaint (see: “Pet Peeve”) with Apple is the insane mark-up that they have on their devices. While I understand the need for profit (this is the core fundamental concept of economics), they simply charge too much for products that are proven (even by their own white papers/internal documents) that aren’t even remotely close to the asking price. I could even understand 250% mark-up on cost of production; but with the iPhone 5S (64GB model) being made at $218 a piece and being sold for $849 (off contract) – that’s roughly a 390% mark-up. Ridiculous. That kind of nonsense applies to all of their devices (PCs [sorry, but Apple devices are PCs – technically speaking], mobile handsets, and tablets).
Now, of course, the err in all things regarding these types of conversations is that people tend to forget that others will have their own personal likes and dislikes. I understand the reason why people enjoy using iOS – except, it’s not for me. I accept that as part of something I simply do not like. Their devices are nice, but no better than any other “flagship” device on the market.
“Apple has ALWAYS been known for making exceptional products that LAST.”
My personal experience with Apple is similar to that of yours with Dell. I was tasked to develop an application for the company that I’m employed with for OSX. Obviously, in order to do this, I needed a device that was running OSX. Company ordered a Macbook Air (new 2013 model with Haswell chip). First off, it was horrible – slow and sluggish and barely functioned (it would take hours to compile even the most simple of test apps to determine if I could manage using it as a development machine). Spoke to AppleCare, they determined it to be a defective Macbook Air and RMA’d it. Company decided not to take chances and ordered a Macbook Pro Retina. I’ve had to reinstall OSX three times in an equal amount of months due to frequent kernel panics and certain peripherals would stop working (iSight webcam stopped working once – reinstall corrected this). I’m currently *still* using my Macbook Pro Retina for development-only due to these issues (can’t tolerate using it for non-dev work or personal).
Another thing is, is that the “iDevices” (iPod, iPad, iPhone, etc) are designed in a way that they aren’t meant to *last*. Apple makes sure that they only support a certain number of their devices. When the iPhone 6 is released next year, the iPhone 4/4S will be dropped out of the update schedule altogether (it has followed this path from the beginning).
Apple isn’t losing market shares – they’ve already lost them. iOS 7 has caught up with Android in terms of features and functionality (despite all of the plethora of bugs [which is totally something that I consider to be “unApple-like”]). Hardware-wise, Apple hasn’t done anything remarkable since the first iPhone. Mobile technology, as a whole, has kind of gone stale. Software is where the biggest battle will be waged. There’s even a software struggle within the Android community due to the different skins/themes that companies make (HTC Sense, Samsung TouchWiz, etc) – which also has to combat “Vanilla Android” (Nexus) and iOS.
Laugh all you want; but, the numbers state that Windows Phones are actually gaining in popularity and usage. This is because people are tired of the same thing – iOS and Android are remarkably similar now, and there’s always the fanboys/girls fighting one another about which is better (see: all of the recent Nokia WP8 commercials).
As for durability, I can break an iPhone 5S just as easily as I can break a Samsung Note III or an LG G2. The trick is to take care of your device, not treat it like crap. I have never “accidentally” broken a mobile device in my entire life – nor even dented the body or scratched the screen in any way, shape, or form. I clean my devices every Saturday with compressed air and cleaning solutions geared towards technology. My devices look brand spanking new – even stuff I’ve owned for 4-5 years. “Durability” is really up to the end-user. Treat it with care and respect it, the device will remain in excellent condition. This works with both physically and “digitally” (software-wise).
Seems like they are charging me $170 premium but they actually exceeded my expectation, $60 for not sacrificing the retina display or the A7 chip is a win in my book 🙂
The only hope that wasn’t met was the champagne gold colouring as it did look nice on the mocks we saw.
Overall, I was very happy with what they announced yesterday. My plan is to buy the mini retina, although the Air is oh so tempting. I’ll probably take a couple trips into the store and handle them both before I make a final decision.
Their decision to drop the price on the original mini was interesting and I think potentially problematic for their competitors.
I love the decision to offer the OS and productivity software for free.
And I’m intrigued to see how the market as a whole develops. Some other articles I’ve read have emphasized the “side bet” that Apple placed on “productivity” when they released the 1st gen ipad. They originally envisioned it primarily as a consumption device–but it has become so much more. People have been using it for business and personal productivity activities for a few years but they’ve only just now added the 64-bit processor. So we really have only begun to see this device’s potential.
I plan to put mine in a keyboard folio, so color doesn’t mean much to me, but I can understand why it is important to others.
Happy buying to you and best of luck choosing, now that they’ve made it win-win either you go for mini or air.
Btw which configuration are you going for?
I’m looking at white 16GB mini with cellular as the best option.
P.S. – I’m guessing the mini to be the best all round tablet for this year.
Apparently they deleted my last comment, so I’ll try again.
I’m budgeting for the Air, but my first impression is that it may still be too unwieldy. I teach and use my (first gen) ipad constantly in the classroom for a variety of purposes. The mini is so much better suited to all the different reasons I might use it.
The only point of skepticism in my mind is that I’ve been using a first gen, so have no idea to what extent my productivity use will increase with the mini retina, and whether the smaller keyboard will be something I’ll be able to live with. But we shall see.
I’m going for 32GB with Verizon. I’ve used 16GB for a few years now and reconfiguring what I load every other sync or so becomes tedious.
Enjoy your mini!
You too have a great time with the new purchase, take care.
Loving, loving, LOVING my new mini retina … I am rarely without it and am already using it for writing lesson plans, keeping my budget, watching TV, just about anything and every use for which it is appropriate and relevant. Some people may balk at the price, but I’m glad to have purchased it.
The T-Mobile plan is so generous it will blow your socks off. Essentially unlimited internet … you pay for high speed at a fixed amount (I’m doing 4 GB @ $30/month) then they “throttle” you down to the 2G when you use up your allotted GBs.
It’s light enough that I watched a 2 hour-plus movie in one sitting without even getting tired.
People may balk at the price, but the really don’t know what they’re missing.
Two days to wait feels like the night before Christmas when I was a kid at this point. They’ll have a retina … the challenge will be the supply chain. Their margins are lower on the mini, so the iPad 5 will get production priority.
I think it’s a waste of money. They just improved the hardware. I’m disappointed at apple and Ipad mini 2. Tim said that they are very excited to introduce something. Now they are trying to introduce ipad’s by doubling some hardware shits.
I was intending to buy an iPad 5 with touch id and a gold color… Very disapointing , I hope that crApple’s stocks will be even worse than now.
You idiot… THIS IS A RUMOUR SITE
You are the idiot , even if these are rumors , we all know that rumors about the iphone 5s were all true , so why wouldn’t the ipad 5 , that is being leaked every day , be exactly like how all those rumors are talking about?
Gold is a crappy color for an ipad anyway … imagine all the scratches … and if you put a folio on it why order gold? The big color seller is going to be the space gray.
And touch ID is an aesthetic change. It has little (at present) relevance to the device’s core functions.
So you you’re an anti-Apple troll … go buy a POS Surface and see if that makes you happy.
You clearly are an apple assboy , no one here talked about the surface , and I would never buy a such device since the microsoft store is very poor and doesn’t have many apps, plus I have an iPad 2 and an iphone and a galaxy note 2 so I am not a fanboy of anything or anti-apple troll I also really wanted touch id to change the ugly home button , the new one looks so luxurious with the metal ring around it
wah!!!! I can’t have my touch ID! wah!!!! I’m just gonna go sell all my Apple stock and throw a temper tantrum and call people bad names. wah!!!
Grow up.
the only thing that I can’t understand is how did the touch ID home button fit in the ipad 5 but the normal home button didn’t?
If the iPad mini 2 has a retina display, I’m going to line up at the doors before their doors open to get one. If it doesn’t, then I’ll sit comfortably at home while the heat dies down to get an iPad 5. Enough said.
If the IPad Mini has Touch ID I will be first in line to buy one.
And if it has touch ID without a retina screen?
I’d still buy one. The resolution is ok as it is. Touch I’D is a great feature, and I hope they implement it in the iPad mini 2. But a retina display would be great too.
Kuo doesnt know his ass from his head. Touch ID is easy for them to implement now and will be a “highly marketable feature”. Bet money on it.
According to the sources, the problem isn’t implementation, but supply. They can’t produce enough for the iPhone 5 as it is …
Don’t really care about touch id.