Unannounced Apple products follow a familiar cycle – they are postulated to exist, photos are leaked, specifications and measurements are rumoured and then we get a mainstream source offering their confirmation from anonymous sources.
Occasionally we see third party iPad Mini or iPhone case manufacturers, but in the majority of cases it’s not until the Apple announcement that the record is set straight.
It looks like we’re still in the early to mid stages of that cycle with the fifth generation iPad – this week, NowhereElse published some rather compelling schematics of what the iPad 5 may look like. According to the schematics sourced by the French publication, the new iPad will be just 7.9 millimetres thick. That’s considerably thinner than the current generation iPad 4, which is 9.4 millimetres, but not as thin as the iPad Mini, which is 7.2 mm thick.
The fifth generation iPad is also expected to have a thinner bezel, making for smaller length and height with the same 9.7 inch screen. The iPad 5 will be 232 millimetres wide (down from 241.3 millimetres) and 178.5 millimetres tall (down from 185.8 millimetres).
While Apple revealed a patent for a dual-purpose bezel (which could also extend for full screen games or video), it’s thought that technology will find its way to the iWatch before an iPad product, as bezel reduction is more impactful on the smaller device.
The new iPad should have a similar look to the iPad Mini, with a two tone design. Otherwise, we know very little about the next iPad’s new features and capabilities, although launching with iOS 7 seems to be a given.
So, what do you think of the new iPad? I guess a reduction in dimensions isn’t unexpected, but it’s still impressive to see how well Apple can continue to shrink down their hero products.
