Now that the iPhone 5s has been revealed and is in the hands of the public, our focus turns to the iPad and its smaller companion, the iPad mini. Rumors and history suggest Apple’s tablet device will see a refresh in October. What does Apple have in store for its two iPad models? We don’t have to look much further than the iPhone 5s for some clues on what Apple may be packing into its next generation tablet devices.
It’s a colorful world
Recent rumors suggest the iPad mini and possibly the iPad will get a splash of color like the iPhone 5s. We likely won’t see the pastels of the iPhone 5c, but we will probably get the gold, silver and space grey color options. Sonny Dickson recently leaked a space grey casing for the iPad mini and both the silver and grey for the iPad 5. Also spotted on Asian website DoNews is a gold iPad mini. Doesn’t it look gorgeous? If these leaks are accurate, then the addition of silver and especially gold will be a definite improvement over the white and black options of the earlier models.
Fingerprint Sensor
As an iPhone 5s owner, the fingerprint sensor is the must-have feature for me in the next iPad. It is so convenient to be able to unlock my device and authorize iTunes purchases with that press of my finger. It makes using my original iPad mini with a key code so old right now. I’d be very surprised if Apple didn’t upgrade all of its devices with fingerprint sensors and make it a standard feature on its devices going forward.
The Internals
Just like the iPhone 5s, the iPad may get the new A7 chip, 1GB of RAM and the M7 motion coprocessor. The M7 may be part of the package, but it won’t be as important in the iPad as it is in the iPhone. In scenarios when motion is important, you are more likely to get up and go with your iPhone than with your iPad. That being said, the powerhouse A7 and its GPU will be make the iPad an even better gaming device than it already is. I would also expect to see a better camera in the front and back as well as the improved 802.11ac WiFi in the iPad models. That new Qualcomm cellular radio with support for even more LTE bands will likely land in the WiFi+4G models.
Will there be a retina iPad mini?
Retina is still the big unknown for the iPad mini with arguments both for and against the inclusion of a retina screen in Apple’s 7.9-inch tablet. The addition of a retina display could run up the price of the $329 device, but Apple would likely face a lot of criticism for not upgrading this crucial component in the second generation of the device. Though rumors hint at a 2014 launch of the retina model, I’m going to step out on limb and predict that Apple will drop a retina screen in the iPad mini this fall.
Conclusion
Just like the iPhone 5s, Apple will likely bump up the specs and introduce tablets that are evolutionary in design and hardware. Beside what we’ve outlined above, what else do you think we will see in the next iPad or iPad mini? Chime in with your predictions in the comments.
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