Apple will debut two new iPads next month, according to the latest report.
The report, from DigiTimes, cites unnamed sources from within Apple’s manufacturing and distribution channels.
The two-tablet strategy will allow Apple to target a segment it has not yet reached to with the iPad brand – those who don’t have several hundred dollars to blow.
So in addition to the expected iPad 3, which will have all the bells and whistles, there might be an ‘iPad mini’ of sorts.
That could be a more direct rival to the low-cost Kindle Fire and Nook Tablet devices that have started to steal some of Apple’s thunder and give some real meat to the world of Android tablets.
On the iPad 3 front, it’s been rumored that Apple will have a brand new display technology that will blow the iPad 2 out of the water.
In order to accommodate such a powerful display, though, Apple will need a more powerful backlighting system. As such, according to a report on iLounge.com, there will be an additional light bar under the hood of the new tablet.
That will force the device to be 0.7mm thicker than the super slim iPad 2. Surely for any Apple fan, though, that won’t be a deterrent for owning what will be the highest-resolution tablet on the market.
The iPad isn’t the only product that will be bulking up next year. The same iLounge report sheds some light on the iPhone 5. Citing an unnamed Apple insider, the publication suggests the new version of the iPhone will be nearly one centimeter thicker than its predecessor.
That will supposedly be due to the need for a bigger battery, since the iPhone 5 will be have 4G LTE connectivity. We all know one of the biggest issues with LTE is that it sucks batteries to no end, and Apple’s championing of long battery life is surely a tough issue to address.
So Apple, the company that has always slimmed down its products with each new entry, has realized that being technologically superior is sometimes more important. But don’t expect any official details until early next year.
