iPhone 5 and iPad Mini mock-up by Ciccarese Design
Some reports claim that the much-anticipated – and much-speculated about – new smartphone and tablet from Apple will hit retailers by 21 September.
Going by the unofficial titles of the iPhone 5 and iPad Mini, these devices could mark big changes for Apple’s smartphone and tablet offerings.
If rumours are true, the new iPhone will feature a much larger display than previous models, with guesses averaging about 4 inches, as well as a smaller 19-pin port, and LTE and NFC capabilities.
The iPad Mini is expected to be a much smaller tablet, competing with the Kindle Fire from Amazon and Google’s Nexus 7 and at a similar price point of US$200.
Previously, our own John Kennedy reported how suppliers in Asia were preparing for mass manufacture of an iPad Mini in September to allow for an October launch, but it seems the device might be heading our way sooner than that.
According to a report on iMore, the Apple iPhone 5 and iPad Mini will launch on 12 September, along with a new iPod Nano and iPod touch. The unnamed source of this information also claims the iPhone 5 will hit retailers nine days later, possibly with the other devices, too.
However, iLounge contradicts this report. Citing a highly reliable source, iLounge agrees that the new iPhone could be with us by mid-September or October at the latest, but also says the iPad Mini won’t be ready to ship until much later, perhaps requiring its own individual launch ahead of a November release.
iLounge also speculates on the launch of a fourth-generation iPad around the one-year anniversary of its predecessor in March next year.
Mock-up of iPad Mini and iPhone 5 via Ciccarese Design
