According to a rumor from Macotakara, Apple is working on a lighter and thinner iPad for release in March 2013. The new iPad will share the same design elements as the iPad mini, including a smaller size that shaves 4mm off the height, 17mm off the width and 2mm off the depth of the iOS device. The new iPad will also adopt the two-tone color scheme of the iPad mini, which would give the tablet a refreshing update to a style that’s been in place since the launch of the original iPad a few years ago.
This March launch would fit in with Apple’s previous launch schedule of iPads in the Spring and iPhones later in the year. The company bucked this trend in October when it launched the fourth generation iPad with an improved processor, better wireless hardware and a Lightning port for syncing and charging. These improvements were a small jump over the third generation iPad, which is no longer available from Apple.
Though Apple will likely update the iPad with the same design as the iPhone 5 and the iPad mini, it remains to be seen whether these changes will appear this Spring, a mere six months after the iPad’s latest update. Once the dust from CES 2013 settles, we will have to wait and see if Apple has a late January or early February event penciled into its presentation schedule.
[Via 9to5Mac and Macotakara]