Apple is a company of exceptional uniformity, but with the iPad 4 currently taking quite a different shape to the iPad mini, reports of the next iteration larger device taking design design cues of the smaller slate have been plentiful. Today, new images have emerged supposedly depicting the rear housing of the fifth-gen Cupertino tablet, giving even more legitimacy to the notion that the iPad 5 will indeed be enveloped in a similar finish as the iPad mini.
Of all the people complaining about moves Apple has been making or planning to make, few have argued the point that the iPad 5 would be better off with an overhaul in the image of the iPad mini. For its faults, such as high price and lack of a Retina display, the iPad mini has been lauded as a stroke of design and engineering genius, and by comparison, the full-size slab is looking a tad dated and bloated to the taste of Apple fans.
French blog Nowhereelse.fr has been responsible for many legitimate Apple leaks in the past, and today, has come through with another bundle of purported photos of the iPad 5’s rear shell. Although they cannot be verified, the leaks do tie nicely in with what we’ve seen and heard hitherto, and since the iPad’s design has remained almost unchanged since the introduction of the second-gen model back in 2011, a move for change would not be before time.
The image also shows a rear shell of an iPad mini, and as you can see, both are virtually identical when seen side-by-side.
The iPad mini features newer display technology enabling all of the necessary components to be packed into smaller housing, and on the basis of this and several other leaks, we tentatively expect Apple to employ a similar tactic with the iPad 5.
As for the iPad mini itself, we expect the next-gen model to pack a Retina display, although conflicting reports have also suggested it might not make the cut this year due to problems with yield.
A special event scheduled for September 10th will surely shed more light on what Apple is planning with regards to its iPad range, at which point we’re also expecting to see the iPhone 5S and low-budget iPhone 5C for the very first time.
We’ll keep you posted on any updates, so stay tuned!
(Source: Nowhereelse.fr [Google Translate])
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