Is Apple Planning to Release a 5-Inch iPad in 2013?
Apple is reportedly preparing to release an iOS device that will have a 5-inch display sometime in 2013.
This report originated from Japanese blog Macotakara, who stated the Apple's suppliers have been readying 5-inch Retina displays for a new device that could possibly be a variant of the iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch.
"The 5-inch Retina Display Product which is expected to be Released in 2013, and resolution of this LCD will be 1,600 x 960 pixel (800x480 by legacy major) or 1,280 x 960 pixel (640x480)," read a translation of Macotakara's report.
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The publication claims that the sources that revealed this information are involved in display production and also that they are reliable. These suppliers are China-based.
However, tech site 9to5Mac feels that Apple is unlikely to release any device with a 5-inch display.
The site stated that apps designed for the iPad and iPhone would not run at an optimum level on a device with 5-inch screen featuring the amount of pixel resolution that was reported by Macotakara.
A 7.85-inch display would be a better choice for Apple if it was looking to create a tablet to compete in the low-end market, according to 9to5Mac.
The new iPad launched two weeks ago and a new iPhone is due out sometime this year. Most tech sites would suspect that these displays would be made for a variant of either one of those devices.
However, Apple already has a compact device that can compete with the low-end tablet market with the iPod Touch. The company could be planning to increase its size and add on some more features in order to use the media device to compete with the Amazon Kindle Fire and Samsung Galaxy Note.
In order to fully dominate the tablet market, Apple will have to break-in to the low end segment by launching a device that is more cost-effective.
