Apple has a treat in store for us in 2012, according to one Digitimes report, which claims the Cupertino company will release not one but two new iPad models, one of which will boast more than twice the battery capacity of the current model, with a 5- to 8-megapixel camera.
The next-generation iPad will reportedly feature a battery with a staggering 14,000 mAh capacity — more than double that of the current 6,579 mAh battery. But it won’t be the only new Apple tablet next year, sources for Digitimes claim.
In addition to this “high-end” model, which will feature a 9.7-inch Retina display with a resolution of 1,536 x 2,047 pixels, a quad-core A6 processor, and an 8-megapixel camera; there will also be a “mid-range” iPad. Both of which will, apparently, join the existing iPad 2 to provide Apple with a “complete iPad series targeting the entry-level, mid-range, and high-end market segments”:
The iPad 2 will be competing directly with Amazon’s kindle Fire in the price-sensitive market segment, while the new models will focus on the mid-range and high-end segments respectively, the sources said.
However, neither of those two new devices will sport a smaller, 7.85-inch display as previously rumored, according to the report:
Instead of the previously-rumored 7.85-inch, the upcoming iPad models will still feature 9.7-inch screens but come with QXGA resolution (1,536×2,048 pixels), the sources indicated.
And if these rumors weren’t already questionable enough, Digitimes claims the new iPads will be unveiled at the Macworld|iWorld conference on January 26, 2012 — an event which Apple pulled out of completely two years ago — and not a dedicated Apple event:
Apple is set to unveil its next-generation iPad – which will come in two versions – at the iWorld scheduled for January 26, 2012, according to sources at its supply chain partners
While the possibility of a high-end “iPad HD” has been rumored a number of times before, it seems unlikely the device would be unveiled at the Macworld|iWorld conference. Apple withdrew from this event back in December 2008, with its last appearance in January 2009, when it said that trade shows were no longer a part of its overall strategy. Since then it has held its own media events to launch new products, which have always been very popular.
[via MacRumors]
