iPad 5, iPad Mini 2 Release Date: Possible Launch Next Month, Fate Of Tablets Dependent On iOS 7 Strategy
The release dates of the iPad 5 and iPad Mini 2 could happen as soon as next month, if Apple wouldn’t mind releasing them without their overhauled iOS 7, Phil Moore of Stabley Times reports.
Rumors have it that if the Cupertino tech giant will opt to ditch the shiny new software and will instead have the new tablets carry the current version (iOS 6), since the devices are ready for consumer launch.
At this point, if Apple will not release the much rumored tablets in July, the iPad 5 and iPad Mini 2 will see a release date in the fall together with the iOS 7, which will be available for download. It will potentially coincide with the release of the iPhones 5S and iPhone 6.
If the speculations are correct that the iPhone 5S and iPhone 6 will be announced in September, it will make Apple's fall launch one of its biggest. It will be the first time for Apple to launch two of their best-selling product lines, which they have practically defined, simultaneously.
According to Stabley Times, Apple’s release patterns are so different lately that it’s becoming more difficult to predict what’s its next release would be. It used to be a regular event for the company to launch new iPhones in the fall along with an updated version of the iOS, then follow it up with releae of new iPads in the spring.
The tech giant shifted its cycle of launches last fall, launching the new iPhone in September with the updated iOS 6 and then releasing the fourth-generation iPad and the hugely successful iPad Mini a month later. Both tablets ran on the iOS 6 platform.
According to rumors, the iPad Mini 2 is ready to for launch and the iPad 5 is merely waiting for an official announcement.
The deciding factor would be if Apple would allow the new tablets to be released while it’s running the old iOS platform.
Once the iOS 7 is released, it’s free for all iPad and iPhone users and usually involves a one-click operation on the user’s part.