iPad 5 production to begin in July, arrive in the Fall

The latest rumors about the next generation comes from a DigiTimes report that claims trial production for the iPad 5 will begin soon and volume production will begin in July. This would mean the new iPads would arrive in the Fall, perhaps as soon as September.

According to the article, an unnamed source from a supply chain in Taiwan stated; “the 5th-generation iPad is estimated to be 25-33% lighter than the 4th-generation one.”

The 4th generation iPad (without cellular) weighs 1.44 pounds. This would drop the iPad 5 to just under 1 pound. The screen size is expected to still be a 2048 x 1536 Retina display, but with narrow side bezels that closely resemble the iPad mini.

The report also claims that the iPad 5 will have a 0.2mm glass substrate and will only use one LED light bar for backlighting. By comparison, the 4th generation iPad uses a 0.25mm glass substrate and two LED light bars.

If the rumors are true, a thinner glass substrate, smaller side bezels and eliminating a LED light bar would certainly shed some weight from the previous version iPad.

DigiTimes hasn’t always been the most reliable with Apple rumors, but this report does seem plausible.

Originally posted 2013-05-21 22:12:03.