Analysts seem to favour a possible April or May release date for the next-gen iPad 5 and iPad Mini 2, some few months before the purported debut of the iPhone 5S and the its low-cost edition.

While the general consensus among Apple watchers is that all 2013 gadget releases from the tech giant will showcase the new iOS 7, the new batch of Apple tablet computers will be unveiled ahead of the pack anyway.

Even if the new Apple platform will not be ready until mid-2013, Apple seems all set to unleash the new iPad models right before the major June push out that will introduce the iPhone 5S.

After all, new iPad 5 and iPad Mini 2 owners can easily upgrade their devices to iOS 7, thus erasing the notion that many would miss out on the expected major revamps that Apple is set to bring to the table with the new iOS environment.

According to Rene Ritchie of iMore, if indeed the redesigned tablets from Apple have reached their final production phase by late March or early April then it would be a go for the iPad 5 and the iPad Mini 2.

"I've heard from several sources that there was/is an event planned for April, new 9.7 inch iPad if it's ready," Gotta Be Mobile reported Mr Ritchie as saying in a recent blog post.

Daring Fireball's John Gruber added his voice to the growing chatter that the U.S.-based tech giant will pull off a surprise but it is likely to happen on May, stressing that "I think they'd do a standalone event in May rather than hold it until WWDC in (I presume) June."

It is highly likely, Mr Gruber said, that Apple is shipping out the latest iPad editions minus the iOS 7 so it's more logical to unwrap the tablet ahead of the platform's grand unveiling, which experts said will happen via the annual Worldwide Developers Conference.

Come its release date, the iPad 5 will reflect the tablet design that made the iPad Mini an instant hit late last year. It will sport the same 9.7-inch screen size but the form factor is considerably reduced, mimicking that of the thin and light iPad Mini.

The iPad Mini 2, on the other hand, is joining Apple's Retina club after the first edition skipped out on the screen technology, which Apple said was hard decision made to keep the compact tablet's price level reachable.