Confirmed iPad Mini 2, iPad 5 Killer Features on Oct-Nov 2013 Release Date: 3D Image-Generation Capability & Stylus Screen Navigation
Aided by new technologies, the iPad Mini 2 and its bigger sibling, the iPad 5, are poised to deliver new power features on their respective release dates, bringing in a totally fresh approach to experience the iOS 7 tablet world.
Per reports by Apple Insider, digital sketching on the iPad platform will never be the same with the introduction of Wacom's Intuos Creative Stylus, which has been designed for optimal compatibility with the iPad 4, the first iPad Mini and presumably their 2013 iterations.
It should be noted that Wacom is the same firm behind the S-Pen technology that Samsung uses on the Galaxy Note series.
Expect "natural drawing experience," to become part of the already expansive iPad menu as the Wacom tool's pressure-sensitive technology makes for a close-to-flawless digital sketching, which is amply supported by a host of compatible applications.
Among the e-pen's notable app companion is the Wacom-native Bamboo Paper "as well as Autodesk SketchBook Pro, ArtRage, ProCreate and Psykopaint," all of which are already available at the App Store, said the Apple Insider report.
The iPad-designed stylus is set to hit stores in October for $100 and consumers can expect a very "realistic pen-on-paper feel," thanks to the professional-grade 2048 pressure levels that ensure of higher stylus sensitivity compared to the capacitive nature of most commercially-available digitisers.
And to complement this exciting iPad accessory is the likely iOS tablet feature that would enable users to "generate and manipulate 3D objects using 3D gesture inputs," on future iPad versions, a new patent filing from Apple showed.
While the filing did not specifically mention of the technology's readiness in time for the rumoured iPad 5 and iPad Mini 2 debut between October and November this year, there is a high chance that it will be deployed soon as Apple appears to have perfected the system as early as 2012, the year that the invention was submitted for patent protection.
The Apple patent document, according to Apple Insider, talks of 3D screen navigation that will be aided by a device's proximity sensor. In practical application, 3D images will be extruded from stock 2D images, which are then manipulated or edited through conventional touchscreen gestures.
With the patent likely in place, sculpting, pinching, twisting, pulling and pushing of subject images on screen will become normal modification procedures in the two iPad versions, thereby extending image creation and editing tasks that are normally performed via desktop computers.
For optimal usability, Apple considers using stereoscopic glasses, designed for high-end 3D functions, with the cutting-edge touchscreen feature.
The iPad 5 and the iPad Mini 2 - both with Retina-laced screen, faster processing chips and other upgraded components, according to analysts, are set for a twin-debut in October 2013 with the release date to follow in the immediate weeks or by early November.