Later this year, the fifth generation of the popular iOS device iPad will launch right after the next iPhone generation and iOS pad gains rear-facing microphone similar to the iPhone 5.

Japanese blog Macotakara indicated the iPad 5's shipment right after iPhone 5s in September 2013. Sources revealed that iPad 5 will boast 9.7-inches of screen display, rear microphone right next to its camera, same design elements with iPad mini such as thinner bezel around the screen and more rounded edges.

Design

Reports claimed that the new iPad will have thinner bezel screen and more rounded edges. The device is 25 per cent lighter and 15 per cent thinner than the previous generation. Its touchscreen component will become thinner with "GF2" touch panel and the improved power efficiency reduces the battery size of the iPad 5.

Features and Specifications

iPad 5 is rumoured to be more powerful than its predecessor having quad-core processor compared to dual-core of the iPad 4. Retina display is still included in iPad 5 but similar display resolution with iPad 4.

Moreover, iPad 5 is expected to get 8MP rear-facing camera than 5MP iSight of iPad and possibly to have a new camera chip from OmniVision designed for video streaming with full HD resolution and HDR scene on front-facing cameras.

Other specifications may change more or less in terms of RAM, battery pack, GPU and audio engine. iPad 5 has the same internal storage with iPad 4 available in 16/32/64 or 128GB.

Release Date

According to Digitimes, Apple is soon to begin trial production of iPad 5 and full production on July. If so, Apple could reach the monthly production of 2 or 3 million units by September on its launching date.

"The display of the new iPad, which will hit market shelves as early as September, will still be a 2048 x 1568 Retina display, the same as the one used in the fourth-generation model, except that the new display is built on a glass substrate of 0.2mm, thinner than the 0.25mm one for the fourth-generation device, the sources said, the adding the new tablet will have a narrow bezel. The touch panel solution for fifth-generation iPad is GF2 instead of G/G bonding used in fourth-generation iPad, the sources added. The new iPad will use one LED light bar for backlighting, compared to two LED light bars used in fourth-generation iPad, the sources noted," according to KGI securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, noted by Mac Rumors.

Kuo predicted that iPad 5 production would ramp up by August or September and soon after, the shipment.