Apple is reportedly testing new iPad prototypes with displays that sport a 16:9 aspect ratio, which is commonly referred to as “widescreen.” The device is not the upcomong iPad mini, sources say.
According to industry analyst Paul Mueller, “at least three people close to Apple […] say that there are new iPad prototypes that have a 16:9 aspect ratio. They aren't talking about the upcoming iPad mini either,” with The Examiner adding that the analyst will churn up more information in the next few weeks.
The site contacted its own sources who reportedly wouldn’t confirm, nor deny the rumor. The source in question reportedly said, “I haven't really heard much about the iPad 4, but it appears that Apple is no longer against widescreen devices,” he hints.
The iPhone 5 ships with a 16:9 widescreen display, and while this is a good aspect ratio for such a small device, a tablet computer may prove cumbersome to use with such radical dimensions.
Nonetheless, Apple’s competitors have already released tablets with these specs, and while they haven’t faired particularly well, that doesn’t mean the Apple logo can’t sell a few million.
Word on the web (still) is that Apple will unveil a new version of the iPad this fall. It’s called the “iPad mini” in the tech blogosphere, and there’s a fairly good chance it’ll be called just that in real life too.
The full-fledged iPad 4, or the fifth-generation iPad if we’re to take the rumored interim version into account, is not expected to come out until spring 2013.
It’s all starting to sound a bit sketchy lately. The experimental 16:9 iPad should actually be the iPad mini, not the well-established 10-inch iPad which really hasn’t changed much since 2010 (except for the pixel count). And it shouldn’t, either.
