Tuesday Apple Rumors: New iPads to Be Unveiled on Oct. 15

by Christopher Freeburn | September 17, 2013 11:28 am

[1]Here are your Apple rumors[2] and AAPL news items for today:

Next: A French website reports that Apple (AAPL[3]) will hold another special media event next month[4] to show off its next generation iPad and an iPad Mini with a higher-resolution display, BGR notes. Analysts widely expect the company to debut its fifth-generation iPad, possibly dubbed the iPad 5, some time this fall. The new iPad is thought to be significantly slimmer and lighter than the current model, featuring improved internal components and enhanced battery life. It is also expected to take design cues from the iPad Mini, including the use of smaller bezels. Apple has also been widely expected to release an updated iPad Mini with a Retina screen. However, rumors over the summer suggested the company might postpone that product until next year. With competition in the tablet market rising, reports in recent weeks reversed course, indicating that Apple would debut a Retina iPad Mini this fall. A flurry of rumors this month say that Apple could also launch a new Apple TV streaming box alongside the new iPads at the upcoming event.

Pricing: When Apple’s new iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c go on sale at Chinese wireless carriers, they will cost consumers a lot less than their list prices[5], Fortune notes. China’s second and third largest wireless carriers, China Unicom (CHU[6]) and China Telecom (CHA[7]) have announced hefty subsidies for the new iPhones, when purchased with service contracts. Chinese consumers will have to pay the full price of the iPhones up front, but will then get monthly discounts on their wireless bills equal to the full cost of the phones. In effect, both carriers will offer both the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c for free with the purchase of certain service plans. The plans mirror similar offers by the three largest Japanese wireless carriers, including NTT DoCoMo (DCM[8]), which recently added the iPhone. Apple is expected to announce a deal with the largest wireless carrier in the world, China Mobile (CHL[9]), which has not yet added the iPhone to the array of smartphones it offers to customers.

Snapped Up: The iPhone 5s appears to be a hit in China[10], even before it officially goes on sale, 9to5Mac notes. Apple has a reservation system in place in China aimed at preventing its stores from being mobbed during product launches, as they were when the iPhone 4 arrived in the country. That system has allowed Chinese consumers to place reservations on the new iPhone 5s, something consumers in other countries have been unable to do. Within minutes of the reservation system opening on Tuesday, almost all iPhone 5s models and colors were listed as having sold out in China. Local media reports indicated that the “gold” colored iPhone 5s was in particularly high demand. Only the 16GB version of the “space grey” iPhone 5s retained any availability hours after the launch began. The quick sellout may signal highly constrained inventories of the new flagship iPhone, potentially hinting at supply problems in other countries. A number of recent reports said that Apple was facing production volume problems with the new iPhone due to its fingerprint sensor.

For more about the company, check out our previous Apple Rumors[11] stories.

Source URL: https://investorplace.com/2013/09/tuesday-apple-rumors-new-ipads-to-be-unveiled-on-oct-15/

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