ZTE Nubia Z5 Mini render leaks, plays fast and loose with word “mini”

Remember the ZTE Nubia Z5? We’ll forgive you if you don’t, this being ZTE and all, but the phone was notable for a few reasons. For one, it was among the few full-HD devices to premiere in 2012, launching with a five-inch 1080p display. Now a render of a new “mini” version of the phone has leaked, and we can’t help but wonder if the word is starting to lose a bit of its meaning.

With a five-inch Nubia Z5, what would you expect from the Nubia Z5 Mini? A 4.3-inch screen? Maybe a compact 4-incher? Nope. The Z5 Mini is supposed to have a 4.7-inch 720p display.

We realize we need to keep things in perspective here – no one expects the iPad Mini to be the size of an iPhone, after all – but when we’re dealing with phones in specific, it just feels like a bit of a stretch to start calling a 4.7-inch handset “mini.” Now, if we’re talking about a theoretical device like a Galaxy Note II Mini, then sure – that might make sense. But this… pushing your luck here, ZTE.

The Nubia Z5 Mini should arrive running a Snapdragon 600, have 2GB of RAM, and feature an eight-megapixel main camera.

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Rumor: Apple could start next-gen iPad production in July, iPad mini in November

A new report out of East Asia claims Apple will begin mass production of the fifth-generation iPad in July or August ahead of a third quarter launch, while the ramp-up for the next iPad mini has been pushed back to November.

 DigiTimes reports the redesigned 9.7-inch iPad will see a production window between July and August, with initial shipments reaching 5 million units by the end of September. 

The publication notes Apple's flagship tablet will see an expected design change, with thinner bezels and a slimmer profile bringing it more in line with the current iPad mini.

As for the next-gen mini, these sources say production has been pushed back one month to November, though the reason for the delay is unclear. Market watchers speculate that Apple may be staggering the two product introductions as the mini negatively impacted sales of the full-size iPad last year. Another theory is that the supply chain simply can't meet the original build schedule. 

With the delay, the total number of iPads shipped during 2013 could be lower than earlier forecasts of 80 to 100 million units, with shipment weighting at 65 percent for the 9.7-inch iPad and 35 percent for the mini.

There has been a glut of rumors regarding the upcoming next-generation iPads, though most point to to major changes in design for the 9.7-inch version, while the 7.9-inch iPad mini will receive a high-resolution Retina display.

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who has been reliable in predicting Apple's product moves, believes both tablets will be launched in the third quarter, though the fifth-generation iPad will see a slightly earlier release as the "iPad mini 2" has hit development issues.

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iPad 5 Case Leaked with Thinner, Smaller Frame.

It’s still unclear when we might see an iPad 5 dressed like an iPad mini, but a case leak suggests a release is imminent. Despite the iPad 4 still being relatively young, it was always assumed Apple would introduce a redesigned model following the launch of the iPad mini. These cases seem to reflect a more refined look, with a thinner frame and overall more compact 9.7-inch body.

Apple has consistently refined its products by making them thinner—though the iPad line contradicts this slightly—and the company seems intent on doing the same for the iPad 5. It’s difficult to say exactly how the iPad might look, but it sure seems like it’ll be thinner and come with a shorter frame—Apple is likely shaving some of the bezel off the sides.

we’ll might an iPad 5 anytime soon. Apple has played down hardware expectations heading into WWDC, with many of the bigger announcements coming later this year. Still, the timing seems curious, especially with the company’s annual conference just weeks away

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Samsung to manufacture displays for Apple

It’s very well known that Apple and Samsung’s relationship has become more strained than ever over the last couple of years. The two companies use to be best friends. Samsung would supply parts for Apple and Apple would pay Samsung handsomely, but then, legal battles started. Apple started going after Samsung for every little patent known to man, mainly due to Steve Jobs’ belief that Android was a stolen product. Once the lawsuits began, Apple started to shift away from using Samsung components in its devices. This obviously hurt both of the companies. Samsung was forced to make up for the huge stream of revenue coming from Apple, and Apple of course had to find a company to supply device components. It looks like, however, that Apple just couldn’t function as well as it would have liked without Samsung.

According to a new report from the Korea IT Times, Apple has been forced to start buying LCD panels from Samsung, which really comes as a shock. It seemed like Apple was doing okay with its new partners, such as Sharp and TSMC, but something must have gone wrong.

The Korean TFT LCD component market appears to be set for huge growth in 2013 now that Apple has started having Samsung supply panels again. The sales of TFT panels from Korean display companies Soulbrain, Chemtronics, Global Display and Avatec have seen huge growth so far, and are expected to reach 643 billion KRW, a 34% increase year-over-year.

One of Apple’s newest partners, Sharp, has been struggling mightily recently. Samsung has even recently bought a stake in the failing Japanese company.

One reason Apple may have switched back to Samsung for its display manufacturing is because of the company’s great skill at producing TFT displays. LG, one of Apple’s other partners, relies on outside sources to manufacture TFT panels, while Samsung is able to build them in-house and much quicker. Apple uses these TFT displays in its iPhone, iPad, and Retina Macbook Pro, and it seems as if no company can compete with Samsung.

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Rumor suggests that Apple Launching 12.9-Inch 'iPad Maxi' in Early 2014 to Target Ultrabooks

Korean site ETNews.com reports that Apple is working on a new, larger iPad with a display measuring 12.9 inches diagonally, compared to the 9.7-inch display on the current full-size iPad. The larger iPad, which the site apparently in all seriousness says would be called "iPad Maxi", would launch in the first half of 2014 and be intended to target the ultrabook market as well as increase utility for digital textbooks. 

ETNews.com does not have a particularly solid track record regarding Apple rumors, and is not a frequent rumor source either. Previous incorrect reports have included claims that the iPhone that was ultimately dubbed iPhone 4S would launch in late June 2011 and that the iPhone 5 would take advantage of Liquidmetal alloys and launch in June 2012. More recently, the site claimed that fingerprint sensor firm AuthenTec had cut off its existing customer base after being acquired by Apple, a development that seems likely amid rumors of Apple deploying fingerprint technology on the iPhone 5S.

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ipad 5 release to follow september iphone 5s launch

An iPad 5 release date could still be some way off, with latest reports suggesting the next-generation Apple tablet will not arrive until after an iPhone 5S launch in September.

With Apple reportedly saving its big hardware releases until later in the year, it has been claimed that an iPad 5 release date will follow the arrival of the Cupertino company’s next flagship smartphone and Samsung Galaxy S4 challenger. Although no precise launch period has been mentioned, it is still believed the remodelled tablet will land ahead of the lucrative Christmas period.

Citing unnamed supply chain sources, Asian tech blog Macotakara, has suggested that the “new iPad will be shipped after iPhone 5S.”

According to the anonymous tipster, the fifth-generation iPad tablet will play host to an integrated microphone and a cellular compatible standard SIM port, an addition that could see the device capable of making and receiving phone calls.

Earlier this week, similar sources suggested the iPhone 5S would be made available in a vast array of colours including gold, navy blue and grey. On top of this, the heavily rumoured budget iPhone will also reportedly play host to multiple colour options.

iPad 5 Rumours
One of the most eagerly awaited devices yet to be formally unveiled, iPad 5 rumours have been doing the rounds ever since the fourth-generation model was officially announced.

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Apple iPad sales could be down by second quarter

After more than three years of dominating the tablet industry, the Apple iPad has seen its hold on the market start to crack. According to KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, shipments of Apple's slate may show a year-over-year decline for the current quarter. This has never happened before to the iPad and Kuo expects to see a sequential decline in shipments from the first quarter as well.

Kuo is telling his clients to expect a drop of 20% to 25% in second quarter Apple iPad shipments compared to the first quarter. On a year-over-year basis, the drop off will amount to 10% to 15%. The analyst is basing his numbers on estimated sell-through which he expects to be 14 to 15 million for the second quarter. The drop off in comparisons is due to two factors. One is the large number of cheap 7 inch Android tablets that have been flooding the market. The other is that last year saw strong sales in the iPad as Apple introduced the third iteration of its slate, making the bar too high to top this year.

The Apple iPad mini is also part of the problem. Sequential shipments in the second quarter for the 7.9 inch device are seen declining 40% according to Kuo. The analyst also calculates iPad sales to retail partners coming in at 12.7 million units in the quarter with the Apple iPad mini responsible for 4.5 million of those units, the fourth-generation iPad representing 6.2 million, and the Apple iPad 2 coming in at 2 million.

The analyst sees growth returning in the third quarter to the level of shipments seen in Q1. Part of the growth will be seasonality, but the rest of it will depend on how well consumers take to the fifth-generation iPad that is expected to launch in the third quarter.

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RUMOUR : Apple rumor roundup: iPhone 5S, iPad 5, budget iPhone

Are you ready for the latest round of gossip about Apple’s upcoming gear? This time we get to hit all the big players, with details showing up that concern the flagship iPhone 5S, the rumored cheaper iPhone, as well as the next iPad.
Some if this is minor stuff, like a tweaked shape for the rear microphone near the iPhone 5S’s camera. The 5S could also get a bigger dual-LED flash and be available in three or more colors.
The idea of new colors continues for the budget iPhone, with white, pink, green, blue, yellow, orange, navy, gold, and gray all mentioned as optionsApple will testing. Reportedly, manufacturing tests get underway next month, with production coming up to speed later in July.
As for the iPad 5, we could also be looking to changes with the microphone used when filming video, just like on the iPhone 5S. There could also be a change to how SIM cards work with the tablet, but the translation makes the details a little unclear. Finally, the iPad 5 may be set to arrive after the iPhone 5S, not before.

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