All we know so far about what's new in Apple's new iPad, iPad mini

After its recent iPhone launches, Apple’s next big event for the year is almost upon us. On 22 October, the Cupertino-tech giant will launch the next generation of iPad, iPad mini and the next Mac OS: Mavericks, and the Mac Pro. Apple is also expected to showcase a new range of iPods at the launch event.

Here’s a look at everything that we should expect from the Apple event:

iPad 5: Given that the fourth generation iPad was launched in October last year, there’s no doubt that Apple’s next generation of iPads is definitely coming. According to various leaked videos of the iPad back covers, the new iPad 5 is expected to sport a thinner bezel, and a design that is similar to the iPad mini.

Sonny Dickson had put out high-res pictures of the iPad 5’s cover on his website where one could clearly see that the iPad 5 will have more in common with the iPad mini as far as the design is concerned.

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The iPad 5 is also expected to come with the 64-bit A7 chipset like the iPhone 5s. It’s currently not clear whether Apple will bump up with the screen resolution for the iPad but for now it appears unlikely. As far as storage goes Apple will stick to the 16, 32, 64 and 128 GB models.

[caption id=“attachment_1183759” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] The back cover of the iPad 5. Image credit: Sonny Dickson.[/caption]

Will the iPad 5 come with the Touch ID aka the fingerprint scanner as well? Unlikely since there haven’t been too many leaks regarding the same.

The iPad 5 is also expected to come with a better camera, an eight megapixel one. According to AppleInsider, KGI’s noted research analyst Ming-Chi Kuo had said in a client note that iPad 5 and iPad mini 2 will launch in Q4 with an “upgraded 8MP shooters and enhanced lens elements.” AppleInsider also quoted Apple sources as telling them that Sony will provide sensor for the next generation of iPads. Apple could use the larger 1.5-micron pixels in the iPads as it has used in the iPhone 5s.

According to AppleInsider, users should get ready to bid goodbye to the black iPad. The new iPad will come in white, silver and the new grey option, says the website.

**The iPad mini 2:**The biggest change that everyone expects in the iPad mini 2 is that the 7.9-inch screen will finally get a Retina Display resolution. The original iPad mini has a screen resolution of 1024x768 resolution which comes to 163 pixels per inch and for most tech critics, this was the biggest disappointment as far as the iPad mini was concerned.

A screen with a Retina Display pixel density would make the iPad mini a killer device. As far as other specs are concerned, the iPad mini is likely to come with the upgraded A6 chip, although if it comes with the A7 chip with the 64-bit architecture it would be quite a nice surprise. The iPad mini 2’s camera is also expected to get a boost to eight megapixels. As far as fingerprint scanner goes that’s highly unlikely.

OS X 10.9 Mavericks: The next level of Mac OS: OS X 10.9 Mavericks is also expected to be released at the event for downloads. Mountain Lion, last year’s update was available for $19.99 or Rs 1,100 on Apple’s Mac Store. Mavericks should be priced around the same.

Apple has made a final Golden Master version of OS X Mavericks available to developers which means that the OS is ready to go and should be out after the event. Mavericks will come with improved notifications, a Desktop app for Apple Maps (which is not something everyone is waiting for), and improved features for Notes, Calendar and Safari.

The Mac Pro: The new, cylindrical Mac Pro is also expected to be released at the event. The Mac Pro has seen a radical design overhaul in this version with the device looking like a beautiful time capsule. The new Mac Pro has the Intel Xeon processors, dual workstation-class GPUs for Graphics and is only is 9.9-inches tall. Key features Intel Xeon E5 chipset with upto 12 processor cores and it also has two AMD FirePro workstation-class GPUs.

According to Apple, the all-new Mac Pro is up to 2.5 times faster than the current Mac Pro and delivers up to an amazing 7 teraflops of compute power. It has 4 USB 3.0 ports, 6 Thunderbolt ports. Users can connect three 4k displays to the machine. The new Mac Pro also features PCIe-based flash storage that is up to 10 times faster than conventional desktop hard drives.

The new iPods: Apple is expected to release a new version of the iPod nano and the iPod touch. Expect a bumped up processor in the iPod touch and maybe a better camera, but it’s unlikely that Apple will reveal anything drastic when it comes to these two devices.