Next-Gen Apple iPads Enter Production – Report

New models of Apple’s iPad are said to have gone production, including next-generation versions of the full-sized tablet and the iPad Mini, both of which are reportedly to feature a new anti-reflective coating that makes the devices easier to read.

The next-generation 9.7-inch iPad is to be unveiled at the end of this quarter or the beginning of the next quarter, ahead of the Christmas shopping season, with a new iPad Mini also said to be available by the end of the year, according to unnamed sources cited by Bloomberg.

Christmas line-up

The two new iPads would join a range of products that Apple is rumoured to be preparing for the end of the year, including new iPhones with bigger screens and a health-oriented “iWatch”.

Apple is planning a 9 September event to launch the new iPhones, which apparently went into mass production last month. The new models will include one with a 4.7-inch screen and another with a 5.5-inch screen.

However output of the new iPads may be limited due to manufacturing complications tied to the new anti-reflection coating, according to Bloomberg’s sources. The suppliers involved in the new iPads include Foxconn and Pegatron.

Apple will hope the new tablets boost iPad sales which have been declining for the past two quarters, falling to 13.3 million during the three months leading up to 28 June. As part of an effort to reverse this trend, the company entered into a partnership with IBM in an attempt to make the iPad more appealing to businesses.

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