The 2012 iPad has been out for more than 2 weeks. As I write this, there are approximately 12 months before the next iPad is released. This will be the 2013 iPad and it will also be the topic of this article. I am going to go into detail in what could be on the next iPad in 2013. It’s not that long away either. Just to think its only been 2 years since the original iPad.

First the price and then the specs.

Price- Apple surprised me this time when they announced that they will keep the same price set as the iPad 2. They also kept the iPad 2 16 GB on sale at a low price of $399 in order to compete with the Kindle Fire which has been gaining steam since it is a lot cheaper than the iPad 2’s low end of $499. Now, with the new price of the iPad 2, Apple has allowed more people to afford one. What I predict Apple will do is to follow this exact pattern. They will keep the iPad 2 around all the way up to the release of the iPad 2013 and then discontinue it once it’s released. They will take the iPad 2012 to the $399 that iPad 2 was previously holding. The iPad 4 will have the same price points as the 2012 iPad including another model which I’ll discuss in a moment.

Name- Please view my iPad 3 article for more information on the name. Basically the iPad (4) will be called the 2013 iPad. The reason is to pay tribute to the iPad the same that they would with their Mac computers (ie 2012 13″ MacBook Pro). The thing they will not include is the size of the screen because…

Screen- Apple is going to stick to their guns when it comes to screen size. Apple does not like to deal with a smaller screen size even though people would buy them. The reason is this, Apple likes to keep things as simple as possible and offering multiple screen sizes in iPads when they have always come in one shape may confuse people. That is something that Apple does not do.

Technical Specs- The processor is going to be more powerful. It will most likely sport an A6 processor which may have up to 2 gigs in ram. The current variant has 1 gig. It will also be faster in terms of clock speed. It will probably go up to 1.6-2.0 ghz. The screen size as mentioned will remain the same.

Battery- One of the main issues of the 2012 iPad is the fact that the battery has problems in both keeping up with the high demand of the Retina Display and the A5X processor and the problem that it won’t charge. It also won’t show the correct amount of battery. The new battery in the 2013 iPad will fix this problem while still being able to sport the Retina Display. The device will no longer overheat and return to iPad 2 like temperatures. The problem with the battery level detector can probably be fixed with a software update.

Thin- The 2013 iPad will be incredibly thin, probably a lot closer to iPad 2 thickness, if not thinner.

Camera- Some people have not particularly liked the fact that the camera on the iPad is only 5 MP while the front camera is still VGA. People have, however, noticed the fact that it records 1080p. So unless the number of pixels change, it will be 1080p video recording. It will also have more MP on the back camera, we’re probably looking at 8-10 MP. The front camera, hopefully, will no longer be VGA and be put at about 5-6 MP, maybe even better than that. Apple has an opportunity to completely end the consumer digital camera industry (which it pretty much already has).

More Storage- Apple has the capabilities to move their amount of storage line up. Instead of having the standard 16, 32 and 64, I believe that they should go up on that. Maybe something like 16, 32, 64 and 128GB. This would be awesome to see, since some people may require the extra space especially since iPad 3, with it’s Retina Display, takes up a lot more room than the iPad 2 standard definition apps do.

A new type of screen- Fingerprints are something that bug me a lot when it comes to my iPad, I always have to clean the fingerprints off constantly. There is a type of screen that diminishes fingerprints when fingers touch the screen. No glare on the screen when it is on low brightness would certainly help too.

Smarter Cover- Let’s be honest, while Smart Covers are protective and are good stands, they just hang down and annoy the heck out of you. The smart covers also can fall right off, depending on circumstances. To solve this, would be simple, put magnets on all four corners of the iPad, so when the Cover goes behind the iPads front, the magnets will capture the Cover and hold on to it a lot better.

Forget Voice Dictation, bring on Siri- While Voice Dictation is nice, I am surprised that Apple didn’t include Siri in the 2012 iPad. So that leaves one option, put it in the 2013 iPad. Clearly, Apple made an attempt to put a Siri like software into iPad, to see how it would catch hold. Need I remind you, Siri is still in beta. Also, Apple servers are not yet ready to take on that overload, at least not yet. Once Siri gets even smarter, out of beta and Apple has either improved servers or just more of them, then they’ll be ready to put it in not only iPads, but probably iPod Touch as well (which will bring me to a future article).

Wires, who needs wires?- When Apple released iOS 5, they cut the need for a iOS device to computer cord, at least to sync. IOS 5 brought us wireless syncing. Now, Apple could bring back an existing failed technology, and like every technology they bring back or invent, make it better. This technology is called wireless charging. They could give you a device that would be like the wireless charging mat (surely you have seen it at Best Buy). This wireless charging that Apple could bring out, will cut the need for any cords completely, at least for the iOS devices.

iOS 6- There is a small possibility that it could be released alongside iOS 6. What could be in iOS 6? Better multitasking, Facebook Integration, better iCloud integration, a better Maps application that could be more like your GPS, being able to communicate with non-Apple users with FaceTime (a PC application will go along side this). Something I’d like to see is automatic app updates, possibly update while the iPad is being charged. A feature on the App Store that reminds me of a shopping cart would be nice, since you have to download ONE APP AT A TIME. Maybe the ability to have two applications open at once would be nice since 9.7 inches is plenty of room for that. There are many possibilities Apple can go with iOS 6.

It all goes without saying, these are all rumors or just things that I’d personally like to see in the next iPad. What would you like to see in the next iPad? Let us know in the comments.

Thanks for reading,

Joe