iPad 5 Release Date: October, Due To Component Supply Issues, Says Report

One of the inevitabilities of each new year is that we will see a new iPhone and iPad from Apple. This year will be no exception, with Apple slated to release more than one new iPad this year. The widely anticipated iPad mini 2 is expected to release around March, but the iPad 5's release date is a little more iffy -- it could be as late as October or as early as March, depending on who you believe. 

A new report from iLounge editor-in-chief Jeremy Horowitz states that the iPad 5 might not be released until October, "give or take a couple weeks" due to what he believes is a shortage of component supplies. 

According to Horowitz, who apparently had some time with an iPad 5 prototype earlier in January, the new iPad will utilize a design similar to the iPad mini's. There will be practically no bezels, and the whole form factor has been made more sleek. Horowitz believes this design indicates that Apple will be calling on Sharp's IGZO screen technology. Sharp, however, according to Horowitz, has been struggling, and its ability to deliver components on time will play a key role in the release of the next iPad. 

Some analysts, however, are far more optimistic about the iPad 5's release, pegging it around March, alongside the iPad mini 2.

"Our checks at CES indicate Apple will release the iPad 5 and the second-generation iPad mini this March," said Topeka Capital Markets analyst Brian White after attending the popular electronics tradeshow in Las Vegas earlier this month. 

Personally, I am inclined to lean towards a March release date for the iPad 5. It's a known fact that Apple is stepping up its production cycle so that it can release more variants of its popular iOS lineup in order to stay up-to-date against the flurry of competent Android competitors. Apple should be shooting to release a new iOS lineup in the first half of 2013, and another one in the second half of the year. The iPad 4 hit retail store shelves less than one year after the iPad 3 was released, and it would seem strange for Apple to suddenly revert back to a year-long wait for a new iPad.

Still, as usual, we'll have to wait and see until the Cupertino giant gives us some official details. 

When do you think the iPad 5 will release? In March, or later, in October, and why?