iPad 5 Rumors: Tablet Redesign Coming Soon; Apple Event in March or April Expected, Says Analyst

An Apple event and update to their iPad series is expected, according to an analyst's prediction.

First, Latinos Post reported last week about KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo stating Apple executives feeling pressured to launch a new 9.7-inch iPad.

"Though the iPad mini is expected to be successful, we think launching the lighter, thinner 9.7-inch iPad as quickly as possible matters more for Apple strategically," stated Kuo.

Now, Piper Jaffray's analyst Gene Munster is telling clients that based on "the history of time," an Apple event is imminent.

"We believe that looking at the history of time between Apple product launch events suggests that the company will introduce something new in March or April," said Munster. "Over the past two years, the Spring event has been iPad updates."

Munster further noted the first Apple event of 2013 could produce a design overhaul to the 9.7-inch iPad.

"We believe Apple could update the full-sized iPad to a body style similar to the iPad Mini. Additionally, we believe that the iPad Mini could get a Retina display, although that may happen later in the year given the supply constraints Apple faced on the Mini in the December quarter," noted the Piper Jaffray's analyst.

"We would expect to see an Apple TV update in the next six months if Apple plans to launch a television by the end of the year, which we still expect," he said. "We believe the updated Apple TV software could 'prime the pump' for the ultimate television."

The analyst also calculated the average time between Apple's events to 123 days, or four months. The longest amount of time between an event, since the 2009 iPhone 3GS launch, was the iPad 2 launch and iPhone 4S launch in 2011, a span of 216 days.

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