We’re barely into 2013 and already there are rumors about the next iPad, although the previous two models were launched a couple of months ago. The iPad Mini and iPad 4 debuted in October and now we’re already preparing for the iPad 5, with rumors saying it will adopt the same bezels and styling as the iPad Mini, in a larger version.

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Apple Insider is reporting that KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo is predicting that the fifth gen iPad will be released in 2013, probably in March, with a lighter and slimmer chassis. This is not at all surprising, since the last two 9.7 inch iPads were behemoths compared to the latest Samsung and ASUS slates. Kuo also thinks that we may have to wait a bit longer for the next iPad, that may appear in Q3, although there are other rumors that support the same timeframe we had in mind: March.

I should probably mention that the same analyst seems to think that the iPad Mini 2 will feature a Retina Display. I can’t really see the iPad 5 getting other changes aside from the design, but I’m sure Apple will come up with something, maybe a new case or accessory or even a small resolution bump.