While Apple surprised with the announcement of a new fourth-generation iPad this week, the company may quickly update the product once again with a thinner and lighter model early next year, one insider believes.
Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities thinks Apple may feel pressure from Microsoft's new Surface tablet, especially considering that the fourth-generation iPad is the same weight and thickness as the third-generation model.
"Though the iPad mini is expected to be successful, we think launching the lighter, thinner 9.7" iPad as quickly as possible matters more for Apple strategically," Kuo explained.
If Microsoft Surface does catch on with consumers and businesses, it would pose a risk to Apple's current dominance of the "post-PC" world. For that reason, he thinks Apple will move quickly to redesign the iPad once again in the near future.
Apple is expected to employ "GF DITO" touchscreen technology, otherwise known as GF2, in its redesigned iPad, according to Kuo. In combination with more power-efficient chips, Apple is expected to "dramatically lower the weight and thickness of the 9.7" iPad," Kuo wrote.
Apple predicted to launch lighter, thinner 9.7" iPad 'as quickly as possible'