Rumor Tips Thinner, Lighter iPad in March

Many people will be ripping open new fourth-gen iPads or iPad minis tomorrow morning, but rumors about the next Apple tablet are already swirling.

According to Japanese blog Macotakara, as picked up by 9to5Mac, the next iPad will be unveiled in March 2013 and boast a thinner, lighter profile. That includes a 4mm reduction in height, 17mm in width, and 2mm in depth, Macotakara said.

The blog also suggested that the next-gen iPad will incorporate elements of the iPad mini - namely the black/slate or white/silver color schemes.

A March 2013 unveiling for the fifth-gen iPad would come of the "" or iPad 3. It would follow Apple's recent release cycle of iPads in the winter and iPhones in the fall. But Apple did only - and a revamped, - in October.

That fourth-gen iPad , however, didn't really include too many changes over its predecessor. Apple added the smaller, Lightning dock connector, and the A6 chip used in the iPhone. The updated iPad also included a FaceTime HD camera, twice the Wi-Fi performance compared to previous iPads, and support for additional LTE carriers worldwide.

The quick release of the iPad 4, just months after the iPad 3, irked some people who had purchased an iPad early in 2012. But PCMag mobile analyst Sascha Segan thought consumers should .

For more, see PCMag's reviews of the and .