Apple Working on the iWatch, a Bigger iPhone, a Less Expensive iPhone, a Retina iPad Mini, and More

Rene Ritchie at iMore has shared some insights on Apple's product roadmaps across a number of products. Ritchie is somewhat circumspect in his statements, but reading between the lines, he hints at a number of significant developments that have been rumored previously.

iMore has been very accurate in recent years, including reporting on the Lightning connector months before it was publicly released, the iPad mini's launch, as well as revealing the iPhone 5's announcement date more than a month ahead of time.

macrumors-ipad5a
The full post is worth a read, but Ritchie says that sources "who have provided accurate information in the past" told him that the iWatch project is moving forward, though he has not heard anything regarding feature sets or timelines.

The iTV project is still in the works, but there is no significant movement on it as the realities of the TV and content markets remain the same. Rumors of an iPhone with a larger screen are accurate, but release "doesn't sound imminent", and its the same story for a less expensive iPhone. It's likely coming, but is a question of timing.

Finally, Ritchie talks of a redesigned iPad to match the iPad mini's bezel design (mockup pictured above):

To bring the full-sized iPad casing in line with the iPad mini's, and to bring the iPad mini display up to the full size iPad's Retina quality, will take improvements to the efficiencies of the screens, the LED that lights them, the chipsets that drive them, and the batteries that power them. All of those are coming, it's just a question of when they get here.

He notes that an iPad mini with Retina Display is on the drawing board, as soon as Apple can figure out how to cram the display into the mini's diminutive case. He also expresses excitement for Apple's software plans in particular, future releases of iOS. He wrote that his sources "sound excited about not just the atoms but the bits as well."

None of what Ritchie writes reveals anything particularly new or astonishing, but given his extremely accurate track record over the past few years, it's an important look into what Apple could be planning for the rest of 2013.

Related Roundups: Apple Watch 11, Apple TV

Popular Stories

ios 26 1 slide to stop

iOS 26.1 Brings Back 2007 Feature in New Way

Friday October 31, 2025 1:40 pm PDT by
The upcoming iOS 26.1 update includes a small but helpful change for iPhones, and it could prevent you from running late to something important. Specifically, when an alarm goes off in the Clock app, there is a new "slide to stop" control on the screen for turning off the alarm. On previous iOS 26 versions, there is simply a large "stop" button, which could be accidentally tapped. The new ...
Apple Logo Spotlight

Report: Apple to Launch These New Products in 2026

Sunday November 2, 2025 5:34 am PST by
Apple is planning to launch at least 15 new products in 2026, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Gurman outlined what to expect from Apple in 2026 in the latest edition of his "Power On" newsletter. He said the company is heading "into one of its most pivotal years in recent memory," with the rollout of major new Apple Intelligence features, intense regulatory pressure on the App Store,...
M5 MacBook Pro

Waiting for New Macs? Apple Just Shared Bad News

Friday October 31, 2025 7:32 am PDT by
Apple has just given a strong indication that it will not be releasing any additional new Macs for the remainder of the year. Apple's CFO Kevan Parekh dropped the hint during the company's earnings call on Thursday:On Mac, keep in mind, we expect to face a very difficult compare against the M4 MacBook Pro, Mac mini, and iMac launches in the year-ago quarter.Parekh essentially gave a heads up ...
Apple Foldable Thumb

iPhone Fold: Launch, Pricing, and What to Expect From Apple's Foldable

Friday October 31, 2025 8:52 am PDT by
Apple is expected to launch a new foldable iPhone next year, based on multiple rumors and credible sources. The long-awaited device has been rumored for years now, but signs increasingly suggest that 2026 could indeed be the year that Apple releases its first foldable device. Below, we've collated an updated set of key details that have been leaked about Apple's foldable iPhone so far. Ove...
Apple Intelligence General Feature 2

New Version of Siri to 'Lean' on Google Gemini

Sunday November 2, 2025 6:06 am PST by
In his "Power On" newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today provided an update on the status of Apple Intelligence and the plans for it in 2026. Apple is still planning to roll out its revamped version of Siri around March of next year. The release should be accompanied by the release of a new smart home display product with speaker-base and wall-mount options. A new Apple TV and HomePod...
Coffee Burgundy and Purple iPhone 18 Pro Mock 1

Leaker Outlines Potential New Colors for iPhone 18 Pro

Friday October 31, 2025 8:28 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone 18 Pro models could be available in new rich and warm color option, according to a known leaker. The Weibo user known as "Instant Digital" today suggested that next-year's iPhone 18 Pro models will be available in at least one of the following color options: Coffee, purple, and burgundy. The iPhone XR, iPhone 11, iPhone 12, iPhone 14, and iPhone 14 Pro were all available in ...
HomePod mini and Apple TV

New Apple TV and HomePod Mini Likely Launching Soon

Sunday November 2, 2025 5:49 am PST by
A new Apple TV and HomePod mini could launch as soon as this month, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today suggested. In today's "Power On" newsletter, Gurman said that Apple retail stores are planning an overnight refresh on the evening of November 11, where changes will be made after closing, such as refreshing displays and placing new products for the following day. The timing of the overnight...
iOS 26

iOS 26.1 Available Tomorrow With These 8 New Features

Sunday November 2, 2025 11:50 am PST by
Following more than a month of beta testing, Apple is expected to release iOS 26.1 this Monday, November 3. The update includes a handful of new features and changes, including the ability to adjust the look of Liquid Glass and more. Below, we outline key details about iOS 26.1. Liquid Glass Toggle iOS 26.1 lets you choose your preferred look for Liquid Glass. In the Settings app,...
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

8 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Thursday October 30, 2025 4:42 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...

Top Rated Comments

ConCat Avatar
166 months ago
So why is this front page news then?

Because it's news, and on the front page.
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SteveJobs2.0 Avatar
166 months ago
Never saw someone make so many pointless and empty predictions before. "New iPhones will come... Eventually!" Yeah, no kidding.

The real story that needs to be reported is that Apple is basically become a company without focus. They are attempting to grow their customer base in the near term by providing a multitude of products. While it will improve their short-term sales numbers, they will ultimately dilute their brand to nothing other than just another competitor in a sea of many. Apple products used to be trend setting and well targeted, but are now just reduced to following whatever else looks even remotely promising.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MRU Avatar
166 months ago
Not surprising to anyone other than the masses who believed a retina ipad mini would be launched in March ......




So why is this front page news then?
Your the third post and you felt the need to quote the entire article ?..... :rolleyes:
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AngerDanger Avatar
166 months ago
Jeez, with all these screen sizes, Apple should just allow users to specify exactly what size they want their iOS devices to be:

Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nagromme Avatar
166 months ago
A tablet (or smartphone/iPod Touch) is really ONLY software, to the user. It's just a slab of software--whatever task you are doing at the moment--with a lot of hidden stuff driving it.

Software indeed is the most exciting, and it sometimes arrives for free on the device you already own! A thinner iPad will be neat, but iOS 7, 8 and beyond interest me even more. (And yes, OS X. I need my trucks!)

The lack of leaks about iOS 7 is kind of fun, actually. No big supply chains letting stuff leak every which way.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MultiMediaWill Avatar
166 months ago
[url=https://cdn.macrumors.com/im/macrumorsthreadlogodarkd.png]Image (https://www.macrumors.com/2013/02/14/rene-ritchie-on-the-iwatch-a-bigger-iphone-a-less-expensive-iphone-a-retina-ipad-mini-and-more/)[/url]


Rene Ritchie at iMore has shared some insights (http://www.imore.com/update-2013-iphones-ipads-itvs-and-iwatches) on Apple's product roadmaps across a number of products. Ritchie is somewhat circumspect in his statements, but reading between the lines, he hints at a number of significant developments that have been rumored previously.

iMore has been very accurate in recent years, including reporting on the Lightning connector (https://www.macrumors.com/2012/02/23/apple-readying-miniaturized-dock-connector-for-future-iphones/) months before it was publicly released, the iPad mini's launch (https://www.macrumors.com/2012/05/10/7-inch-ipad-with-retina-display-coming-in-october-priced-at-200-250/), as well as revealing the iPhone 5's announcement date (https://www.macrumors.com/2012/07/30/iphone-5-and-ipad-mini-to-be-announced-on-september-12th/) more than a month ahead of time.

Image (https://cdn.macrumors.com/article-new/2013/02/macrumors-ipad5a.jpg)
The full post is worth a read (http://www.imore.com/update-2013-iphones-ipads-itvs-and-iwatches), but Ritchie says that sources "who have provided accurate information in the past" told him that the iWatch project (https://www.macrumors.com/2013/02/10/nyt-apple-is-working-on-a-curved-glass-smart-watch/) is moving forward, though he has not heard anything regarding feature sets or timelines.

The iTV project is still in the works, but there is no significant movement on it as the realities of the TV and content markets remain the same. Rumors of an iPhone with a larger screen are accurate, but release "doesn't sound imminent", and its the same story for a less expensive iPhone. It's likely coming, but is a question of timing.

Finally, Ritchie talks of a redesigned iPad (https://www.macrumors.com/2013/02/07/size-comparison-of-ipad-4-ipad-mini-iphone-5-and-upcoming-ipad-5/) to match the iPad mini's bezel design (mockup pictured above):
He notes that an iPad mini with Retina Display is on the drawing board, as soon as Apple can figure out how to cram the display into the mini's diminutive case. He also expresses excitement for Apple's software plans including both Siri and iCloud, saying that his sources "sound excited about not just the atoms but the bits as well."

None of what Ritchie writes (http://www.imore.com/update-2013-iphones-ipads-itvs-and-iwatches) reveals anything particularly new or astonishing, but given his extremely accurate track record over the past few years, it's an important look into what Apple could be planning for the rest of 2013.

Article Link: Rene Ritchie on the iWatch, a Bigger iPhone, a Less Expensive iPhone, a Retina iPad Mini, and More (https://www.macrumors.com/2013/02/14/rene-ritchie-on-the-iwatch-a-bigger-iphone-a-less-expensive-iphone-a-retina-ipad-mini-and-more/)

So why is this front page news then?
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)