IPad 5. March... When Apple released a 4th-gene

IPad 5. March...

When Apple released a 4th-generation iPad just eight months after its iPad 3 was unveiled, we wondered whether we'd still see a new iPad in March. Well Japanese site Macotakara , which has a solid record with supply chain leaks, says that Apple could update the big iPad as soon as March, and the iPad 5's design will borrow from the iPad mini. Their sources expect the tablet to be 4 mm shorter, 2 mm thinner, and 17 mm narrower.

The report says that Apple is accelerating its release cycle as a response to the Nexus 7 and Surface. That's almost certainly speculation on their part, as Apple wouldn't likely brief suppliers on its motives. But competition is heating up in the tablet market. A new iPad would serve as ammunition against rival devices, as well as minimizing the iPad mini's cannibalization of its big brother.
Retina iPad mini?

The report also mentions a 2nd-generation iPad mini with Retina Display. This isn't the first time we've heard this, but this report says that it will have a 7.9-inch, 2,048 x 1,536 display with an A6X chip.

The source doesn't have a time frame for the alleged Retina iPad mini, but it says that it will enter trial production later this month.