iPad

Apple registers new iPad models in Eurasian database ahead of rumored 10-inch iPad and iPad mini 5

Chance Miller | Jan 25 2019 - 7:49 am PT

Over recent weeks, reports have suggested Apple is planning a new iPad mini 5 as well as a 10-inch iPad. Now, the company has registered a handful new iPad models with the Eurasian Economic Commission, the database that has revealed new Apple devices in the past.

The filings show Apple having registered a handful of “tablet computers” running iOS 12 with the EEC. The model numbers listed are as follows: A2123, A2124, A2126, A2153, A2154, A2133, and A2152. The filings were first discovered by MySmartPrice, and we’ve verified their existence in the database.

It is hard to discern too many details from Apple model numbers, but the database filings are often good indicators of release timetables.

In the past, this Eurasian database has revealed upcoming Apple product releases including new MacBooks and iPads in 2017, as well as the iPhone 7, Apple Watch Series 2, and more in 2016. Last year, the $329 iPad refresh made an appearance in February, around a month before its release.

Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo was first to predict a new iPad mini 5 last October, saying it could be released in early 2019. According to Kuo, the new iPad mini will feature an “upgraded processor and a lower-cost panel.” A separate report last week said the new iPad mini will be “low-priced,” corroborating Kuo’s claim.

Further, a report last month said that Apple is planning a new 10-inch iPad. Seemingly, the 10-inch iPad would replace the 9.7-inch in Apple’s lineup, with the company slightly reducing the bezels.

Based on the timing of these filings, it’s possible Apple is planning a March release of its rumored 10-inch iPad as well as the iPad mini 5. This event could also bring AirPods 2, for which iOS 12.2 lays the foundation.

A spring event would not be out of the ordinary for Apple. Last year, the company held an event in March at a high school in Chicago where it unveiled the $329 iPad with Apple Pencil support. The same event also brought the introduction fo several new software features targeting education users.

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