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

Apple Logo Zoomed

Tim Cook Teases Plans for Apple's Upcoming 50th Anniversary

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:54 pm PST by
Apple turns 50 this year, and its CEO Tim Cook has promised to celebrate the milestone. The big day falls on April 1, 2026. "I've been unusually reflective lately about Apple because we have been working on what do we do to mark this moment," Cook told employees today, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. "When you really stop and pause and think about the last 50 years, it makes your heart ...
wwdc sans text feature

Apple Rumored to Announce New Product on February 19

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:22 pm PST by
Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, according to Macwelt, the German equivalent of Macworld. The report, citing industry sources, is available in English on Macworld. Apple announced the iPhone 16e on Wednesday, February 19 last year, so the iPhone 17e would be unveiled exactly one year later if this rumor is accurate. It is quite uncommon for Apple to unveil...
Finder Siri Feature

Why Apple's iOS 26.4 Siri Upgrade Will Be Bigger Than Originally Promised

Friday February 6, 2026 3:06 pm PST by
In the iOS 26.4 update that's coming this spring, Apple will introduce a new version of Siri that's going to overhaul how we interact with the personal assistant and what it's able to do. The iOS 26.4 version of Siri won't work like ChatGPT or Claude, but it will rely on large language models (LLMs) and has been updated from the ground up. Upgraded Architecture The next-generation...
iOS 26

iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Tuesday February 3, 2026 7:47 am PST by
While the iOS 26.3 Release Candidate is now available ahead of a public release, the first iOS 26.4 beta is likely still at least a week away. Following beta testing, iOS 26.4 will likely be released to the general public in March or April. Below, we have recapped known or rumored iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 features so far. iOS 26.3 iPhone to Android Transfer Tool iOS 26.3 makes it easier...
iphone 17 pro dark blue 1

iPhone 18 Pro Max Rumored to Deliver Next-Level Battery Life

Friday February 6, 2026 5:14 am PST by
The iPhone 18 Pro Max will feature a bigger battery for continued best-in-class battery life, according to a known Weibo leaker. Citing supply chain information, the Weibo user known as "Digital Chat Station" said that the iPhone 18 Pro Max will have a battery capacity of 5,100 to 5,200 mAh. Combined with the efficiency improvements of the A20 Pro chip, made with TSMC's 2nm process, the...

Top Rated Comments

ConCat Avatar
169 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
169 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
169 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
169 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
169 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
169 months ago
[url=https://cdn.macrumors.com/im/macrumorsthreadlogodarkd.png]Image (https://www.geekwebguides.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.geekwebguides.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.geekwebguides.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.geekwebguides.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.geekwebguides.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.geekwebguides.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.geekwebguides.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)