iPad 5 and iPad Mini 2 will be arriving in Q4 2013, with iPad 2 remaining in production

Apple’s iPad 5 and iPad mini 2, as its tentatively called for now, will probably arrive later this year, as has been reported, according to KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Kuo says in an investor note published today (via 9to5 Mac) that the iPad 5 and iPad mini 2 are entering initial production this month, with plans to ramp up to full-scale mass production in the fourth quarter of this year. More details by Kuo suggest that Apple was originally planning to not release updated iPad models until calendar year 2014, and that it will wait so it can offer a lower-cost, non-Retina version of the iPad mini in the same way it offers the iPad 2 as a cheaper alternative to the current-generation Retina iPad device.

Apple will continue to sell the iPad 2 and manufacture new devices even after it introduces new models. Apple typically sells two previous generation devices alongside a new model with the iPhone, as a way of offering lower cost options. With the iPad, it has opted to keep the iPad 2 around as a backup option to the fourth generation iPad, and looks intent on continuing that trend. The iPad 2 currently uses a 30-pin connector, and might be the only shipping Apple device to do so after the September event. Kuo says they’ll also boast new A7-generation processors, which would mean a big performance boost for the iPad mini. The extra processing power would likely be needed to help support a Retina display, which would pack more pixels into smaller a space compared to the Retina 9.7-inch iPad screen.