The announcement of the iPad 4 during Apple's October 2012 event came as a surprise to many, but one expert was quick to predict that the company would release a thinner, lighter iPad 5 in early 2013.

According to Ming-Chi Kuo, an analyst for KGI Securities, the fourth generation full-sized iPad (and the iPad mini, which was launched at the same event) might not be enough to fend off competitors. Kuo cited Microsoft'sSurface tablet as posing a particular risk to Apple's dominance. Hey, don't laugh, Surface has grabbed 7.5 per cent of recent market share, and Surface 2 has popped out too now.

Now we have a more likely release date, more pictures apparently showing the device in all its glory (with components too) so read on to find the best information rounded up from the web about the new iPad.

Check out our iPad 5 rumors video below:

Our current thinking is that we'll see the iPad 5 launched at an event some time in October 2013, the 15 Oct the most likely date at the moment. Given the comparative schedule of last year's iPad Mini and iPad 4 launch, this seems to make a lot of sense.

Digitimes reported on 19 November 2012 that the iPad 5 release date would be "around the middle of 2013", while on 24 December 2012, an "inside source" talking to Japanese site Macotakara, wrongly pegged the new iPad release date as March 2013.

Citing an April release, apparently knowledgeable sources revealed to iMore in March that the iPad 5 would be available in April. Given the date now, those sources might want to re-label themselves as "not at all knowledgeable".

On 25 January, iLounge editor-in-chief Jeremy Horwitz, claiming to have seen the new iPad 5, wrote that the fifth-gen iPad would not go on sale until October 2013. That sounds more likely to us, and looks to have been validated as the month approaches. Horwitz also said that the iPad mini 2would be launched in the same month.

We've also heard, via a report on International Business Times, that Apple is ditching Foxconn as its iPad-manufacturing partner due to the "unreliability" of the Chinese firm (which also happens to be producing Android handsets and recently announced its own wearable tech that could compete with the iWatch).

Apparently, this split is causing a delay in getting those new iPads made, although the supposed delay puts the iPad 5 release date sometime in the Autumn, again corroborating what we're hearing.

When Apple introduces a new product it's usually priced to match the one that it supersedes. So with this in mind, we're looking at US$499 (£399, AU$539) for the Wi-Fi-only 16GB iPad 5, US$599 (£479, AU$649) for the 32GB model, US$699 (£559, AU$759) for the 64GB and US$799 (£639, AU$869) for the 128GB iPad.

International Business Times doesn't necessarily agree, though. In a 1 July report, the site talks of how it's "speculated" (by who, we don't know) that Apple will price the iPad 5 at $100 less than the $499 launch price of the iPad 4. Why would it do this? Because the iPad 2 is due to be discontinued and Apple wants "something in the $399 spot," writes IB Times. Hmmm.

It seems more likely the iPad 4 would occupy this slot, or slightly lower, with Apple maintaining its love of incredibly high profit margins for products that don't cost a whole lot to make.

Apple gave the iPad 4 a new A6X processor system-on-a-chip, which it claims to be twice as fast as the previous iPad.

It also gained the new lightning connector and better LTE support. But that's all the new features iPad fans got with the fourth-gen tablet.

And considering the current iPad is the same weight, thickness and price point as its predecessor, it's very possible Apple is looking to produce a slimmed-down version.

It seems also certain that we'll see a version of the A7 processor used in the iPhone 5S, and possibly even an uprated A7X, to allow the inevitable Touch ID fingerprint scanning and better graphical processes that the new iPad will be packing.

And could it come in Space Grey? Certainly seems that way, given the iPhone 5S did the same and recent pictures have shown the same.

We've also seen that it could be lighter, through removing one of the LED light bars to power the screen's brightness, which would mean less power needed and a smaller battery - or the lightbar itself could be thinner, according to analysts.

iLounge's Jeremy Horwitz claimed in January 2013 that the iPad 5 has virtually no left or right bezels in portrait mode, with just enough space above and below the display for the home button, sensors and front camera.

The iPad case designs that subsequently leaked in February and April suggest that this claim could be correct.

The other big thought is that the new iPad 5 will need to be lighter, to match up to the likes of the Sony Xperia Tablet Z which currently is the reviewers' favourite.

To this end, analysts and supply chain sources believe the battery reduction and improved manufacturing processes will see a 15% thinner iPad and one that's between 25%- and 33% thinner than the current model, taking it under 500g.

Want to see the rear casing for the new iPad? Then you're in luck. On 22 April, accessory maker Tactus posted a photo to its blog, showing what it says is the rear shell for the iPad 5.

It's not the most fascinating picture we've seen but it does suggest that the new tablet will retain the 9.7-inch screen size that was introduced with the original iPad. The blog post also claims that the iPad 5 will be 7.2mm thick, slimming down from the current-generation's 9.4mm.

On 29 July, French tech site nowhereelse.fr posted what it claimed to be leaked schematics of the iPad 5, writing that the design has been modeled on the iPad mini. "If my calculations are correct, the iPad 5 would measure around 232mm long and 178.5mm wide against 241.3mm long and 185.8mm wide for the iPad 4," added the article author. (Google Translation)

Update: A video has appeared online claiming to show off the iPad 5 alongside the iPad 4 and iPad mini, revealing a smaller, thinner and lighter tablet than Apple's fourth generation slate and a design similar to the mini.

The new iPad 5 could pack all new display technology when it launches, using "GF DITO" (or GF2) touchscreen tech to make it 23 percent thinner and 53 percent lighter than its bigger brother.

Last year, analyst Paul Mueller predicted the new iPad would have a 16:9 ratio screen, claiming he'd talked to sources who had seen it. This is really unlikely to happen, given the amount of work Apple would need to do to bring its apps in line, and how much effort it's put into convincing the world of 4:3.

But who will be producing the display for the new iPad? Not Samsung,reckons GottaBe Mobile, claiming that Apple is "actively moving away from Samsung for the next generation of mobile products."

The ever-present DigiTimes reckons the iPad screens will be supplied by LG and Sharp, but then again given the accuracy of that site it could be made by Ford for all we know.

As we mentioned earlier, the new A7 chip is a cert to be used in the new iPad 5, if not an upgraded version that's designed for the larger tablet.

Patently Apple lent weight to the notion of Apple taking its processor manufacturing business away from its best buddy Samsung, citing a report published on 10 April 2013. According to the report: the "chasm between Samsung Electronics and Apple is expected to widen further as Apple has excluded its Korean rival from a project to develop A7 application processors due to be released in the first half of next year."

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reckons that the Apple/Samsung partnership has some life left, though, which would make sense given Samsung made the recent chip in Apple's iPhone.

As picked up by MacRumors on 17 April, Kuo wrote that the iPad 4 would be powered by an A7X processor and that Apple would be staying with Samsung for this chip at least.

It's possible that the new iPad will feature a vibrating mode for message alerts and haptic feedback (within games, for example). This news comescourtesy of Patently Apple, which reported on March 21 that Apple has applied for a patent for "an audio codec with vibrator support". Click the image on the left to view full size.

Accessory maker Tactus reckons the rear-facing camera will be getting an upgrade, increasing resolution from 5MP to 8MP.

We're hearing a rather unlikely rumor from IB Times that the iPad 5 might come with a stylus. The rationale for this is that the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 and the Galaxy Note 10.1 both come with a stylus and Apple is in competition with Samsung.

Also, "many people" reckon the iPad needs a stylus for the iPad drawing apps, says the May 6 report, which forgets to mention that you can already buy third-party iPad styluses. Hmm. Needs more salt, this one.

It seems that case manufacturers believe that the iPad 5 will take its design cues from the iPad mini, being thinner than the current iPad, and with smaller side bezels, which fits with Horwitz's observations.

Accessory maker Minisuit supplied MacRumors with pictures of iPad 5 cases that it has created based on what it believes to be the correct iPad 5 dimensions. The cases are slightly smaller than the iPad 4 ones and feature a hole on the back for the supposedly relocated microphone.

And as we reported on 26 February 2013, another third party case manufacturer - this time Shenzhen Sinofly Electronic Company Limited - has also begun to produce iPad 5 cases with a form factor more in line with the iPad mini.

What may or may not be actual Apple iPad 5 cases appeared online on 10 April. If genuine, these cases also show that the iPad 5 will have thinner bezels, as well as retaining the home button and front-facing camera. And as the case is white, we can assume that the white edition of the iPad isn't going anywhere.

On 16 April 2013, supposed iPad 5 cases appeared again, this time at the Hong Kong Electronics Fair. As posted on engadget, these third-party cases, apparently based on leaked specs, also suggest an upcoming iPad that'll be slimmer than the iPad 4 as well as featuring thinner, iPad mini-like left and right side bezels when in portrait mode.

Then we got two more leaks in quick succession. On 5 August 2013 we were given another look at what may or may not be an official Apple iPad 5 case, and just a few hours later a video surfaced which suggests that the Apple logo on the rear of the next iPad may be illuminated.

On 8 August, Macrumors reportedthat Macfixit Australia divulged a series of images "from the company's supplier" stating they are the iPad 5's front panel and digitizer.

The leak says the tablet will now have two connectors instead of one, and also include the following change: "FFC (Flat Flexible Cable, like the iPad 2/3/4) to FPC (Flexible Printed Circuits, like the iPhone 4/5)" further showing that Apple is intent on creating a slimmed down tablet.

Macfixit also claims the display area is the same as the iPad Retina and that the ITO (Indium tin oxide) is exactly like the iPad mini.

A video has surfaced and may very well show the casing for the iPad 5, though please take those words with a grain or two of salt.

Unlike new iPad images picked up by FantasticFone, the silver back here has a transparent or translucent logo. There's a screen on this case too, but there's not much to gather about that particular piece.

On 28 August, pics of the iPad 5's front panel surfaced again, this time in two dozen photos posted at SonnyDickson.com. The shots show the front panel from multiple angles, highlighting the the thinness of the iPad 5's bezels as well as capturing a couple of the new tablet's connectors.

On one 10 September, the same day as the iPhone 5S launch, Sonny Dickson treated us to over 100 high resolution iPad 5 photos, which show the supposed iPad 5 from all angles, matching the shell design we saw in a previous video leak - although the square in the home button hints that there may be no Touch ID fingerprint scanner on offer.

A patent first filed by Apple in September 2011 that AppleInsider discovered on 14 March 2013 reveals that Apple is looking into equipping its iPad Smart Covers with induction coils so that you'll be able to charge your iPad simply by closing the cover.

The patent, called "Integrated inductive charging in protective cover," talks of "an inductive power transmitter arranged to wirelessly pass power to a corresponding inductive power receiver unit disposed within the tablet device."

There are two ways this technology could work. One is that the cover is charged from the mains and it transfers this power to your iPad. The other, as theorised by Mark Hattersley at MacWorld, is that the cover "takes power wirelessly from a plugged-in iPad and stores it in an internal battery. It then sends it wirelessly in the other direction when you use the device."

The iPad 5 may launch with an official Apple gaming joypad if a report by Pocket Gamer is to be believed. According to the report, Apple held secret meetings with developers at GDC 2013, where it discussed the games that would support the controller at launch.

Should this device exist, it could also launch alongside the rumored Apple iTV. As Pocket Gamer notes: "Given the opportunities a dedicated controller would provide in the living room, we'd expect it to be part of a large announcement also revealing Apple's wide TV strategy, including a direct assault on the console businesses of Sony and Microsoft."

Federico Ciccarese of CiccareseDesign has produced some renders for MacRumors showing how the new iPad might look, with its smaller bezel allowing a shrunken case with the same screen size as the current iPad.

The mockups were based on leaked images of a supposed iPad 5 shell which were posted to 9to5Mac on 28 January 2013.

VIA TECHRADAR