iPad 5 rumors spread this week and that really relied on what people don't know. Photos that purported new iPad-mini-like iPad 5 front bezel were the basis of confident speculations about design and features.

And an unconfirmed prediction that Apple's manufacturers would throw the switch on production runs starting in July or August was another speculation about the announcement dates. One time cut in some iPad retail prices triggered a tidal wave of confident assurance that cuts were being made a clear inventory and the next iPad was sure to be announced really, really soon.

"Today we bring you probably the first concrete evidence that the production of the iPad 5 is actually launched! A picture that was sent to us by one of our moles Chinese may indeed be the first evidence the imminent release of the next iPad." Says in the recent report by tech specs.

And on the other hand, making the Next iPad thinner and lighter could be Apple's main priorities, not the overall size or making the side bezels narrower. There may be other reasons for keeping the overall size of iPad 5 the same. If Apple can free up internal space by other means, as it did by creating the new, smaller Lightning dock connector, then keeping the overall size the same would give more room for something like a larger battery.

There also may be plusses for the "human-machine interface" by sticking with a wider bezel at the side, even though as Weintraub notes "Apple has improved iOS so that accidental screen actions on the sides of iPad's don't register as actions gestures which facilitate these narrower bezels."

The iPad 5 is definitely going to be slimmer and narrower than the iPad 4

Cases are often a good indicator of what a product will look like. Case manufacturers often get hold of early spec information so that they can start to make products before a product is officially launched. It can be a gamble, but getting it right and being first to market can bay dividends. Typically, case manufacturers don't start producing samples until we're near launch, in order to get their product as accurate as possible, hinting that the iPad 5 is very close to production.

Rumors that the iPad 5 will look like the iPad Mini continue, with a photo appearing that is allegedly the front of the new tablet. As you can see from the image below, the front has a thinner bezel than the existing iPad. However, we wouldn't necessarily believe this picture, as it could be faked or simply a Chinese clone.

iPAD 5 PRICE

If there's one thing that we can be more certain of, it's price. Apple typically prices its new products at the same price as the outgoing models. If that's true, the iPad 5 should start at $520for the 16GB model, $624 for 32GB, $728for 64GB and, if the $105 price increase per model holds out, $833 for 128GB. Of course, it could be that the 16GB model is dropped, and the 32GB model starts at $520, with 128GB for $728. Mobile 4G versions should cost $130 more.

As we reported above about the new storage capacities, Apple introduced a 128GB iPad 4 for $833 (Wi-Fi only) and $963(Wi-Fi + Cellular), which is just what we predicted it would cost. By that token, we'd guess that the iPad 5 will go on sale for the same prices as the existing iPad.

The iPad 5 release date, price, features, photos and other rumors that have surfaced across the Web are difficult to sift through with any level of certainty, but a critical mass of information is building surrounding the highly anticipated device. The iPad 5 release date is expected to occur before the end of this month, April 2013. The iPad 5 will likely be about the same price as the high-end model of an iPad 4, at this moment, before the release. The iPad 5 features a thinner bezel than ever before, and it resembles the existing iPad Mini. Whether the iPad 5 leaked photos are real remains to be seen. We'll keep you posted as more information becomes available.