High Resolution Photos of the iPad 5 Back Housing

Based on the number of leaked photos and videos of Apple’s yet-to-be-announced iPad 5, it’s all but confirmed that the new tablet will sport a major hardware redesigned.

All the photos and videos of the next generation 9.7-inch iPad hints at an iPad mini-like design. The iPad will reportedly feature a slimmer and lighter profile compared to the previous generation iPads. However, it’s yet to be seen if an outstanding hardware design will help Apple maintain its advantage in the tablet market.

Wall Street Cheat Sheet is reporting many consumers, especially those in China are willing to sacrifice a bit of quality if it results in a lower cost product. Apple is set to confront an old foe in the tablet market in the coming weeks, according to the report.

“Consumers in China are willing to sacrifice a bit of quality for a lower price tag,” Jacqueline Sahagian writes for Wall Street Cheat Sheet. “Generic-brand tablets as cheap as $60 running on Google’s Android operating system have been popular in the country, and Dell is hoping that its well-known name could help it blow that competition out of the water if it can manage to offer competitive pricing. Dell has been selling electronics to consumers in China since 1998.”

However, many tablet vendors are reportedly worried that Apple might choose to reduce the price of their tablets resulting in loss sales to them. It’s almost certain that given the advantage in build quality and content, many consumers will choose an iPad over an Android tablet if the price is right.