Brace yourself: new iPad 5, iPhone 5S could debut in April and August

iPhone 5S
Apple apparently has a thing for the letter A

Before the iPhone 5 was even available to purchase, Apple users were already wondering just what the iPhone 5S would be like.

What's more, rumors of the iPhone 5S' features and release date were bandied about almost as soon as the iPhone 5 fell last fall.

The same could be said of the iPad 5 and iPad mini 2, the next-gen successors to the iPad 4 and iPad mini, which were just released late last year.

According to new reports, the Apple faithful won't have to wait much longer to get their hands on the latest iPads, though the wait for the next iPhone may be a bit longer.

April showers bring iPads?

Sources knowledgeable about Apple's impending release date plans revealed to iMore that the iPad 5 and potentially the iPad mini 2 will be available in April.

That seems like a pretty accelerated timetable considering it hasn't even been a full six months since the iPad 4 was announced.

This isn't the first time we've heard of a spring release for the iPad 5, as other sources tipped a March release window for the tablet.

New cases reportedly designed for the iPad 5 have already leaked, and point to a whole new iPad mini-inspired look for Apple's flagship tablet.

The iPad 3 did launch a full year ago back in February 2012, which would make this refresh sensible. Although, there's that pesky iPad 4 that just came out, making such a quick turnaround hard to fathom.

The same could be said of the iPad mini 2, which is also believed to be slated for an April unveiling.

However, it's unclear if this updated mini-tablet will include the ballyhooed Retina display, even though some evidence points to that feature being the major upgrade in the follow-up mini.

Summer winds are blowin' in iPhone 5S

These same sources indicated the iPhone 5S would arrive sometime in August, which would give Apple plenty of time to produce the new model.

Apple's slightly advanced "S" models in the past have featured the same shell as the core model, though with different features and slightly different tech specs.

The iPhone 5S isn't expected to differentiate itself from the iPhone 5 too drastically, though a better camera and slightly faster processor are believed to be part of the package.

A late summer arrival lines up with earlier estimated release date info, thought it's still too early to say for certain whether or not Apple's plans will match these reports.