Apple
iPad mini 2 Retina Display Panels Reportedly in Development
New sources in Asia claim work is already under way in building a Retina Display for the iPad mini 2.
The iPad mini 2, a next generation iPad mini is expected later this year with a higher resolution Retina Display that would bring the smaller iPad in line with the iPad 4 when it comes to display quality.
In a new report, DigiTimes states that AU Optronics has improved the yield on iPad mini displays and is, “reportedly also working on panels for Apple’s next-generation iPad mini.”
Since the launch of the iPad mini three months ago, speculation for an iPad mini 2 with a Retina Display has picked up dramatically. Recent estimates claim adding a Retina Display to the iPad mini 2, or what Apple might simply refer to as the iPad mini with Retina Display, are pegged at increasing the cost of the tablet by $12.
If the iPad mini 2 release skips the spring for fall, it is quite possible that AU Optronics and Apple can improve the yield on these displays and bring down their costs to keep the cost to produce the iPad mini 2 under control.
Read: How the iPad 5 and iPad mini 2 Fit in Apple’s Plans for 2013
If Apple does introduce the iPad mini 2 with a Retina Display it is possible that the company will still offer the iPad mini 1st generation with a price cut, to better compete with the Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire HD.
Apple has traditionally launched iPad devices in the Spring, but this is not a guarantee that Apple is planning an iPad 5 and iPad mini 2 launch just four or five months after the iPad 4 arrived. While Apple has previously launched the iPad ahead of a major iOS version, we could see the company shifting the release to the fall.
It is more probable that Apple will save the iPad mini 2 and iPad 5 release for later this year, especially considering that Apple just launched the iPad 4 with 128GB of storage. Sources like iLounge also believe the iPad 5 release is coming later this year, not in April, and it is likely that Apple will hold the iPad mini 2 for the same launch.