Apple iPad Mini 2 concept by Martin Hajek
A bunch of new rumours about the iPad Mini 2 have turned up, courtesy of sources speaking with The Wall Street Journal. The biggest, yet perhaps most unsurprising news is that the iPad Mini 2 will apparently have a Retina display.The low resolution display on the original iPad Mini really was its Achilles heel, so it always seemed likely that Apple would look to remedy that, especially now that competing devices such as the new Nexus 7 are boasting high resolution displays.
It’s not known exactly what the resolution will be on the new iPad Mini, but it will presumably be HD as the theory of a Retina display is that the resolution is high enough that you can’t make out individual pixels when using the device at the optimal viewing distance. However while the resolution will go up on the iPad Mini 2 the screen size is expected to stay the same as the current 7.9 inch model.
Other news reported by The Wall Street Journal includes the fact that Apple are apparently thinking about multiple different colours for the back cover of the iPad Mini 2. The fact that Apple are simply thinking about it means that even if the rumour is true it may not happen, but it wouldn’t be surprising given that the iPod Touch already comes in a number of different colours and the rumoured iPhone 5C is said to as well. If the iPad Mini 2 joins them that would leave just the full fat iPad and the flagship iPhone colour free, which is perhaps an attempt to mark them out as the more premium, classy products in Apple’s range of handheld devices.
Sources also claimed that Apple’s suppliers are planning to begin mass production of the new iPad Mini in the fourth quarter, so it probably won’t hit shelves till near the end of the year. Interestingly Apple are said to be using screens made by Samsung, as well as Sharp and LG. There was a time when it would almost go without saying that Apple were partnering with Samsung, but in recent years the two companies have become major rivals and filed a number of lawsuits against one another.
As a result Apple has also tried to distance itself from Samsung by using other companies to supply components for its devices. So it’s surprising that Samsung would be in the mix for such a major product launch, though it sounds like the South Korean company wasn’t Apple’s first choice. The current iPad Mini uses LG and AU Optronics displays, yet AU Optronics were unable to work on the new iPad Mini as their rate out output efficiency is too low to be profitable on the device, so Apple had little choice but to turn to Samsung or risk having a shortage of screens.
