Apple iPad mini sequel with Retina display coming as soon as Q4 2013

A published report in Thursday morning's Wall Street Journal says that the Cupertino based manufacturer is working on a version of the Apple iPad mini with a Retina display that would be purchased from Samsung as well as from other vendors. The report says that component producers were originally told to expect the screen to be coming from LG Display and Sharp. Samsung was added as another supplier of the Retina display screen to make sure that Apple would have adequate supply of the panels. In case you were wondering, the non-Retina display screen made for the current iPad mini comes off the assembly lines at LG and AU Optronics.

While the form factor for the next Apple iPad mini is supposed to be the same as on the OG model of the tablet, Apple is considering offering a variety of color options instead of the silver and black that is currently available. Forecasts for the launch date of the Apple iPad mini 2 have concentrated on two timeframes. One is the fourth quarter of this year while another possible launch date would be early 2014.

The Apple iPad mini features a 7.9 inch display. The current model has a resolution of 1024 x 768 which works out to a pixel density of 162ppi. An A5 processor is under the hood (dual-core, 1GHz) with 512MB of RAM inside. A 5MP shooter on back takes 1080 x 1920 video @30 fps while a 1.2MP shooter is on front.

KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo expects to see two versions of the Apple iPad mini when the slate launches next March or April. There will be a low-priced non-Retina display model and a premium model with a Retina display.

source: WSJ via AppleInsider