According to the Wall Street Journal a new version of Apple’s iPad Mini will debut in the fourth quarter of 2013. The biggest change will be a new Retina display with much higher resolution.
Retina display coming to iPad Mini this year
Much has been inked about a new iPad Mini but WSJ has now decided to chime in, which usually means that there is some weight to it. They say that display manufacturers are gearing up for mass production of a Retina display for the iPad Mini.
A new iPad Mini with Retina display is coming by the end of 2013, according to WSJ
The current iPad Mini has a 7.9-inch display with 1024x768 pixel resolution, offering a pixel density of 163 ppi (pixels per inch). Apple's Retina display typically quadruples the pixel count, which means that the Retina iPad Mini would offer 2048x1536 pixels – similar to the larger iPad. However, it also means that the iPad Mini will boast an impressive 324 ppi, much higher than the larger iPad due to more pixels on a smaller screen. Google’s new Nexus 7 has a 323 ppi 7-inch display. The 7.9-inch screen in iPad Mini is 34% larger than the Nexus 7
WSJ says that Samsung Display, Sharp and LG.Display will supply displays to the new iPad Mini. The display in the current iPad Mini is manufactured by Sharp, LG.Display and AU Optronics. Panasonic and Japan Display (Sony, Hitachi & Toshiba) have also been mentioned as potential supplies but it seems that they are out of the mix.
According to WSJ the new Retina iPad Mini will launch in the fourth quarter of 2013, possibly with new color options. It will be interesting to see if Apple will keep the current iPad Mini on the market at a lower price point when the new version is introduced.
- Source: WSJ
Retina display coming to iPad Mini this year - rumor
