The iPad mini has been on sale for a few months now, so when will we get the iPad mini 2?
It seems like Apple has been surprised by the iPad mini demand, although there are no real sales numbers for the device from Apple as yet
iPad mini 2 specs
The story goes that the iPad mini 2 will have an even sharper display of 2,048 x 1,536 pixels packed into the same 7.9-inch space.
RBC Capital Markets analyst Doug Freedman - who was in China visiting chip companies in mid-December 2012 said: "iPad Mini Gen-2: Apple's gen-2 iPad mini is getting pulled-in, and is likely to have several new suppliers, with TXN gaining content."
.Could the iPad mini 2 also have the A5X processor under the hood?
iPad mini 2 release date
It seems like Apple might have to do a little more than pump up the screen resolution to get consumers excited for the next pint-sized iPad.
With production of the sharper screens projected to start by the later half of 2013, the iPad mini 2 release date could be mid to late 2013? And could March be the release date for a revised version?
Ming-Chi Kuo, a financial analyst with KGI Securities, has published what is believed to be a leaked roadmap of Apple products for 2013. That points at an iPad mini 2 being released late in the year.
iPad Mini 2 display
The grown up iPad 4 has a Retina display, and the next mini should either have that Retina tech or something similar.
Since the mini is much smaller, it means even more pixels can be cramped into every inch; the mini 2 is said to have a crisp 324 ppi density.
Upping the screen resolution isn't the most surprising upgrade for the potential iPad mini 2.
The biggest criticism of the current iPad mini so far is its 1,024 x 768 resolution. Critics wonder why a Retina display wasn't incorporated into the first iPad mini to begin with.
Cynics will say Apple went with a lower resolution so it had some low hanging fruit to grab for the next upgrade. Production problems surrounding the iPad mini might also be the culprit.
Anand Lal Shimpi and Vivek Gowri of Anandtech suggest that there are three things Apple has to do to bring a retina display to the iPad mini.
Reports in February 2013 suggested the iPad mini 2 retina display was already being manufactured. It's suggested that it will have a pixel density of 324ppi.
iPad mini 2 price
When the iPad mini was first released, reports said the steep price point of $329/£269/AU$369 was due to manufacturing difficulties. Indeed, well into early 2013, iPad minis were not shipping quickly.
The new GF DITO touchscreen technology that helps make the mini so small is reportedly one of many production hurdles.
AU Optronics (AUO), the company that produces the current iPad mini LCD panels, was also having yield issues with the mini screens at first, so a Retina-like display could have caused additional production headaches.
However, AUO claims it smoothed out production problems surrounding the current panels, already resolving the light leak issues that held up fabrication.
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