Report: Apple ‘Still Considering’ Whether to Adopt Retina Display on 2nd Generation iPad mini

According to a report from DigiTimes this morning, Apple is still considering whether it will adopt a retina display as part of its next-generation iPad mini. Sources from the “upstream supply chain” also say that Apple is expected to announce its fifth-generation 9.7-inch iPad this September as scheduled.

Upstream suppliers have supposedly finished preparing for production of the next 9.7-inch iPad, meaning that, after this point, there are unlikely to be any further changes in regards to the device’s specifications. And as many have come to expect, the device is set to have a thinner bezel and better battery life.

Although suppliers have not yet received a firm mass production schedule from Apple and are mainly shipping products for pilot production, the sources pointed out that pilot production is already able to satisfy demand for the initial launch. Therefore, the sources expect Apple to give its shipment estimates at the end of July or early August.

As for the 7.9-inch iPad mini, Apple is supposedly still considering whether to include a retina display. If they decide to do so, DigiTimes believes the device may very well be pushed back to a late Q$ 2013 ship date. Lastly, today’s report includes rumor that Apple has further shrunk the iPad mini’s bezel, pushing it closer to a Samsung-esque bezel-less design.

Categories: ipad mini