Supply Chain Hints Suggest Retina iPad Mini Could Debut in Second Half of 2013

ipadmini.jpgPaul Semenza, an analyst at market research firm DisplaySearch, tells CNET that an iPad mini with Retina display could debut in the third or fourth quarter of this year.

"We're seeing potential in the third quarter of panel production for a higher-resolution iPad Mini," DisplaySearch analyst Paul Semenza told CNET today.

"When would the Mini be available? Could be third quarter or fourth quarter," he said, adding that the speculation is DisplaySearch's best guess based on supply chain data.

Unsurprisingly, Semenza tells CNET that his data points to a resolution of 2048 x 1536 pixels for the Retina display iPad mini, giving it the same number of pixels as the full-size iPad but at a higher density of 324 pixels per inch. He goes on to note that it would be a challenge for Apple and its display partners to pair that kind of display with the current iPad mini chassis at just 7.2 mm thick, hinting that the company may need to increase the device's thickness somewhat as it did when the full-size iPad moved to a Retina display.

Semenza says that LG Display is the strongest candidate to make the display, but that AU Optronics, Sharp, and Japan Display are other possibilities. Japan Display currently produces the display for the iPhone 5, but Semenza says that the company is looking at getting into tablets.

DisplaySearch's report falls in line with what KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted in mid-January, and Kuo has been fairly accurate in the past with his Apple product predictions.

iMore's Rene Ritchie has also been relatively accurate, and he reports that Apple is set to debut the new iPad mini as soon as next month. Ritchie says, however, that a Retina display "doesn't sound imminent", suggesting that an April iPad mini would not contain the higher-resolution display. If Apple moves to a biannual release for its tablets, the company could announce an iPad mini in April and a new Retina iPad mini later this year, matching all three predictions.

Related Roundup: iPad mini
Buyer's Guide: iPad Mini (Neutral)
Related Forum: iPad

Popular Stories

Home Hub Command Center with Dome Base Feature

Apple Working on All-New Operating System

Thursday September 25, 2025 1:11 pm PDT by
Apple is developing an all-new operating system codenamed "Charismatic," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple smart home hub concept based on rumors This is likely Apple's long-rumored "homeOS" operating system. In a report last month, Gurman said both Apple's rumored smart home hub in 2026 and tabletop robot in 2027 will run the new operating system. He said the software platform ...
iOS 26 Battery Glass Feature

iPhone 16 Pro Max 80% Charge Limit: One Year Later, Was It Worth It?

Wednesday September 24, 2025 3:58 pm PDT by
With the iPhone 15 series, I did an experiment and kept my iPhone's Charge Limit set at 80 percent for an entire year. It provided an interesting look at the impact of charge limits on battery longevity, so I decided to repeat it for the iPhone 16 line. Since September 2024, my iPhone 16 Pro Max has been limited to an 80 percent charge, with no cheating. As of today, my battery's maximum...
AirPods Pro 3 Newsroom

Apple's 'Back to School' Offer Ends Soon, Now Applies to AirPods Pro 3

Wednesday September 24, 2025 7:20 am PDT by
Apple's annual "Back to School" promotion for students ends soon, so act fast if you want to score free AirPods with the purchase of an eligible new Mac or iPad. Until Tuesday, September 30, college students and qualifying educational staff in the U.S. can receive free AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation when they purchase an eligible new Mac or iPad from Apple. This is a $179 value. ...
iOS 26

Apple Continues to Prepare iOS 26.0.1 With Multiple Bug Fixes Expected

Sunday September 28, 2025 1:30 pm PDT by
Apple is preparing to release iOS 26.0.1, according to a private account on X with a proven track record of sharing information about future iOS versions. The account initially said iOS 26.0.1 would have a build number of 23A350, but they now expect the update to have a build number of 23A355. This suggests that the software update will include more bug fixes or changes than initially...
Apple MacBook Pro M4 hero

New MacBook Pro Nears Mass Production, But Four Bigger Upgrades Expected Next Year

Sunday September 28, 2025 2:08 pm PDT by
Apple's next MacBook Pro models will enter mass production soon, according to the latest information shared by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said he continues to believe the new MacBook Pro models will be released at some point between late 2025 and the first quarter of 2026, meaning they should be available to order by March at the latest. Apple often...
iPhone 17 Pro Colors

Skipped the iPhone 17 Pro? Here's What is Rumored for iPhone 18 Pro

Tuesday September 23, 2025 8:55 am PDT by
While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are still a year away, there are already a few rumors about the devices that offer an early look ahead. Below, we have recapped some of the early iPhone 18 Pro rumors so far. This story was published previously, and it has been updated to reflect the latest rumors. Many early rumors prove to be true, but nothing is confirmed yet, and Apple's...
iphone 17 ceramic shield

Regular iPhone 17's USB-C Charging Speeds Tested With Apple Chargers

Friday September 26, 2025 9:01 am PDT by
The website ChargerLAB has tested the standard iPhone 17 model's USB-C charging speeds with a variety of Apple's chargers, from 18W to 140W. The device reached a peak charging speed of around 27W to 28W with these Apple chargers:29W USB-C Power Adapter 30W USB-C Power Adapter 35W Dual USB-C Port Power Adapter 35W Dual USB-C Port Compact Power Adapter 40W Dynamic Power Adapter with 60W Max...
Apple More Personal Siri Ad

Apple Responds to U.S. Class Action Lawsuit Over Delayed Siri Features

Friday September 26, 2025 6:57 am PDT by
In March, Apple delayed the launch of its personalized Siri features, and soon after the company was hit with multiple class action lawsuits over the situation. The plaintiffs said they never would have purchased an iPhone 16, or would have paid less, had they known Apple's marketing about the Siri features was false. In the U.S., all of the complaints were consolidated into one class...
maxresdefault

Review: A Week With the iPhone 17 Pro

Friday September 26, 2025 12:51 pm PDT by
Apple's iPhone 17 models have been out for a week now, so we thought we'd do a longer-term review of the flagship iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max now that we've been able to spend more time with them. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. MacRumors videographer Dan Barbera has a Silver iPhone 17 Pro and a Cosmic Orange iPhone 17 Pro Max, and despite a lot of concern over...

Top Rated Comments

brock2621 Avatar
164 months ago
Nexus 7 already beats the Mini. The Mini really needs an update to bring it up to par. Course even being overpriced and under speced it still sells because of the little :apple: on it. Build quality is great, but take away the skin you don't have much left to justify the price.

I know I'll be hated on for saying that, but it's the truth, not my opinion.
Except a thinner AND lighter tablet, with two cameras, better battery life, non-stutter scrolling and not to mention the most important part of owning a tablet in the first place, the worlds best tablet app library.

That's the truth, not my opinion.
Score: 49 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dennno Avatar
164 months ago
People keep expecting revolutionary updates. But you can only do so much with tablets and phones. There is no more revolutionary updates, people need to get used to spec bumps and small touches.

There's always a hoard of people complaining that the next iPad/iPhone doesn't have something revolutionary like holograms or augmented reality or something. If you're looking for the next thing that will wow you don't expect to find it with the next phone or tablet update (from either Apple or its competitors); at least not in the near future.
Score: 36 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Drunken Master Avatar
164 months ago
Google will come out with a high resolution Nexus first mostly like introduced at Google I/O 2013 in May. Apple will probably be in Oct like this year.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-57574674-37/retina-ipad-mini-later-new-nexus-7-sooner-displaysearch/

Damn...if Google really makes the Nexus 7 thinner and stuff, that would be nice. Looks like Google beating Apple again.

The Android tablet experience would have to improve a lot for a Nexus to be an overall better device than an iPad.
Score: 35 Votes (Like | Disagree)
HiRez Avatar
164 months ago
The whole twice-a-year upgrade cycle seems a bit desperate on apple's part. They know that a certain percentage of users will upgrade no matter what, so it seems like they're shipping garbage upgrades just because they're guaranteed a certain number of sales. :/

In what way is a retina Mini a "garbage" upgrade? I know lots of people wating on a Mini purchase for just that reason, and I'm one of them. Plus, you don't even know what else it would have.
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)
canadianpj Avatar
164 months ago
Nexus 7 already beats the Mini. The Mini really needs an update to bring it up to par. Course even being overpriced and under speced it still sells because of the little :apple: on it. Build quality is great, but take away the skin you don't have much left to justify the price.

I know I'll be hated on for saying that, but it's the truth, not my opinion.

Nope, just your opinion sorry, not the truth.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
gmcalpin Avatar
164 months ago
Nexus 7 already beats the Mini.… I know I'll be hated on for saying that, but it's the truth, not my opinion.

No, I'm pretty sure that's your opinion. The iPad mini is way better than the Google Nexus 7. In MY opinion. Because of the App Store.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)