Retina iPad Mini Unlikely to See Widespread Availability in 2013

ipad_mini_blackFollowing a report earlier this week from market research firm IHS iSuppli, sources from inside Apple’s supply chain have stated that the Apple will be unable to roll out a next-generation version of the iPad mini with a high resolution Retina display this month, reports Reuters. Specifically, the sources are expecting Apple to wait until early next year for a full-fledged launch or make the iPad mini with Retina display available only in very limited quantities this year.

The reason behind the delays in manufacturing the retina display screens for the iPad Mini were unclear. One source at a supplier said there were delays in Apple's certification of panel producers, which were given strict power-saving requirements.

LG Display Co Ltd, Samsung Electronics Co Ltd's display unit and Sharp Corp all vied to manufacture the panels, supply chain sources said.

The news of problems with strict power-saving requirements are consistent with the previously rumored challenges related to the integration of the Retina display and the compact size and exceptional battery life of the iPad mini. Additionally, two of the sources have also stated that Apple has told told suppliers to reduce cost, with one person saying that the company may roll out a separate new iPad mini with 8 GB of storage to compete in emerging markets.

Notably, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claimed last month that the Retina iPad mini would indeed make an appearance before the end of the year. Apple has been expected to launch its redesigned iPad and a Retina iPad mini in the near future, with Reuters claiming that the unveiling is indeed planned for this month.

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

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching in Three Months With These 12 New Features

Saturday June 14, 2025 5:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of June 2025:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone X through iPhone 14 Pro have a...
iPadOS 26 App Windowing

Apple Explains Why iPads Don't Just Run macOS

Friday June 13, 2025 7:46 am PDT by
iPadOS 26 allows iPads to function much more like Macs, with a new app windowing system, a swipe-down menu bar at the top of the screen, and more. However, Apple has stopped short of allowing iPads to run macOS, and it has now explained why. In an interview this week with Swiss tech journalist Rafael Zeier, Apple's software engineering chief Craig Federighi said that iPadOS 26's new Mac-like ...
iphone 16 pro models 1

17 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 17

Thursday June 12, 2025 8:58 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you skipped the iPhone...
Logitech Logo Feature

Logitech Announces Two New Accessories for WWDC

Friday June 13, 2025 7:22 am PDT by
Alongside WWDC this week, Logitech announced notable new accessories for the iPad and Apple Vision Pro. The Logitech Muse is a spatially-tracked stylus developed for use with the Apple Vision Pro. Introduced during the WWDC 2025 keynote address, Muse is intended to support the next generation of spatial computing workflows enabled by visionOS 26. The device incorporates six degrees of...
iOS 26 Screens

Here Are All the iOS 26 Features That Require iPhone 15 Pro or Newer

Thursday June 12, 2025 4:53 am PDT by
With iOS 26, Apple has introduced some major changes to the iPhone experience, headlined by the new Liquid Glass redesign that's available across all compatible devices. However, several of the update's features are exclusive to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models, since they rely on Apple Intelligence. The following features are powered by on-device large language models and machine...
CarPlay Liquid Glass Dark

Apple to Let iPhone Users Watch Videos on CarPlay Screen While Parked

Thursday June 12, 2025 6:16 am PDT by
Apple this week announced that iPhone users will soon be able to watch videos right on the CarPlay screen in supported vehicles. iPhone users will be able to wirelessly stream videos to the CarPlay screen using AirPlay, according to Apple. For safety reasons, video playback will only be available when the vehicle is parked, to prevent distracted driving. The connected iPhone will be able to...
iOS 26 on Three iPhones

Hate iOS 26's Liquid Glass Design? Here's How to Tone It Down

Wednesday June 11, 2025 4:22 pm PDT by
iOS 26 features a whole new design material that Apple calls Liquid Glass, with a focus on transparency that lets the content on your display shine through the controls. If you're not a fan of the look, or are having trouble with readability, there is a step that you can take to make things more opaque without entirely losing out on the new look. Apple has multiple Accessibility options that ...
Mac Studio Feature

Apple Begins Selling Refurbished Mac Studio With M4 Max and M3 Ultra Chips at a Discount

Thursday June 12, 2025 10:14 am PDT by
Apple today added Mac Studio models with M4 Max and M3 Ultra chips to its online certified refurbished store in the United States, Canada, Japan, Singapore, and many European countries, for the first time since they were released in March. As usual for refurbished Macs, prices are discounted by approximately 15% compared to the equivalent new models on Apple's online store. Note that Apple's ...
iOS 26 Feature

Apple Seeds Revised iOS 26 Developer Beta to Fix Battery Issue

Friday June 13, 2025 10:15 am PDT by
Apple today provided developers with a revised version of the first iOS 26 beta for testing purposes. The update is only available for the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 models, so if you're running iOS 26 on an iPhone 14 or earlier, you won't see the revised beta. Registered developers can download the new beta software through the Settings app on each device. The revised beta addresses an...

Top Rated Comments

cclloyd Avatar
153 months ago
No retina would make me a sad panda.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MTL18 Avatar
153 months ago
I find this hard to believe...

...miss all the Xmas sales? Isn't that the point of revamping nearly the entire line in the final 4 months of the year?

As someone who was hoping to use one of these as an xmas gift, I hope this is wrong.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
IbisDoc Avatar
153 months ago
Once they realized that Google had made the current mini even more obsolete than it already was, they just didn't have enough time to produce a retina mini.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Small White Car Avatar
153 months ago
This is what Steve was good for. He would of told his team to buckle down and make it happen. Next year would not have been good enough.

Then again Steve wouldn't have released a non-retina iPad mini in the first place.

You mean the same Steve that didn't put 3G in the first iPhone when everyone said that was too late?

The same Steve that didn't put 4G into the next two iPhones even though everyone said that was too late?

Or the same Steve that made the first 2 iPads without retina displays even as they were putting them into iPhones?


I don't know where the idea that Steve was some sort of ultra-new-tech-pushing-god came from, but it's pretty ridiculous.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bbishop93 Avatar
153 months ago
Damnit I really want this asap.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MTL18 Avatar
153 months ago
This is what Steve was good for. He would of told his team to buckle down and make it happen. Next year would not have been good enough.

Then again Steve wouldn't have released a non-retina iPad mini in the first place.

Steve wouldn't release a mini-tablet unless it could cook a 5 course meal. All praise Steve.

:) /s
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)