As numerous potential customers have discovered, the Retina iPad mini has been in very short supply since its quiet launch earlier this month, with Apple reportedly struggling with display yields that have limited production.
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Several analysts had previously predicted that Retina iPad mini production would be limited to roughly two million units for the fourth quarter of 2013, but a new report from Digitimes claims that the production issues have been solved and that Apple has forged ahead with orders for four million units for the month of November as the company scrambles to build up its supplies for the holiday shopping season.
As bottlenecks in making components for the iPad mini with Retina have gradually been removed, Apple has increase orders in November to nearly four million units, according to Taiwan-based supply chain makers.
Currently, Apple's orders for the iPad mini with Retina have already surpassed those for the first-generation iPad mini, the sources noted.
In-store availability of Retina iPad mini models has improved markedly for Apple's U.S. retail stores, with the company starting to offer walk-in sales late last week, although availability of Wi-Fi models remains much stronger than for cellular-capable models. Orders placed through Apple's online store are currently being quoted 5-10 business day shipping estimates for all models.
Top Rated Comments
But is the $70 increase worth the difference to some?
I don't see why not :D
And not just for the Retina, but everything else (like 4 times faster)
But the screens.. the screens seems to be bad?
I got one and I love it. Its very easy to hold and use compared to the bigger Air. Depends on what you want!
I took delivery of my new iPad Retina today, with the following observations.
I already own a 1st Gen 32GB WIFI iPad mini and upgraded primarily for a larger HD (128GB), cellular & GPS. So, I restored from a back-up so that all the settings, Apps were exactly the same on both devices to be able to make equal comparisons.
1. Firstly, I noticed that the screen compared to my 1st generation is noticeably yellow. In fact my 1st Gen is very much more on the blue / white spectrum and similar to my desktop iMac and cinema displays and white backgrounds look white. The Retina too looked warm (dirty white).
2. I carried out the marco.org image retention test and the Retina failed. The irony is that I carried out the same test on my 1st Gen and although there was some minor retention (mainly around the edges), it faded away quicker. It is worth mentioning that retention was never something I noticed the 10 months I have owned my Mini, until I went looking for it.
Interestingly, I left both iPads on the Apple home page for about 5-10 minutes while I was gauging colour and resolution. On switching to grey on the retention test screen I could clearly see the words iPad Air from the Apple Ad on the home page on the Retina only.
3. The Retina screen itself is a mixed bag for me. For me the resolution is only marginally better overall, possibly exacerbated due to the dirty hue of the 'yellow' screen. Yes it is definitely clearer when you stare closely, or zoom in. However, it is not like my full size iPad where a Retina Screen is a big deal. It is so relatively small that for me it is not a big difference and thankfully not the reason I upgraded. I am guessing that it will be better for watching movies, but I do not do this on my Mini that often myself.
Saying that I cannot accept a screen who's colour balance is not as good as a non-retina screen and has retention issues out of the box.
4. In my real world test's of opening and closing App's and the 'web page racing' I did. I did not appreciate the 4 x speed difference. X2 maybe, but not X4.
It is true to say that if I did not have something to compare it to, it may not have been an issue. But I do and it is. Also based on my experience with early poor iPhone displays, the yellow is too much and will have caught up with me in the end.
Just thought I would share my observations and disappointment. I just cannot believe I waited 2 weeks for this.
My advice to anybody wanting to buy now, is to buy direct from Apple and not an awkward 3rd party retailer. This is because, I will send this back or walk into an Apple store with no questions within 14 days. In the UK, high street stores like Curry's, Argos etc are going to give you a hard time for returning something, with the "fault's" I have observed.
I will try another (if I do not have to wait another 2 weeks...) to see if I get an improved unit, otherwise I will wait for the next update.
I also posted a couple of photo's for anybody who cares. The New Retina is the black device, but of course you know that right...?. Also, I only did the retention test for 5 minutes (for this photo), as I was in a hurry and already carried out the testing previously.
But the screens.. the screens seems to be bad?
No
But the screens.. the screens seems to be bad?
The tiny minority of obsessives are missing out on a great product. I feel sorry for them. But there's no doubt these new Retina iPads are already a phenomenal success story for Apple.
They invent hundreds of things--along with some obvious common-sense statements--and a few predictions turn out true by sheer luck. Not many.
You may as well ask an 8-ball as take a DigiTimes "report" seriously.