Retina Display

New report claims iPad mini with 2048 x 1536 display coming this fall

While alleged iPhone 5S component leaks continue to surface, we've heard and seen little news lately regarding the next generation iPad mini. The highly anticipated refresh is expected to fix the most common complaint in the slate's otherwise glowing reviews: the display.

Over the past few months, we've seen several reports claiming that Apple is going to be adding a Retina display to its popular 8-inch tablet this year. And we've got a new one today that corroborates that theory, claiming that the device is set to land in the third quarter...

iPad mini 2 Retina screens reportedly entering mass-production next month

NPD DisplaySearch is on a roll. After reporting yesterday that Apple could release two Retina-enabled iPad mini models - one in the second half of this year and another in the first quarter of 2014 with an updated processor, the display market researcher tell CNET today they think those high-resolution Retina panels for the second-generation iPad mini could go into mass-production soon, as early as June or July of this year.

If true, and assuming satisfactory yield rates, Apple should be able to ready its first Retina iPad mini for a Fall introduction, a time frame KGI Securities' well-informed analyst Ming-Chi Kuo recently outlined based on his own sources...

NPD DisplaySearch sees two Retina iPad minis

NPD DisplaySearch knows its display supply chain inside out and while they may not be the most accurate source of Apple rumors, more often than not their predictions have proved pretty accurate. In a report filed yesterday, DisplaySearch analyst Richard Shim was quoted as saying that Apple is readying not one, but two Retina-capable iPad mini models, "one in the second half of this year, then one in the first quarter of 2014"...

Apple won’t use Samsung screens for iPad 5 and iPad mini 2

In another hint of Apple distancing itself from Samsung by procuring crucial gadget components from alternative suppliers, we hear the Cupertino firm may have already dropped Samsung entirely as the maker of next-gen panels for a fifth-generation iPad and a second-generation iPad mini.

Both devices are rumored to arrive later this year, allegedly sporting the high-resolution Retina display technology and sharing a light aluminum chassis with thinner appearance and chamfered edges...

Supply chain chatter points to Retina iPad mini debut in second half of 2013

I have to admit, it feels kind of weird that we're in the middle of March and there's been no word of new iPads. I know, Apple just released two new ones back in October. But still, there's been an iPad event in the first quarter of every year for the past three years.

We've heard plenty of rumors though. There's been a lot of talk of the 5th-gen iPad getting a design makeover, and Apple's widely believed to give the mini a Retina display. And according to a new report, we can expect the latter in the second half of this year...

As iPad mini supply evens out, AU Optronics begins work on next-gen display

Yesterday we noticed that iPad mini supply has finally caught up with demand. For the first time since the tablet launched last November, all models are showing 'in stock' in Apple's online store, in several countries.

The improved stock is said to be due to AU Optronics solidifying higher yields of iPad mini panels. And not only has it figured out how to make the current-gen panels faster, but it's begun work on next-gen displays...

Next-gen iPad mini said to have a 324ppi Retina display

Taking a break from all of the jailbreak excitement this afternoon, we have a new report out of Taiwan claiming that sources close to Apple's panel suppliers have divulged new information about the next-generation iPad mini.

The 7.9-inch tablet has been extremely popular for Apple thus far, as supply is just now starting to catch up to demand three months after launch. And if this news is accurate, the next model is going to be an even bigger hit...

Slimmer, lighter iPad 5 with narrower side bezels coming in fall?

Apple's next full-size tablet, the iPad 5, will borrow some design elements of the smaller 7.9-inch iPad mini, one analyst forecasts Wednesday. Among the most noticeable changes: the iPad will be both thinner and lighter than the iPad 4, released in October 2012.

Additionally, the Apple watcher expects the tablet maker to unveil an enhanced iPad mini with Retina display matching the resolution of the full-size tablet.

Unlike most observers, this particular analyst thinks that the new 9.7-inch iPad may appear late this year rather than during the current quarter...

Apple said to be working on high resolution iPad mini displays

To me, it seems like a no-brainer that Apple will address the low-resolution display in the iPad mini by its next-generation. After all, the tablet's lack of a Retina display has seemingly been the only complaint amidst otherwise extremely positive reviews.

But no-brainer or not, it's always nice to hear reports that help back up gut feelings. And the latest one comes out of Taiwan, where a familiar publication has it on good authority that Apple is talking to its suppliers about high-res iPad mini panels...

Rumor: the next iPad mini will have Retina display

Moving to blunt criticism over the iPad mini display, a rumor out of China asserts that AU Optronics (AUO) is working on building a crisper Retina screen for the next iPad mini with the same 326ppi pixel density as the iPhone 4/4S/5. AUO is one of the suppliers Apple sources display panels for the iPad mini from. The need to offer a Retina iPad mini was allegedly pressing enough to bypass the usual waiting period before providing sharper display...

Revamped iMacs, 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro due alongside iPad mini next week

As October 23 approaches, the word on the street is that Apple alongside the iPad mini will unveil a redesigned iMac with a curved shell "like a water droplet", updated Mac minis a new 13-inch MacBook Pro notebook featuring the Retina display. Hot on the heels of last month's introduction of the iPhone 5, fifth-generation iPod touch and the new iPod nano, Apple apparently isn't done updating its existing lineup, per one analyst who recently called for eight Apple product releases by end of 2012...

Poll: would you buy a non-Retina iPad mini?

With the successful iPhone 5 launch now behind us, the rumor-mill has turned its attention to another looming Apple product: a smaller, lighter, sexier and more affordable mini iPad. The obligatory people with knowledge of the situation are dutifully churning out speculative reports on a daily basis (iDB typically brings you a smaller selection of stories we think are worth your attention).

As various plugged-in sources have increasingly been leaking alleged parts left and right, we've come to the point where one could pretty accurately predict the form factor (a 7.85-inch display), the design (think slick) and how much it's gonna cost ($249-$299).

That being said, the biggest unknown of a mass market iPad remains a screen resolution and to many early adopters this is the sole determining factor in the purchase decision process...