Retina Display

Alleged Retina panel shortages could push back iPad mini 2 into early-2014

While supply chain sources appear to agree that a fifth-generation iPad is launching this Fall, pointing to Apple's procurement of components ahead of trial production, there is no definite consensus on a successor to the 7.9-inch iPad mini.

A new report out from Taiwan on Friday asserted that Retina panel shortages may have forced Apple's leadership to push back the device into early-2014.

Tim Cook & Co. have reportedly scrapped the original plan which called for launching the iPad mini 2 during the fourth quarter of 2013, in time for the holiday shopping season...

Apple rumored to double iPhone 5S Retina resolution

Apple's Retina display may still be the best mobile display on the market, but not so much anymore in terms of the sheer pixel count and clearness.

Case in point: Samsung's five-inch Galaxy S4 with its full HD 1,920-by-1,080 resolution screen at a whopping 441 pixels per inch easily outperforms the iPhone 5's four-inch 640-by-1,136 Retina display at 326 pixels per inch. Another example: HTC's flagship One smartphone and its 468 pixels per inch display.

Now, a new rumor out of China alleges that Apple's next iPhone will have an upgraded Retina display with twice as much pixels as the current-generation...

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"...

Analyst: budget iPhone won’t have Retina display

Apple's rumored less-expensive iPhone aimed at emerging markets won't just shave costs by having a polycarbonate body instead of Unibody aluminum design, it is bound to have a standard-resolution screen rather than Apple's Retina display, like other iDevices. That's at least what one analyst wrote in a note to clients Friday, based on the often unreliable supply chain checks.

He's also calling for a June or July launch for both the budget iPhone and the iPhone 5S (a specs upgrade to the iPhone 5), which is the time frame that was mentioned previously in a few other recent reports...

Apple to stop approving apps that use UDIDs or don’t support iPhone 5

After more than a year of warnings, it looks like Apple's finally putting the kibosh on the use of Unique Device Identifiers. An announcement was posted to the iOS developer portal this afternoon that starting May 1, apps using UDIDs will not be approved.

But that's not all. In addition to the UDID deadline, Apple has also informed developers that after May 1, all new apps and app updates must be built for iOS devices with Retina displays and iPhone apps must support the 4-inch display on iPhone 5...

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...

Apple refreshes MacBooks, slashes prices

Apple Wednesday morning announced it has refreshed Retina MacBook Pro and MacBook Air configurations with faster processors and lower price points. The 256GB 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display is now a $300 cheaper and has an upgraded processor and its entry-level 128GB counterpart now costs $200 less. Two 15-inch Retina MacBook Pros have also received a slight specs bump up. The MacBook Air is now a $100 cheaper. Full details right after the break...

Google testing own built Retina Chromebook?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2dhMKSKGBg

Word on the street, based on a Google+ post by developer François Beaufort, is that Google is developing a Retina-fied Chromebook featuring a 2,560-by-1,700 resolution (that's four million pixels for those counting). Surprisingly enough, it would file as the first Google-built notebook as today's Chromebooks are built by Samsung, Acer and Hewlett-Packard.

For reference, Apple's 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display has a 2,560-by-1,600 resolution (2,880-by-1,800 on the 15-inch variant). Unlike the MacBook Pro, this so-called Chromebook Pixel will apparently have touch capabilities of some sort...