Apple is expected to hold an event sometime in October, perhaps October 15, at which it will unveil its new iPad lineup. Among the expected new devices are a redesigned iPad 5 that should be both thinner and lighter. A new iPad mini with Retina Display is also rumoured but a Reuters report now suggests that if it does, it could prove difficult to find.
According to “people who work in the company’s supply chain,” Apple is only now gearing up for production of the Retina displays for the new iPad mini tablet. If so, it may take until early next year for production to ramp up to the volumes that Apple requires. In turn, that would leave Apple with limited supply for the holiday shopping season.
It’s unclear why Apple and its partners ran into delays getting production started. One source suggests that Apple’s strict certification process may be the reason for the delay.
Competing tablets from Google and Amazon offer higher resolution displays than the current iPad mini. Both the Google Nexus 7 (2013) and Kindle Fire HDX come with 7-inch WUXGA (1920×1200) that beat out the iPad mini’s 7.9-inch XGA (1024×768) display.
The report adds that Apple could also launch a new iPad mini with only 8GB of onboard storage in a bid to boost sales in emerging markets such as China where cheaper Android tablets continue to gain market share at a fast clip.
It remains to be seen if Apple would launch the iPad mini with Retina Display in limited numbers or simply wait until early next year when it knows that it can meet demand.
Source : Reuters