AU Optronics Developing Retina Display for Second-Generation iPad Mini?

iPad mini just launched. Rumors of iPad mini 2 appear. /facepalm

Wait to see the iPad mini 7. It's wonderful, with it's 1111dpi cortex display it will blow your mind.

Saw the Mini - great for Navigation, Videos, Photos, but can't really read appointments in Month view...

sticking with my iPad 2.

I don't think there's much a difference between small text and clear small text for us older folk...

Hahaha...sucks its already going to be outdated/upgraded within the year.

iPad Mini is so 2012

Well that didn't take long. Release the Mini with retina, and I'll never get a 10" tablet again.

Well we know this drill from Apple. Now it is down to just waiting 6 months instead of a full year.

MacVault said:

Well it's about time the iPad mini get the retina display. Seriously, why did Apple release the mini without it?

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This is an interesting post for this thread, Didn't the thread starter already answer your question? The technology is not there yet... Apple need to get to the right display resolution but still need to maintain the light weight and thin character for the Mini. Is the article really that hard to understand? The same question go for the 7 folks who recommend that particular post..

kalsta said:

I understand, but that's only half the story… It not only has the same resolution as the original iPhone—it also has the same number of pixels as the original iPad, which is obviously intentional as it prevents fragmentation of the platform and makes it simpler for developers. That's why I said it seems incredibly coincidental when you consider these two facts together.

So it would seem either Apple had this all worked out a long time ago—even while publicly poo-pooing the idea of a smaller iPad… OR they worked it out retrospectively once they decided to design a smaller iPad, in which case the 7.9 inch size of the iPad mini was possibly determined, in part, by the desire to meet these two pre-existing specifications.

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The original iPad resolution was a given if it didn't have a retina display.

I think Apple probably tried their original pixel density screens at 1024x768 before the first iPad ever came out as one possible option, but decided 9.7" screens worked better, then came back to it when they were looking at a smaller device.

rwilliams said:

Retina MBAs and iMacs are going to carry a hefty premium. Retina iPad Minis will not. And Retina iPad Minis are far more likely to come much sooner than those other two machines.

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Apart from the fact it did (at release) cost them a good amount of money to produce the retina iPad screen (vs the one before). Its only going to cost them more to make it smaller. They can't exactly fit that 11000 mah battery into a mini's chassis yet either, and I bet a lot of money there would most definitely be massive heat issues if they rushed to do all of that (including putting in the A5X or A6X) in time for last weeks release.

Not everything comes down to cost of production. Not everyone wants to wait either.

Gix1k said:

I really should return this thing and wait cause I KNOW a better one is coming. However I use it ALL the time and will miss it like crazy!

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14 calendar days on the return policy ... tick tock.

We all have different threshholds of what constitutes a deal-breaker or a deal-maker.

If you use it all the time and know you would miss it, the product value might be justified. Would you still be happy with it if you did NOT know another one was coming soon?

Even though I decided to wait, I could still see myself having a moment of weakness.

I'm not waiting. I'll just pass my eventual mini purchase down to my son or a family member.

I want to get used to the smaller form factor without having to wait a year after all we're all going to be scuppered on December 21st of this year anyways.

#apocalypse

Entrepreneurs know.

Great work Apple, well it is expected, they release a very consumer gadget to get all the rave reviews and sales stacked up to the heavens, get exponential and astronomical profits from it and then put money towards the next 'latest & greatest', because people will just buy buy buy no matter what Capitalism is so great smelling ya !? We love you apple, we'll give you all our money before we eat.

To all those fanboys who were impatient for the retina version to come out and stood in line all those hours for an ipad mini.



So glad I decided to wait.

MystaClean said:

Um, he just did, and it's probably true. Pretty sure Apple released this one as a test to see how demand would fare. Now that they know people want it, they'll put in what they wanted originally as soon as the appropriate panel is available. I love mine and use it 10x more than my regular iPad, but I'd swap it for a retina mini in a heartbeat.

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UM, NO. I just did. Okay? And since I did, what you just did, in reality did absolutely nothing.

Have a seat.

This is what I'm holding out for. The iPad Mini looks amazing, but I am addicted to that retina display!

So glad I didn't wait and bought the current gen mini.

They still need to dump in a more powerful processor/gpu and up the battery life to power a retina screen. Which will be hard to do while keeping the weight the same and or even less and keeping the amazing battery life the same as is/

Even if I decide to upgrade - I'll just sell the mini v1 2 weeks before the release (say for $250), lose $80 and then buy the new one. In what world is that a bad deal? So I did the same as if I rented an ipad mini for 9 months for $8.80/month? Sounds OK to me.

I love being current on applies product timeline, use the product for ~1 year, sell used on ebay, re-coup most of my investment and buy the new model.

Most other products you buy, end up being worth next to nothing within a few weeks of ownership.

MacRumorUser said:

The fact remains that this does not mean a refresh in April unless Apple can offer a processor with better GPU performance than the standard A5 & A6 that is not as power hungry as the A5X and A6X.

1 component in development (NOTE! DEVELOPMENT not production) does not constitute a sure fire refresh with retina.

The A5X & A6X are criminally power hungry hence the increased battery capacity of the iPad 3 & 4 over the iPad 2 which still resulted in less battery life and extra weight to the device.

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First of all since they aren't going to have screens in quantity till 4th quarter next year according to the article (unless the translation is very poor) we can't have retina iPad Mini until then. As for the rest of your comments, you have a couple of misconceptions. The original A5 (as used in the original iPad 2's) used more power then the current A6X processor used in the Ipad 4, because the original A5s were manufactured at 45nm, while the current A5s (and A6xs) are being made at 32nm. So dropping an A6X into an iPad mini isnt a big power or temp issue. The A6X draws less power then the A5X while being twice as powerful, if they really have them down to 20nm parts at TMSC by the time the screens are ready next fall, we surely will see it in the iPad Mini 2.0 and even if it doesnt get a shrink it will still likely make it into the next version of the mini. The new tech retina display from this article will be thinner, lighter and draw less power, so we should get little change in weight with the next generation.

Why would anyone be shocked by this?

Maybe Apple will keep the current Mini in the line up when they 2nd gen comes out... in 6 months

wow... that was quick..

how many months has the mini been out since launch ?

Based on this "rush-job" maybe Apple should have held of the mini "saving the $$$" and bringing out this Retina when done

It would pay itself off.

(in which case the Retina would be called the iPad mini not the second iPad mini.)

WiiDSmoker said:

Either way; I'm waiting for the Retina Mini.

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That makes two of us!!!

I love my mini. Since selling my 3 and getting a mini, I use my iPad much more than I ever did. It's just so incredibly convenient, and definitely one of my favorite purchases in a long time.

That said, I am selling it and pre-ordering the retina version the second I can. I love the mini so much that with a retina screen and faster processor, it will be absolutely perfect for what I need.

I can't wait till Apple releases a Mini with a Retina display along with an A6X or faster processor

I don't get what the big deal is?
-Purchase an iPad Mini now, use it joyously.
-Wait and see what Apple releases next year.
-Decide whether to sell your First Gen iPad Mini or wait for the Third Gen.

Boom. You're good to go. If you take a look at sales for used iDevices, you'll see that the resale value are much higher than the resale value of any other tablet device on the market. Same goes for iPhones and Androids. At the same time, resale value means NOTHING for those who plan on using the iPad Mini and not bother selling it. I still have friends who have iPads and iPad 2s and are totally capable of using them. Its when Apple starts to strike them off the upgrade list is when you should start freaking on.

ellsworth said:

I don't get what the big deal is?
-Purchase an iPad Mini now, use it joyously.
-Wait and see what Apple releases next year.
-Decide whether to sell your First Gen iPad Mini or wait for the Third Gen.

Boom. You're good to go. If you take a look at sales for used iDevices, you'll see that the resale value are much higher than the resale value of any other tablet device on the market.

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Try telling that to Gazelle

applefanDrew said:

I agree with this. And the iPad 5th gen

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Samsung could sue Apple by being copied in respect to the 6-month update cycle.