Yes, I get all that. But there is no need to place an "iPad 4 in an iPad Mini shell". There are screens out there that can deliver much more crisper text (not fuzzy like the mini does) at lower resolutions than 2048 x 1536. That said, I do admit that changing the resolution would have caused no apps to available for the mini. I get that too. And that is probably the #1 reason the mini does not have a better resolution.
Although you may not have said it, screen technology does exist that would deliver a much better picture than the Mini's current screen. The lack of technology is not a reason they didn't put a better resolution screen in the Mini. A resulting lack of apps would be a reason though. So, you don't have to keep rattling on about a retina display and A6X SoC because the mini wouldn't have needed that to be more serviceable than it is now.
You're really not getting this. Yes, Apple could have put a 1280 x 800 screen in the mini (although that does depend on how much headroom the A5 has to drive a higher resolution screen at the same performance level as the 1024 x 768 panel it does now). But as you said that would kill app compatibility and that makes NO sense whatsoever. Does the tech for that solution exist? Yes, but (and this is the critical part)
it's not a solution Apple would ever use because it would be stupid beyond belief!
Seriously, Apple have spent all this time and effort building up the App store, have around 250,000 iPad apps that'll work immediately on the Mini and... you want them to throw it away for a screen with minimal benefit to the end user just to satisfy the spec nerds? Oh, and as you're changing aspect ratios you'd also need to do an entirely new build of all the apps, it wouldn't be a case of scaling to fit. To put some figures on it the Nexus 7 has 216 PPI screen where the mini has 163PPI. But, of course, that's with a 7" screen in the Nexus which we know Apple doesnt like. If they kept the same diagonal 7.9" (for arguments sake) you'd be looking at 191PPI.
I'm just in disbelief that you'd think a minor improvement in PPI is worth throwing away everything that makes the iPad line special and fragmenting the lineup. The route they've chosen will almost certainly result in a retina display running at a
higher PPI than the iPad 3 & 4 somewhere in the next two years with no disruption to the consumer whatsoever. To go with your suggestion they'd either have to dead-end the product when they made that transition or continue with two entirely different target platforms in the same product line thus wrecking the massive advantage they hold over the rest of the industry and starting over for a gain that the vast majority of the customer base won't give a damn about.
Oh, and Awakener, I did the maths (albeit crudely) up-thread, you're not looking at 3oz and a slight increase in thickness, more like double the weight and almost double the thickness. Again, that's NOT a product Apple is going to make and they're right not to. Small tablets live and die on the form factor first and foremost, putting out something like that really WOULD have been something "Steve would never do".
Look, I get it, some people want a retina display and there's a really simple answer to that: wait. Don't buy this one, wait until it has it. It's absolutely fine not to want the Mini because it doesn't have a retina panel. But to whinge about 'Apple could have done it but they just wanted to hold it back' is ridiculous. The numbers don't lie, you HAVE a point of reference in the iPad 3 and 4 for weight and power requirements and if you really think that Apple should have released a Mini (note:
Mini) iPad that weighs more than 500g and is almost as thick as a Macbook Air I'd suggest you maybe don't have a great grasp on what Apple's market is...
Full disclosure: I have a mini coming for work use as the size and weight is absolutely key for me. I have no problem with the resolution whatsoever, though of course I would have preferred a retina panel. Will I upgrade when a retina product drops? I have no idea, depends what other improvements there are, how the current mini is performing, how much I like the form factor etc. But for me a retina screen is a nice feature to have, not an essential and the current Mini fits my requirements damn near perfectly.