Well, obviously they're going to go in with the least specs they can get away with on the first model. They can afford to do this based on the novelty factor alone, as people in the apple store realize that it's almost $200 cheaper than the big iPad and they can easily fit it in a cargo pocket, backpack or purse.
There will be a lot of fanfare next year when they announce that it has retina display and a a5x chip. My guess is the mini will trail the iPad's hardware by two generations so it won't cannibalize sales of its big brother.
Apple has to sell millions of iPads every year, presumably to mostly the same people, or their stock price will tank. The economy will collapse as everyone else will realize "if Apple can't make a buck, we're :expletive deleted:!" and close their factories and businesses. People will be out of work, dictators will be elected, wars will be fought over scare resources, and germ warfare will cause a zombie pandemic. Or, if we're lucky, it'll only be as bad as living in a Mad Max movie.
So, which is worse? Not getting retina this year on the mini or watching Australians run around in assless leather chaps in 2015? Take your pick.
