iOS 7 Beta Suggests Non-Retina A6-Powered iPad Mini in Development

[Corrode]

I was gonna make the iPad Mini Retina my first iPad but decided that the full sized iPad was a better purchase. It makes it even more so knowing that that iPad will probably be getting a nice overhaul and the Mini will still be without retina.

Just hoping for 32GB standard now!

 

[GoldenJoe]

I find it difficult to believe that they could leave the mini at such a significant disadvantage for the next year, especially when the Kindle is performing so well.

 

[rmbpuser]

sucks this means ill have to buy ipad 5 instead of mini =/
and i wanted a mini because it is more portable and arguably easier to read on (if the display was retina, otherwise the ipad is better for reading books - what ive heard)

 

[JackAllen]

Does anybody know what file this information was actually found in?

 

[nepalisherpa]

To people dissing the new Nexus 7, have you even used one extensively? I sold my iPad 2 to get a Nexus 7 and I couldn't be happier. The screen is awesome and my experience has been great. It is perfectly sized for me to take it everywhere. I am very happy with my Macbook Pro, iPhone 5, and Nexus 7 combo. At least try it out before dissing it like a regular fanboy would do.

 

[jumanji]

yea, that sucks ass

 

[BigHonkingDeal]

kindle HD Fire 2 will be announced here soon...

You think the new Nexus is nice, wait till you see the Fire 2.

They can dip that in 18 carat gold and I will pass on it This will only be usable if rooted and stock Android is installed. Amazon's operating system is for ages up to 1 year tops.

If you think IOS is restricted.....

 

[Serelus]

The iPad Mini 2C?

 

[alent1234]

i'll buy a few

could care less about retina. i want a nice CPU/GPU in a mini

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To people dissing the new Nexus 7, have you even used one extensively? I sold my iPad 2 to get a Nexus 7 and I couldn't be happier. The screen is awesome and my experience has been great. It is perfectly sized for me to take it everywhere. I am very happy with my Macbook Pro, iPhone 5, and Nexus 7 combo. At least try it out before dissing it like a regular fanboy would do.

in the last few months, lots of complaints about last year's model suddenly being laggy

 

[Mad Mac Maniac]

So they would give the retina mini a higher ppi count than the main iPad? That doesn't sound like something they'd do.

Well, quite frankly, it has to be. Either the iPad mini never gets retina, or the main iPad needs to double (quadruple really) pixel again before the mini gets retina.... That is many, many years off.

A retina mini would be a mere 2ppi higher than the nexus 7. The nexus 7 is 324. Double the ipad mini's current 163 is 326. Not an excuse at all. Also the nexus 10 has more pixels than either so the total number of pixels isn't a good argument either.

First, Nexus 10 299 ppi. A difference of 27ppi is notable.

Secondly, the nexus 10 has a large bezel around all 4 sides allowing for a bigger battery.

Thirdly, iPad mini's thickness is 7.2mm, Nexus 10 is 8.9mm

Lastly, and by far most importantly, iPad mini battery life is 12:43, Nexus 10 is 7:26 (this is per Engadget's testing). Edit: Additional reference point. The new nexus 7 (per engadget) lasts 7:15.

I'll gladly take the light, thin, long-lasting, well-performing mini as is. When retina is possible without compromises, that will be fantastic.

 

[jb1280]

battery has got to be a major culprit in the iPad mini retina issue. There are some fairly abysmal battery test numbers for the Nexus 7 out there, and subpar battery life has never been an iPad issue.

 

[WhiteIphone5]

Go ahead Apple! Release the Mini without retina display and watch your iPad sales drop!

Wait nvm... iSheeps would be running for it.

 

[cirus]

Dissapointing considering the new nexus 7 has an amazing 1080p display and there is a new kindle fire coming out with a high res screen.

 

[malnar]

You guys crack me up - it's so simple:

JUST DO NOT BUY THE NEXT IPAD (NON-RETINA). Simple fix!

It's the mentality of owning the latest and greatest is why apple is making a ton of money. Just enjoy what you have or be glad you don't have (saving money along the way) - wait until the retina comes out and then you buy.

Think about it: before any retina ipad was ever released, there were no retina ipads. And there were no tablets to begin with either until 2009. You survived then, and you'll survive now.

GET A GRIP!

Even better, buy something else! Not buying anything only shows Apple that no one's interested, period. Buying another tablet tells Apple, loud and clear, that the current iPad Mini isn't cutting it and the buying public is getting tired of waiting around for Apple to catch up.

 

[tbrand7]

This is obviously a result of Bob Mansfield leaving the Executive Team.

 

[GoCubsGo]

This is obviously a result of Bob Mansfield leaving the Executive Team.

Probably not.

 

[Michael Goff]

Well, quite frankly, it has to be. Either the iPad mini never gets retina, or the main iPad needs to double (quadruple really) pixel again before the mini gets retina.... That is many, many years off.



First, Nexus 10 299 ppi. A difference of 27ppi is notable.

Secondly, the nexus 10 has a large bezel around all 4 sides allowing for a bigger battery.

Thirdly, iPad mini's thickness is 7.2mm, Nexus 10 is 8.9mm

Lastly, and by far most importantly, iPad mini battery life is 12:43, Nexus 10 is 7:26 (this is per Engadget's testing). Edit: Additional reference point. The new nexus 7 (per engadget) lasts 7:15.

I'll gladly take the light, thin, long-lasting, well-performing mini as is. When retina is possible without compromises, that will be fantastic.

I'd go with the mini never getting retina, double retina iPad just feels like them admitting they might have been wrong about the current ppi on it being the most you'd ever need.

 

[Iconoclysm]

Sure.

2013 Nexus 7 = 323 PPI.
Retina iPad mini = 326 PPI.

So technically yes, but not noticeably so.

If it's a panel as good as the one in the iPad 3/4, its main advantage over the Nexus 7 would be color accuracy more than anything else.

The two tablets are not even close to the same size, so at a higher PPI it is absolutely noticeably so.

 

[MN7119]

This is obviously a result of Bob Mansfield leaving the Executive Team.

This is obviously a result of having Tim Cook as a CEO. What a joke that guy is.

 

[Iconoclysm]

Even better, buy something else! Not buying anything only shows Apple that no one's interested, period. Buying another tablet tells Apple, loud and clear, that the current iPad Mini isn't cutting it and the buying public is getting tired of waiting around for Apple to catch up.

Yes, go to another ecosystem completely, spending far more than just the price of the iPad mini to recoup all of your favorite apps...but also now needing different cables and accessories. /s

 

[Vanilla35]

It's not about apple not wanting to give you a retina ipad mini, its that manufacturing won't allow for it. It's already been revealed they've had to shift screen production around from numerous vendors because of quality issues. They would rather wait and be able to flood the market sufficiently than jump the gun and either release a product with quality issues (nexus 7?) or have a severly constrained supply for months.

It is sad. It is all about the economy of scales, I suppose. Apple sells how many minis each quarter? Asus doesn't have to produce as many Google Nexus 7, so they can go HD. Apple could produce a retina, but then it would be in smaller numbers, and it would always be sold out.

I think it sucks for Apple too; I don't think they don't want to give us a retina one. Look at what happened to the new iMac; Apple couldn't make enough of them because of shortage of the new laminated displays.

Unfortunately these arguments don't hold up. Apple has been doing this for years with many of their products. It's odd that some people keep saying this because as of Q2 2013 Android tablets have 67% of market share while Apple's tablets only have 28% (and the mini must be less than half of that). Not to mention android's shipped tablet rates are much higher, so lack of being able to find high resolution displays can't be the reason. Because based on how many tablets android ships, they made do. And if you ignore that for some reason, then even by market share, they still provide HD display tablets. Apple could do it too, but they won't.

It may be against their policy to bump resolution slightly, but honestly the iPad Mini's display looks like crap. I walked into a store thinking I would buy one as soon as it came out, and was immediately turned off.

I'm not one to have the latest high resolution displays in my house, (my laptop is only 1366,768, which I bought 4 years ago, and it's still higher than the iPad mini) but the iPad just looked bad. Still waiting on a full HD screen

So they would give the retina mini a higher ppi count than the main iPad? That doesn't sound like something they'd do.

Don't be an idiot. The new Retina Macbook Pro has a PPI of ~220 , yet it's the highest resolution laptop display on the market. The iPhone's is also in the 300's, because the screen is smaller. The bigger the screen, the smaller the PPI.

 

[SockRolid]

The A6 processor would be a logical upgrade for the iPad mini, advancing its main processing chip to the next generation.

Exactly. Apple could be working toward this lineup in the fall:

iPhone 5S - $399 (64GB, A7, black/slate or white/aluminum)
iPhone 5S - $299 (32GB, A7, black/slate or white/aluminum)
iPhone 5S - $199 (16GB, A7, black/slate or white/aluminum)
iPhone 5C - $99 (16GB, A6, multiple color choices)
iPhone 5C - $0 (8GB, A6, black only)

iPad (5th gen) - starting at $499, A7X
iPad mini (2nd gen) - starting at $299, A6

Notes:

- The iPhone 5C internals would mostly be comprised of the previous year's high-end iPhone internals, minus key differentiators (fingerprint-sensing home button, improved camera, dual LED flash, etc.) The low-end "C" model would never get the fingerprint-sensor home button.

- The iPad mini would stay non-Retina until Retina screens are cost-effective. In other words, until Apple can equip the iPad mini with a Retina screen and still make a price point around $300 with a decent margin. But only if the Retina screen can also be efficient enough to allow for 1. a body shell as thin as or thinner than the 1st gen iPad mini (e.g. same-sized or smaller batteries), and 2. battery life as good as or better than the 1st gen iPad mini.

- iPad mini pricing could drop to $299. Should be easy to reduce next-gen iPad mini costs enough to maintain current margin at that price. And dropping below $300 might attract more buyers. Downside: will be hard to build the eventual Retina model and sell it profitably for $299.

- iPad mini wouldn't need the X variant of the ARM-based chip because it is non-Retina. This year: iPad mini (2nd gen) with A6. Next year: iPad mini (3rd gen) with A7. Or, if Apple advances their display technology enough, next year's iPad mini (3rd gen) could get a Retina screen plus A7X chip like the "big" iPad.

- Next year, Apple could drop iPhone numbering entirely, as with the iPad lines. From 2014 on, the iPhones could simply be called "iPhone" and "iPhone C."

- Apple would never need to manufacture any iPhone model for more than one year. Although the previous year's high-end iPhone components would (mostly) migrate to the "C" model, each year's high-end and low-end iPhone models would always be "the new iPhone" and "the new iPhone C."

- Pricing in US Dollars, and iPhone pricing includes cell carrier subsidies.

 

[nepalisherpa]

i'll buy a few

could care less about retina. i want a nice CPU/GPU in a mini

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in the last few months, lots of complaints about last year's model suddenly being laggy

That was a software issue. Updating to 4.3 fixes it.

 

[Georgij]

Why such a fuss about not announced tablet? We don't even know what other features will that iPad mini have.
Screen isn't everything, content is. I don't think schools and businesses care about the resolution, it is about getting things done in a simplistic and fast way.

We'll see what new features will the new iPad mini offer, then we can judge both devices

 

[BMcCoy]

Don't jump to conclusions...

Read the source article..
"Other possibilities include these new iPad models remaining as an internal-only variant or a silent update (perhaps when the iPad minis are repackaged with iOS 7 marketing materials in the fall?)."