Apple 'Unclear' on Whether Retina iPad Mini Supplies Will Meet Demand

[bevsb2]

Everyone uses their iPads for different things, which means the iPad Air and iPad Mini will appeal to different people for different reasons.

That said, I am always personally surprised by the popularity of the Mini over the full sized iPad, but I am clearly in the minority. It is hoped this will translate to shorter lines and better selections for the iPads Air on Friday.

Agree! I want the iPad Air on Friday.

 

[JAT]

This is due to poor management again. The iPad mini Retina is not going to be able to meet demand due to poor forecasting, specious sourcing, and over speculation in a newer product (iPad Air). The screens for the new Retina mini are going to be tough to produce in larger quantities. Most people that have a mini already are most likely waiting for a Retina version with more RAM and better processing. Apple should have numbers from their iPad 4 and iPad mini sales to forecast what demand should be. If the Retina mini wasn't going to be ready in November, why not just announce a January 2014 release with a November pre-order? Apple risks alienating and pissing off a lot of customers with short supply in November. At least with pre-orders, you can earn interest off of the cash and be able to predict a bit more accurately the demand for the product at least a month or two in advance so you can ramp up supply appropriately.

You misspelled DOOMED!!

 

[eecyclone]

I think demand for the mini with retina display will be greater than the original iPad mini. The original mini was outdated the day it was released. At least the new mini uses current technology.

 

[bigjnyc]

I think demand for the mini with retina display will be greater than the original iPad mini. The original mini was outdated the day it was released. At least the new mini uses current technology.

Agreed. I don't think the higher price is going to deter too many people. When I saw the announcement i was put off by the price increase for all of 5 seconds before I realized I'm buying it anyway.

 

[mcdj]

This is due to poor management again. The iPad mini Retina is not going to be able to meet demand due to poor forecasting, specious sourcing, and over speculation in a newer product (iPad Air). The screens for the new Retina mini are going to be tough to produce in larger quantities. Most people that have a mini already are most likely waiting for a Retina version with more RAM and better processing. Apple should have numbers from their iPad 4 and iPad mini sales to forecast what demand should be. If the Retina mini wasn't going to be ready in November, why not just announce a January 2014 release with a November pre-order? Apple risks alienating and pissing off a lot of customers with short supply in November. At least with pre-orders, you can earn interest off of the cash and be able to predict a bit more accurately the demand for the product at least a month or two in advance so you can ramp up supply appropriately.

Lol wut? November preorder with January delivery? Apple ain't kickstarter. No one is going to fork over $500 just before the holidays so Apple can play with their money for 2 months. What established company would even think about proposing that kind of lead time on a preorder?

The reason Apple isn't going to have a lot of mini retinas at launch is because of low yields from the panel makers, and because they're being cautious about demand projections. Last year's mini sales don't automatically guarantee upgraders. And more and more, the market is becoming saturated and people are leaning toward the cheapest possible model for entry level...e.g. refurbs and previous models.

 

[mcphee7]

It's obvious throwing a retina screen on the mini is much more difficult and complex than what the "naive(nieve?)" seem to understand. Some people believe that it's just a matter of pulling a retina screen off the shelf. There's a reason the original mini did not come with a retina screen. I know it was a rampant belief on MR that it was because the mini was meant to be a lesser, base model to the 9.7" iPad (which is obviously not true since the mini 2 now has the exact same specs as the iPad Air). What's most obvious is that the technology and engineering required was a lot more complex than that.

As far as your prediction that Apple will have plenty of minis available for Christmas, well, I guess we'll see in about a month. My money is on VERY constrained supply all the way through the end of the year into 2014. Much worse than what we've seen with the 5S.

The irony in me spelling naive wrong has just shook me to the core (blame my phone)

I'm not questioning the complexities of stuffing all those pixels into a relatively small panel and I haven't escaped my attention that pulling something as such off a shelf simply can't happen.

That said, I am also of the opinion that technology is drip fed to consumers and it is the consumer that is (sometimes) hoodwinked.

I do think the product will be extremely popular. In fact I think it will be Apple's blockbuster product of the last few years. The thing is, Apple know this too and my money is on them having made provisions for this.

Going into the holiday season unprepared and having egg on their face (despite what history tells us) is madness.

I'm more than happy to hold my hands up and accept when i'm wrong and I will do so if the time comes. For now though, it clever marketing.

 

[joshdammit]

I was certain I would buy a mini if it was announced to have retina. But considering the price bump and the iPad Air having a smaller form factor and being almost .5 pounds lighter, I might just stick with the 9.7" screen.

The Mini has the same internals as the Air. If you really wanted the Mini w/ Retina display, it might make sense to buy that. You'll be spending $100 less than the iPad Air and getting the same device, just with a smaller screen.

Now, if you feel the extra $100 is worth the larger screen, go for it.

It just seems like a lot of people on this forum think the Mini went up in price just because it has a retina display.

 

[giantfan1224]

The irony in me spelling naive wrong has just shook me to the core (blame my phone)

I'm not questioning the complexities of stuffing all those pixels into a relatively small panel and I haven't escaped my attention that pulling something as such off a shelf simply can't happen.

That said, I am also of the opinion that technology is drip fed to consumers and it is the consumer that is (sometimes) hoodwinked.

I do think the product will be extremely popular. In fact I think it will be Apple's blockbuster product of the last few years. The thing is, Apple know this too and my money is on them having made provisions for this.

Going into the holiday season unprepared and having egg on their face (despite what history tells us) is madness.

I'm more than happy to hold my hands up and accept when i'm wrong and I will do so if the time comes. For now though, it clever marketing.

I agree that technology is "drip fed" to consumers, to a degree. That's also a fine line because it leads the door wide open for competition to step right in. I also believe that Apple wants to continue the buzz that their products generate. I just don't believe that the panel supply constraint news or rumors for the mini are a pure fabrication of Apple in attempt to create even more buzz. If so, then why not do it for the 5C--a new product? Or the iPad Air which seems to be a huge advancement over the previous iPad of just a year ago?

----------

The Mini has the same internals as the Air. If you really wanted the Mini w/ Retina display, it might make sense to buy that. You'll be spending $100 less than the iPad Air and getting the same device, just with a smaller screen.

Now, if you feel the extra $100 is worth the larger screen, go for it.

It just seems like a lot of people on this forum think the Mini went up in price just because it has a retina display.

I have the iPad 3. My point is I would like something a bit more compact, which was my thinking in going to the mini as long as it got the retina screen. Now the 9.7" iPad is more compact. And of course I'd prefer a 9.7" over a 7" so couple that with the retina mini being $100 more than the original mini and it's made it a bit of a tough decision for me. I think there are at least a few others in the same boat??

 

[Chlloret]

read: "we don't know how many buyers (the large part, not the Apple core fans) are willing to pay the price we request for iPad mini"

Also, with the original mini still on offer for $299, some might say, why wait? I mean, I got the original mini, no complaints, very happy. I have no intention to "upgrade", what for?

 

[Tech198]

So, its not a goid time to get Retina ??

Has Apple taken too many bites of their Apple.??

Bit off more than they can chew...??


Now, take a bite of the BIGGER apple, and feel pain.

 

[giantfan1224]

Also, with the original mini still on offer for $299, some might say, why wait? I mean, I got the original mini, no complaints, very happy. I have no intention to "upgrade", what for?

I'm not saying you should upgrade to the retina mini but here are 2 reasons to upgrade, as an answer to your "what for":

1. Retina screen (326 pixels per inch. Double that of the original. Equal to that of the iPhone 4/4S/5/5C/5S. More pixels per inch than the iPad Air).

2. A7 64 bit chip (Gaming could benefit greatly from this. Upgrade from the A5 to the A7 is big).

Just my 2 cents.

 

[sinfonye]

So the retina enabled iPad air will be ready to rock but not the retina mini because, um.... This is total bs.
The makers of the retina displays can make the big ones but not the small ones. Really? Who is buying the bullish**!

The full size ones are already in production (from the ipad 4) and demand is predictable. This will be a new production line (or even factory), possibly sharing capacity with the iPad 4. If there's huge demand, supply will be constrained by the rate at which the displays can be made (if not, they'll cut back on manufacture as with the iPhone 5c). Sounds quite plausible to me!