iPad mini iPad mini 2 will NOT have retina display, stop dreaming!

[smoking monkey]

The iPad 3 was a mistake and everyone knows it. iPad 4 is a minor patch work job to fix that somewhat. iPad 5 will be the best big iPad ever. It will be thinner and lighter than the 3/4.

So the bottom line is, iPad mini is not getting a retina display for a couple more generations at least. People need to start accepting that.

I don't think the 3 was a mistake, but it wasn't quite what I was hoping for either. I actually returned mine and got my money back and stuck with my iPad 2. After using them side by side for a week, the 2 was good enough.

As for the mini with Retina. Not sure your arguments are quite correct, as others have stated. If not mini2 then definitely mini 3. It will happen and probably next year.

 

[equiprimordial]

Let me repeat that. The iPad mini 2 will NOT have retina display. Here is why:

1. If they put a retina display in it, their only screen resolution choice is the resolution of the iPad 4. If they do that the iPad mini's will have a higher ppi than the iPad 4 making it even better than bigger iPad. That is never happening. Apple will never compromise their high end product like that or people who buy the more premium product will start complaining that their display is inferior. The only way the iPad mini gets a retina screen is if the bigger iPad doubles its pixels from its current level and that ain't happening for a few years for technical and economic reasons.

2. Squeezing a retina display on the mini for the next generation will cause heating and battery life issues, possibly forcing Apple to make the mini thicker and heavier (because battery technology just isn't there). That is a design path I bet Apple will never go towards again. The iPad 3 was a mistake and everyone knows it. iPad 4 is a minor patch work job to fix that somewhat. iPad 5 will be the best big iPad ever. It will be thinner and lighter than the 3/4.

So the bottom line is, iPad mini is not getting a retina display for a couple more generations at least. People need to start accepting that.

I seriously doubt Apple is concerned about somehow making the iPad mini too amazing; the more amazing they can make their products the better it is for them, that will never backfire. It's not going to cannibalize the bigger iPad, if anything it's going to make people want to buy both. And even if one of them because obviously superior to the other, it wouldn't matter, it makes much more sense to just churn out the most iPads in whatever shape or flavor sells the most. The only reason the mini doesn't currently have a retina display is because it's obviously not practical within the current design and cost constraints. As soon as it becomes practical, Apple will release an iPad mini with a retina display . . . and I will buy one.

 

[TRMC13]

According to my sources (I ask "should i wait until the 2nd Gen iPad Mini comes out with a retina display, and he says after a pause "I'm sorry, what?", that tells me what I need to know), yes it will, which is why I'm waiting.

 

[kthnxshwn]

Wow, so much insight. Thanks for chiming in. Did you even read the reasons why I said it will not happen for at least two generations? Technology needs to catch up. It takes time. The screen resolution, app compatibility and retina crap is not exactly rocket science. It is pretty straight forward and simple really.

Thank you for letting us know how you, a person who is not in charge of Apple's hardware engineering team, would run things. It's not "pretty straight forward and simple" when you're relying on tech in its current state as opposed to how fast it's moving. The iPad mini uses dated tech, the only thing holding Apple back from including a retina display is price. But please keep telling us how you would run the company because surely it is useful information.

 

[Payton]

Here we go again. I repeat Apple will NOT pick an arbitrary resolution like that out of thin air! When will people start realizing that? They are stuck with these multiples:
1024-by-768
2048-by-1536
4096-by-3072 --> NOT HAPPENING ANY TIME IN THE NEAR FUTURE!

I repeat, these are the only resolutions possible on both the larger iPad and the smaller iPad to maintain app compatibility. Apple will not deviate from this.

Yes. This. People need to learn… Apple will almost certainly NOT deviate from this.

The iPad mini is not getting a retina screen (2048-by-1536) unless the larger iPad gets a 4096-by-3072 screen because Apple CANNOT have a lower PPI screen on their more premium device. That is never going to happen.

I'd beg to differ with the absolution of your statement… A retina iPad mini would have roughly the same PPI as the iPhone. 324ppi vs iPhone's 326ppi.

To Apple, retina is retina. It doesn't seem to matter across their line of retina products the exact number… it's the formula. The appearance and application. Sure, an iPad mini with retina would have a slightly crisper display than the full-size iPad, but either way, they're both still "retina" to Apple (and for that matter, to consumers).

I'd propose the argument that eventually, in the near future (~5-10 years) all of Apple's devices will be retina displays and this will be just one more premium quality distinction that sets Apple apart from the rest.

Even the 13'' MacBook Pro retina has a few more pixels per inch than the 15'':

And the distance from screen-to-eye that would be needed to "qualify" each iPad display as retina is only a difference of two inches. A fluctuation that occurs with any normal iPad usage (big or mini).

 

[WeegieMac]

Bookmarked for future reference ...

 

[Fruit Cake]

Keep telling yourself that

 

[sineplex]

I'd propose the argument that eventually, in the near future (~5-10 years) all of Apple's devices will be retina displays and this will be just one more premium quality distinction that sets Apple apart from the rest.

They'll have retina quality displays for PC laptops out on the market by January. Samsung already showed a 13 inch laptop back in August. It's just a display, they'll be in everything soon enough.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2617...es_9_laptop_with_retina_matching_display.html

 

[Defender2010]

Let me repeat that. The iPad mini 2 will NOT have retina display. Here is why:

1. If they put a retina display in it, their only screen resolution choice is the resolution of the iPad 4. If they do that the iPad mini's will have a higher ppi than the iPad 4 making it even better than bigger iPad. That is never happening. Apple will never compromise their high end product like that or people who buy the more premium product will start complaining that their display is inferior. The only way the iPad mini gets a retina screen is if the bigger iPad doubles its pixels from its current level and that ain't happening for a few years for technical and economic reasons.

2. Squeezing a retina display on the mini for the next generation will cause heating and battery life issues, possibly forcing Apple to make the mini thicker and heavier (because battery technology just isn't there). That is a design path I bet Apple will never go towards again. The iPad 3 was a mistake and everyone knows it. iPad 4 is a minor patch work job to fix that somewhat. iPad 5 will be the best big iPad ever. It will be thinner and lighter than the 3/4.

So the bottom line is, iPad mini is not getting a retina display for a couple more generations at least. People need to start accepting that.

1. If Apple can milk the same buyers next year with a retina, they will!
2. New display technology from Sharp and an A6/A6X will solve heat issues.
Never say never, you can't say what you said so surely...as much as the next opinion

 

[saintforlife]

I'd beg to differ with the absolution of your statement… A retina iPad mini would have roughly the same PPI as the iPhone. 324ppi vs iPhone's 326ppi.

To Apple, retina is retina. It doesn't seem to matter across their line of retina products the exact number… it's the formula. The appearance and application. Sure, an iPad mini with retina would have a slightly crisper display than the full-size iPad, but either way, they're both still "retina" to Apple (and for that matter, to consumers).

I sort of agree with that the ppi that qualifies as 'retina' is different for different devices. But in each of those cases, the difference in viewing distance is quite significant that justifies the large difference in ppi nos (326 for the iPhone and 264 for the iPad 4). But a difference of 324 and 264 for similar devices (tablets) that are held almost at the same distance from the eye maybe be a bit too much. But you never know. The iPad mini may end up selling in larger numbers and Apple may decide the mini is their flagship device and put in a higher pixel density screen than the larger iPad. Only they know what they want to do.

Anyway, I am not sure why I am taking this so seriously. I hope people understand some of the points I was trying to make.

 

[spiralynth]

Are you even familiar with Apple's pixel doubling strategy to maintain app backwards compatibility? I am thinking you don't. Apple will not pick an arbitrary higher resolution screen out of thin air. It is double or nothing. Doubling the iPad 4's 2048-by-1536 is not happening any time soon. Please read my 1st and 2nd posts.

Yes, I'm quite familiar ... with the fact that Apple deviated from the "doubling strategy" with the iPhone 5. Developers have the option of doing a little work to get an optimal fit, or not; their apps still function.

Your posts have proven nothing other than the fact that your assumptions are based on two things that Apple has already proven false: a) that it won't deviate from the "doubling strategy" (see iPhone 5), and b) that it won't allow a key feature of its "flagship" product to bested or equaled by another in its product line (see 13 and 15 inch MacBook Pro screens).

As many have already pointed out, cost (specifically margin) is likely the only reason the Mini doesn't have a higher, "Retina" quality ppi than it does currently.

 

[JaySoul]

Let me repeat that. The iPad mini 2 will NOT have retina display. Here is why:

1. If they put a retina display in it, their only screen resolution choice is the resolution of the iPad 4. If they do that the iPad mini's will have a higher ppi than the iPad 4 making it even better than bigger iPad. That is never happening. Apple will never compromise their high end product like that or people who buy the more premium product will start complaining that their display is inferior. The only way the iPad mini gets a retina screen is if the bigger iPad doubles its pixels from its current level and that ain't happening for a few years for technical and economic reasons.

2. Squeezing a retina display on the mini for the next generation will cause heating and battery life issues, possibly forcing Apple to make the mini thicker and heavier (because battery technology just isn't there). That is a design path I bet Apple will never go towards again. The iPad 3 was a mistake and everyone knows it. iPad 4 is a minor patch work job to fix that somewhat. iPad 5 will be the best big iPad ever. It will be thinner and lighter than the 3/4.

So the bottom line is, iPad mini is not getting a retina display for a couple more generations at least. People need to start accepting that.

I won't be buying an iPad Mini until Apple improves the screen, and I've got a sneaky feeling millions of other potential customers feel the same way.

 

[SchuettS]

According to my sources (I ask "should i wait until the 2nd Gen iPad Mini comes out with a retina display, and he says after a pause "I'm sorry, what?", that tells me what I need to know), yes it will, which is why I'm waiting.

Why wait? Why not buy now and if the retina comes, sell the old one and buy the new one? We're not talking about a 40k car or something. Apple products tend to have good resale.

 

[Abazigal]

Nexus 10 just came out with 2560 x 1600 pixels at 300 ppi.

No reason to believe iPad 5 won't match that, thereby enabling the Mini 2 to get retina.

Given apple's own definition of retina, there would be no need to improve, since by their own admission, the human eye would not be able to see any improvement from extra pixels.

 

[zhenya]

Yes, I'm quite familiar ... with the fact that Apple deviated from the "doubling strategy" with the iPhone 5. Developers have the option of doing a little work to get an optimal fit, or not; their apps still function.

Your posts have proven nothing other than the fact that your assumptions are based on two things that Apple has already proven false: a) that it won't deviate from the "doubling strategy" (see iPhone 5), and b) that it won't allow a key feature of its "flagship" product to bested or equaled by another in its product line (see 13 and 15 inch MacBook Pro screens).

As many have already pointed out, cost (specifically margin) is likely the only reason the Mini doesn't have a higher, "Retina" quality ppi than it does currently.

They did deviate, but only by a couple of hundred pixels, and only in one dimension. It's not by accident that the phone got taller but not wider. A Retina Mini screen would require a large change in resolution, and since Apple chose to go the non-scaling route for screen Rez (choosing pixel doubling instead) going anywhere between the two existing iPad resolutions would require a major change to the underlying code and would break compatibility with all the apps that already exist.

People, there are technical reasons behind this which is why we are bringing it up. It's not to say that Apple can't do something else, but there are real constraints and repercussions to their decisions, dictated by choices that have already been made. It's not just 'wish it and it will be so.'

 

[Chupa Chupa]

The Amazon Fire HD as a great screen for reading. The mini 2 screen may not be true Retina but it will have a higher PPI than what was released yesterday.

 

[MH01]

Let me repeat that. The iPad mini 2 will NOT have retina display. Here is why:

1. If they put a retina display in it, their only screen resolution choice is the resolution of the iPad 4. If they do that the iPad mini's will have a higher ppi than the iPad 4 making it even better than bigger iPad. That is never happening. Apple will never compromise their high end product like that or people who buy the more premium product will start complaining that their display is inferior. The only way the iPad mini gets a retina screen is if the bigger iPad doubles its pixels from its current level and that ain't happening for a few years for technical and economic reasons.

Ill keep it real for you.

Apple is going to sell heaps of minis right now.

Next year they will intriduce retina and sell heaps again.

The bottom line is they can get away with it cause they are apple, and apple knows people will be drooling at getting a retina upgrade. End result $$$$$$$

 

[cecildk9999]

If Apple's recent framework for their laptop lineup is any indication, a retina iPad mini will most certainly be offered in the not too distant future, but at a price premium. I was actually pretty surprised by the release of a 13 inch RMBP, but the cost to benefit ratio seems prohibitive. After playing with the mini in store, I'd say the screen is decent, but it's the form factor and lower entry level price that make it compelling. A retina iPad mini would probably start at $100 above the current model, which makes it suddenly less desirable on the whole.

 

[meechy]

I dunno, i was told by many people to stop dreaming about an iPad mini, it will never exist.

So here we are.

 

[token787]

Nexus 10 just came out with 2560 x 1600 pixels at 300 ppi.

No reason to believe iPad 5 won't match that, thereby enabling the Mini 2 to get retina.

Is it in stores? I was looking for it.

----------

 

[iEvolution]

They've had no problem adding new resolutions in the past, I don't think they 'have' to stop here.

Further a year is a long time away in the tech world just because its battery inefficient/'heavy' today doesn't mean it will be next year.

 

[jclardy]

I agree with the op.

Problem is I think apple is going to follow the route of the big iPad. iPad mini 2 will have a6 better camera.

The issue isn't the display nor the processor. It's definitely the battery. They will definitely get retina here but I don't see it happening next year. Think about it the ipad3 and 4 is pretty much all battery. That extra space is needed for the battery.

There is no way that will be the only upgrade. The camera is the least used item on the ipad for most people. We are talking about an entire year from this point. A simple spec boost isn't going to cut it.

This is coming from a current, happy mini owner.

 

[haruhiko]

Let me repeat that. The iPad mini 2 will NOT have retina display. Here is why:

1. If they put a retina display in it, their only screen resolution choice is the resolution of the iPad 4. If they do that the iPad mini's will have a higher ppi than the iPad 4 making it even better than bigger iPad. That is never happening. Apple will never compromise their high end product like that or people who buy the more premium product will start complaining that their display is inferior. The only way the iPad mini gets a retina screen is if the bigger iPad doubles its pixels from its current level and that ain't happening for a few years for technical and economic reasons.

2. Squeezing a retina display on the mini for the next generation will cause heating and battery life issues, possibly forcing Apple to make the mini thicker and heavier (because battery technology just isn't there). That is a design path I bet Apple will never go towards again. The iPad 3 was a mistake and everyone knows it. iPad 4 is a minor patch work job to fix that somewhat. iPad 5 will be the best big iPad ever. It will be thinner and lighter than the 3/4.

So the bottom line is, iPad mini is not getting a retina display for a couple more generations at least. People need to start accepting that.

iPod touches have better PPI than the iPad 3/4.

 

[urkel]

2 Months Ago: "The iPhone will NOT get a screen bigger than 3.5in"
1 Month Ago: "The iPad will NOT work on a smaller form factor"
Today: "The iPad Mini 2 will NOT have Retina"


Seriously. When the heck will people stop using definitive terms when it comes to technology? Acting like you know something WON'T happen is embarrassing because things move so fast out here that anything can happen at any time. And with Retina then it would be foolish to think that the creators of the Retina screen don't have a Retina Mini prototype that they've been working on.

BTW. My guess is that the iPad Mini with Retina comes out sooner than expected so that Apple can drop the current Mini to $229 in order to dominate the 7" market.

 

[ZipZap]

For reals. What, Apple made it .01 inches thicker and added .01 ounces? I'll trade that off for a 10-inch screen better than 1080p displays.

When you say "for reals" you lose all credibility. The word is "seriously".