Low Retina iPad Mini Production Reportedly Due to Burn-In Issue on Sharp's Display Panels

[doobs22]

Hope Apple gets it together by the end of Nov. 2013

I definitely agree with you as far as the significance of the size difference. But as far as "iPad or bust", that's pretty much the mentality of tablet buyers. Especially if buying as a gift. Buying an android tablet for someone who wants a tablet is sort of like buying Mega Bloks for a kid who likes Lego. A nice gift, but not quite what you wanted. And it's obvious the buyer cheaped out, and no one wants to be the cheapskate at holiday gift time.

I agree - heck I may just buy a Kindle Fire for myself if I can't get an iPad Mini 64GB at the end of November 2013... and I have been a die-hard Apple user/fan for many years, but the Kindle Paperwhite has made me seriously consider switching to Kindle for portables use like the book-reader and game player.

 

[yellowtruck]

The point is that other companies are able to deliver on 300+ PPI displays in the same size range. It's part of the reason Apple's share of the tablet market is shrinking. Hold a low resolution iPad Mini next to a 7-9" high res tablet from another company, and the difference in display quality is striking.

This is the second major supply issue under Cook, the first being the latest iMac design. Both times, the lack of supplies killed Apple's holiday sales and affected profits. As a consumer, I'm dissapointed I'll have to wait longer, but if I were a stockholder I'd be pissed.

Will I keep waiting? Probably. The other 8" tablets I've looked at are hobbled by non-standard Android implementations, and the Nexus 7 is just a tad small for my needs. But I'm a hardcore Apple user. Imagine all the sales Apple will lose to people who don't already own a house full of Macs and iDevices.

\

If you are not a paid Samsung troll (and they just got busted in Tiiawan and fined for trolling covertly) what did not not mention all PC sales are down not just iman and why arribute imac sales to design?

 

[comatose81]

Issue after issue.

if Tim Cook cannot run Apple even properly without issues, notwithstanding the chronic lack of innovation, then perhaps the Board of Directors need to get its head out of the sand and fire Tim Cook and get someone in who is actually capable of running things.

Tim Cook is to blame for a supplier's incompetence?

 

[Steve121178]

Issue after issue.

if Tim Cook cannot run Apple even properly without issues, notwithstanding the chronic lack of innovation, then perhaps the Board of Directors need to get its head out of the sand and fire Tim Cook and get someone in who is actually capable of running things.

How is a partners manufacturing issue Tim Cook's fault?

 

[ColdShadow]

this is disturbing news as I really want an iPad before new year,sounds like I'm being forced to purchase the iPad Air..and I currently have a great discount deal on Air too making it closer to the price of Mini 2...but I want the Mini 2 not Air even if they cost same..what should I do?
reading this article,I'm on the impression that even if I can get a Mini 2 before January,it will likely have a non perfect screen with issues.. no good..

 

[Medic311]

so let me understand this. the burn-in issue is invisible to the consumer but apple is rejecting the products?

but an Apple Genius will say with a straight face to me in a store that the blatantly obvious and defective light bleeding i had with my iPad Mini was found to be acceptable?


yeah right

 

[brilliantthings]

Just bought a secondhand ipad mini 1. Great time to buy. Loving it.

 

[kazmac]

agree

Bouncing back and forth between the Mini vs Air... This has now been made simple for me... I'm going to buy an Air this weekend...

While I was more in the Mini camp for many reasons, I may have spoke too soon about naysaying the iPad Air. In light of fixing my iMac, I'd rather risk an Air than IR on the mini. I would not want to go through the iPad 3 > 4 again myself.

Another trip to the Apple Store next week to determine if I jump or just wait for the next gen.

With the exception of the iPhone, it is so disheartening there are display issues across the board.

 

[Macalway]

This article is extremely conflicted

 

[Beezy253]

So basically this is a warning to stay away from the iPad Mini Retina.

IMO, Apple dropped the ball on this one, not LG/Sharp.
MOST new products aren't even announced until components have already started production.

If there was a screen problem, Apple should have caught it in the first run, and made the decision to push the release date back.

I'm pretty sure most people would have been glad to wait a month. while Apple addressed screen production issues with their manufacturing partners.

 

[Virgo]

Glad I went ahead and got the iPad Air now.

 

[Taz Mangus]

IMO, Apple dropped the ball on this one, not LG/Sharp.

So you are saying Apple is the one manufacturing the screens not LG/Sharp.

 

[MRI3T]

I got a feeling I'm going to need to stay away from this one and wait for Mini Retina 2.

I totally agree! Disappointed tho. Was all geared up to get new Mini, instead I went ahead and ordered new Air! Will be my first Retina display ipad!

 

[blackhand1001]

They should have used whoever asus uses for the nexus 7 2013 displays. I think its japan display which is also used on the iphone I believe. The display on nexus 7 2013 is beautiful and doesn't have any burn in issues.

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I agree - heck I may just buy a Kindle Fire for myself if I can't get an iPad Mini 64GB at the end of November 2013... and I have been a die-hard Apple user/fan for many years, but the Kindle Paperwhite has made me seriously consider switching to Kindle for portables use like the book-reader and game player.

Do yourself a favor and get the nexus 7 over the kindle fire.

 

[zombierunner]

I need a 7 inch tablet .. been waiting a while .. holding out for ipad mini retina ... do you think i should wait a bit more or get something like the nexus 7 .. or perhaps ipad mini 1?

 

[iChrist]

An invisible defect is unacceptable to Apple.

Yet, the hundreds or thousands of reports of late-2013 rMBP 15" yellow blotchy screens is acceptable to Apple.

Really??

Exactly. I find this troubling, considering the price of the rMBP and Apple's refusal to remedy the situation.

 

[MacDarcy]

I love my ipad mini first gen. Wasn't planning on upgrading to the retina mini anyway. At least not right away. So it works out for me. I'll keep enjoying my ipad mini until late next year. I'm sure Apple will have the issue fixed by then.

 

[iSunrise]

So you are saying Apple is the one manufacturing the screens not LG/Sharp.

Since this is an Apple product, Apple dropped the ball. It´s pretty much self-explanatory. Everything else is just speculation.

If this is an issue of sub-pixel crosstalk or other "defects" from the factory we are talking about, they would have had all the evidence they needed to analyse the samples beforehand. There´s just no way that something like that could get through unnoticed.

When you are in chip design, there´s all kinds of steps needed to qualify for mass-production of a product after the first tape-out. Often leading to subsequent metal or even full respins of the ASIC.

Also, there were lots of reports in the open about the low yields of the iPad mini Retina screen way beforehand.

Last, but not least, Cook wasn´t even sure himself how constrained they are. Because, apart from limited manufacturing capabilities, they already knew that they are pushing it.

They announced the product anyway. They know that people would wait, there´s enough demand for the new mini that seems to justify that move for Apple.

I find it highly amusing, though, that Samsung seems to be the one who will come to the rescue (again).

 

[WestonHarvey1]

The point is that other companies are able to deliver on 300+ PPI displays in the same size range. It's part of the reason Apple's share of the tablet market is shrinking. Hold a low resolution iPad Mini next to a 7-9" high res tablet from another company, and the difference in display quality is striking.

\

They were able to deliver because they were willing to accept any screens that were available. This is a fine solution for the Android world, where they don't care a bit about screen dimensions, because they've long since embraced fragmentation, which is why nearly all Android tablet apps are stretched-out phone apps.

Apple wanted to make a smaller iPad with 100% app compatibility. This could not have been done with any of the screens you mentioned. They had to wait.

 

[KPOM]

this is disturbing news as I really want an iPad before new year,sounds like I'm being forced to purchase the iPad Air..and I currently have a great discount deal on Air too making it closer to the price of Mini 2...but I want the Mini 2 not Air even if they cost same..what should I do?
reading this article,I'm on the impression that even if I can get a Mini 2 before January,it will likely have a non perfect screen with issues.. no good..

It's unlikely you'll have a screen with issues. That's the reason for the delay. Apple is rejecting the screens with issues. Anyway, I am an iPad mini user, and the Air does look nice. It is definitely bigger, but it is a lot smaller and lighter than the iPad 4.

There will be some iPad minis before the new year. It might be like the iPhone 5s at launch, though.

 

[WestonHarvey1]

What we need is for the experts from MacRumors to be at the end of the assembly line for QC.

The problem with better QC would be dramatically lower yields.

I don't really blame Apple. They couldn't sell as many goods if they insisted on perfect screens. Getting consistent color and backlighting out of the current breed of flat panel displays is really difficult and it's just what everyone has to deal with for now.

 

[KPOM]

I find it highly amusing, though, that Samsung seems to be the one who will come to the rescue (again).

How so? There's a reason Apple became such a significant customer of Samsung in the first place. They are a very competent manufacturer. The troubles began when Samsung started competing with Apple on finished products. I don't blame Apple for wanting to reduce their dependence on a competitor.

 

[skiltrip]

I need a 7 inch tablet .. been waiting a while .. holding out for ipad mini retina ... do you think i should wait a bit more or get something like the nexus 7 .. or perhaps ipad mini 1?

The new Nexus 7, though attractively priced, is a poor replacement for an iPad IMO. Even if you prefer the Android ecosystem, and some do, the battery life is going to pale in comparison to an iPad. That alone is reason enough to hold out for the iPad mini retina. My coworker has both the original Nexus 7 and he just got the new 2013 Nexus 7. I have a 1st gen iPad mini. We both play Dead Trigger 2 like crazy at work (yeah, yeah, so much for productivity), and he's constantly running his battery down while I'm still chugging right along. In fact, that's why he keeps both Nexus's at the desk. While one is charging, he's playing the other, when that one dies, he switches.

The iPad mini 1 is a really good tablet. I, of course, wish text was sharper, though it's in no way bad. It's just that we've all got the taste of the good life with all these sharp-as-hell resolutions on our phones and tablets. The display issues on the new retina mini do spook me a little bit, and whether I'm over-reacting or not, I can't say. I think it's a tough spot to be in. Buying the 1st gen now seems a little late to the game. If they bring back the 16GB wifi version to the refurb store at $249, I'd say it's worth biting. But not at the $299 at the Apple Store. Might as well hold out and see what happens.

 

[Jeans89]

Relax guys. It is going to be awesome device. Best tablet.

 

[iSunrise]

...Apple wanted to make a smaller iPad with 100% app compatibility. This could not have been done with any of the screens you mentioned. They had to wait.

The main issues were power consumption (the new IGZO screens have a drastically lower power consumption) at the given pixel density and resolution. Otherwise, a mini Retina just isn´t possible with current tech.

The Kindle HDX screens are even better though, but according to reports cannot be manufactured in mass quantities. At least not without huge investments in new equipment at the suppliers side. So Apple had to bite the bullet and choose IGZO.

Apple´s direction to make everything thinner and lighter is making it extremely difficult manufacturing better devices. Apple alone has no problem with that, they have shown their excellence in SoC and and overall design, but they still depend on others to meet their standards, which they are pushing with almost every product they make.