Apple is reportedly prepping at least one revamped iPad Mini with a Retina display that is likely to make its debut during the second half of 2013.
According to NPD DisplaySearch analyst Richard Shim, Cupertino will actually launch two versions of the Retina iPad Mini.
“One in the second half of this year, then one in Q1 of 2014,” he predicted. “The Q1 device will have a Retina display plus an updated processor… We’re looking at Q1 2014. The date’s in flux.”
As AppleInsider notes, the launch would probably be patterned after last year’s debut of the fourth-gen iPad, which hit the streets approximately six months after the third-generation model.
Meanwhile, Shim noted that Apple still has yet to decide what screen tech it will be using in the next-gen iPad Mini.
The analyst also speculated that Cupertino was likely eying the iPhone 5’s low-temperature polysilicon (LTPS) display, although he did acknowledge that yield rates for the above-mentioned panels become increasingly slim when screen size is increased.
Shim’s launch projections for a revamped iPad Mini with a Retina display are in line with other industry analysts, including Ming-Chi Kuo.
