Apple is said to be launching the iPad mini 2 later this year, but the Retina display options won’t be arriving until 2014.
According to “supply chain sources”, the iPad mini 2 will bring a host of new features to the design of the current iPad mini, but Apple’s 7.9-inch slate will not be getting a Retina display this year.
Speaking to notorious Korean tipster Digitimes, the sources say Apple will release a slightly updated version of the current iPad mini by the end of the year.
The updated iPad mini, potentially called the iPad mini 2, will be thinner and weigh less than the existing iteration, which is already pretty svelte. It will be 20 – 30 per cent lighter than the iPad mini due to its new “thin-film touch screen technology”.
The bezel will also be reduced on the iPad mini 2 and the device will also be given a specs boost when it launches.
An iPad mini with Retina Display is due to launch in 2014 after production for the next-generation tablet starts late Q4 2013.
That version of the iPad mini 2 will pack a 2048 x 1536 resolution on a 7.9-inch display, but Apple is said to be giving the slate an “almost bezel-free look” as part of a new chassis redesign.
Expect both iterations of the new iPad mini to run the newly unveiled iOS 7 that features a much flatter and less skeuomorphic interface than any previous versions of Apple’s mobile operating system.
It is due to launch sometime in the autumn, potentially alongside the iPhone 5S and the heavily rumoured budget iPhone.
iPad mini Features
The iPad mini currently has a 7.9-inch display with a 1024 x 768p resolution. It has a dual-core A5 processor and is just 7.2mm thick and weighs 308g.
With a 5-megapixel camera in the rear and a 1.2-meapixel front-facing snapper, the iPad mini has a 16.3-watt-hour lithium polymer battery that provides up to 10 hours battery life.
Next, read our iPad mini tips and tricks.
