14 DAY TRIAL // Apple is reportedly working with its Asian suppliers to put out a Retina-enabled iPad mini. The tablet could also be available in multiple colors, like the iPod touch.
According to people who are familiar with Apple’s supply chain, the company is “working with suppliers in Asia on its next iPad mini with a high-resolution ‘retina’ display, unlike the current iPad mini that comes with a lower-resolution screen,” reports the Wall Street Journal.
The same sources say the diminutive tablet is likely to sport a similar (if not identical) design to the current-generation model, adding that “Apple has also been contemplating multiple color back covers for the new tablet.”
However, according to developers sifting through the code of iOS 7 Beta 4, Apple might also roll out a non-Retina iPad mini, perhaps ahead of the Retina-enabled model.
Listed in a hidden file inside the beta software, several unreleased iPad mini models lack the @2x “hook” references to Retina-grade images. That’s certainly a disappointment, but Apple is likely to launch at least one Retina-capable model as well.
The next-generation iPad mini which doesn’t sport a Retina display will reportedly employ an A6 chip, which will significantly enhance the power of the platform, mostly on the graphics front.
If Apple chooses to launch both a Retina-capable iPad mini and a non-Retina model, the latter could be cheaper than the current-selling model (which also uses a standard-resolution display).
A fifth-generation full-size iPad is also expected from Apple. Unlike the iPad mini 2, the iPad 5 will most certainly have a Retina display (as its predecessors, the iPad 3 and iPad 4), as well as the most powerful A-series chip yet.