Analyst recants claim that Apple will add Retina display to iPad mini before 2014

Posted:
in iPad edited January 2014
NPD DisplaySearch analyst Richard Shim has reversed his earlier prediction that Apple would add a Retina resolution to its iPad mini at some point before 2014.

Mini site


Shim first said in May that he expected Apple to release an iPad mini with the same Retina Display resolution as its full sized iPad 4 model this fall, then spoke of the new model coming in the "second half" of 2013, followed by another new iPad mini model in calendar Q1 2014.

However, Shim has now changed his forecast again, stating in a new report that "Apple is expected to refresh its iPad mini in the second half of the year. The new iPad mini will continue to use a 7.9-inch display with a [non-Retina] 1024?768 resolution, but it will use the iOS 7 operating system and an A6 processor, in a slimmer design than the current generation."

Shim also thinks Apple will release a revamped, full size iPad powered by an as yet unannounced "A7" processor, and says "Apple?s mix of tablet PC shipments is projected to be 60% iPad mini and 40% iPad in 2013."

OEMs seek to copy iPad mini's success

Including competing tablets, Shim wrote that "tablet PCs with screen sizes smaller than 9 inches are currently forecasted to account for 66% of tablet PC shipments for the year," adding that he expects that figure to increase with a refreshed new iPad mini and other "new 8-inch tablets" in the third quarter from Acer, Asus, Dell and Lenovo.

Shim wrote that iPad-sized tablets "made up over 60% of total tablet PCs shipped in 2012," but he expects this figure to reverse in favor of smaller sized tablets. But rather than following the 7 inch trend established by early Android devices, Shim thinks other makers will follow Apple's lead with a new crop of 8 inch tablets.

"While tablet PCs with 7 inch displays appear to be heading for the low end of the market (less than $200)," he wrote, "Apple?s iPad mini with its 7.9-inch display has captured a significant share of the market, despite its starting price of $329. Brands are hoping to expand this 'middle class,' gaining some share and slightly better margins than 7-inch tablet PCs."

Tweener tablets taper off, twice

Nearly three years ago, Apple's Steve Jobs noted that there were only "a handful of credible entrants" among the "avalanche" of Android devices being launched in late 2010 and said that they were forced to used a "tweener" 7 inch form factor to hit low price points in order to compete with the iPad.

He predicted hardware makers would return with larger sizes, which they did the next year alongside the launch of Android 3.0 Honeycomb. After that wave of devices failed, Google launched its Nexus 7 with Asus amid much fanfare, and many pundits predicted Jobs was wrong and that small tablets would eviscerate iPad sales.

When Apple subsequently launched its own iPad mini with a larger 7.8 inch screen, many critics again jumped on Jobs' comments, but were again proven wrong as cheaper 7 inch devices failed to sell in quantities comparable to the iPad mini.

If Shim's outlook for a new wave of 8 inch tablets is correct, it will again fulfill Jobs' prediction that smaller "tweener" tablets, nearly always sold with smartphone-style, widescreen ratio screens, aren't the right size to run satisfying tablet apps.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 38
    Remember: Apple never promised ANYTHING. The rumor mill has been busy making things up. Now they're shuffling around their fictional stories about Apple's next iPad mini.
  • Reply 2 of 38
    jameskatt2jameskatt2 Posts: 720member
    One word to say to this Analyst: "IDIOT".
  • Reply 3 of 38
    titantigertitantiger Posts: 300member
    Well, that kind of sucks actually. I was hoping to be able to trade my Retina iPad 3rd gen for a Retina Mini this fall. I love the size and weight of the Mini but can't go back to a regular display after having the Retina, especially with this one being smaller. Smaller type needs Retina resolutions even more than the regular sizes.
  • Reply 4 of 38
    nobodyynobodyy Posts: 377member


    Honestly, after being made to love Retina by its introduction across every other major product, I'd be disappointed.

  • Reply 5 of 38
    rcfarcfa Posts: 1,124member
    Rumors as a way of manipulating the stock market....
    Besides: much more important would be MacBook Air with retina displays; the iPad minis are close to retina resolution anyway due to the smaller screen sizes, a quadrupling of the resolution on the iPad mini has marginal impact for usability, but big effect on battery life and cost; barely worth the effort for that class of device.
  • Reply 6 of 38
    Looks like my Apple purchases will be on hold until iPad mini has retina, faster processor + 128g, iPhone comes as a phablet, update to Apple TV box.
  • Reply 7 of 38
    apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member


    Anybody talking about any retina iPad Mini is just making up fictional stories inside of their heads.


     


    I hope that they don't come out with a retina iPad Mini this year, just to annoy the people who have supposedly been waiting on one. Let them wait longer.image


     


    Meanwhile, I have a retina iPad 3, and I also have a non retina Mini which I like too. They are for different uses, with the Mini being far lighter and more portable. A retina iPad Mini is going to make it fatter, heavier and reduce battery time. And judging by how the iPad Mini is selling, I doubt that Apple is any rush to get rid of the non retina iPad Mini. Apple doesn't care about a tiny group of people on the internet who are going to wait for a retina iPad Mini before they supposedly buy one.

  • Reply 8 of 38
    ksecksec Posts: 1,569member
    I am increasingly thinking iPad Mini wont come with Retina this year. ( Edit: Actually since it is near end of June now, unless things changes Rapidly in the next 2 - 3 months it is very unlikely we see it this year.) Most likely due to stock and supply chain issues. It will be Retina when

    TSMC start producing SoC for Apple.
    IGZO is Ready for iPhone

    Two very important factor. And it is not like iPad Mini are in need of a Retina version. The Mini is selling just fine.
  • Reply 9 of 38


    Two non-retina iPad Mini generations!!?? Ugghhhh. I was hoping for a retina mini this fall but looks like I'll be waiting longer (if this rumour is true). If I have to wait, I really hope they are delaying it because they want to use IGZO.

  • Reply 10 of 38
    nhtnht Posts: 4,522member


    It's a shame if true.

  • Reply 11 of 38
    zozmanzozman Posts: 393member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by jameskatt2 View Post



    One word to say to this Analyst: "IDIOT".


    I've said it before & I'll say it again, "Anal-yst" guess what their sources are? image

  • Reply 12 of 38
    dunksdunks Posts: 1,254member
    titantiger wrote: »
    Well, that kind of sucks actually. I was hoping to be able to trade my Retina iPad 3rd gen for a Retina Mini this fall. I love the size and weight of the Mini but can't go back to a regular display after having the Retina, especially with this one being smaller. Smaller type needs Retina resolutions even more than the regular sizes.

    I think you will really enjoy the iPad 5 which will adopt many of the weight and form factor characteristics of the mini, whilst retaining the screen size of the original. Even if they could make an iPad mini with retina display this year they would be mad to because it simply cannibalises their own profit in a market they already dominate.
  • Reply 13 of 38
    blackbookblackbook Posts: 1,361member
    This year Apple will probably give the iPad 5 center stage as the must-have Christmas gift with the Mini taking a back seat.

    The mini may only be getting a processor bump and battery life improvements.
  • Reply 14 of 38
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member
    Two non-retina iPad Mini generations!!??

    There were two non-retina iPad generations. *shrug* Nearly everyone (myself included) thought initially the iPad 2 would be retina since the iPhone 4 was, but cooler heads (read: the guys who went ahead and said, 'hey, 2048x1536 displays just don't exist yet," and the engineers who knew it would be a travesty driving and powering them) prevailed.

    Granted, there's the power to drive such a display now, but is there a battery capable of doing it in such a small package? I think that's the question.
  • Reply 15 of 38
    gijoeinlagijoeinla Posts: 215member
    Always amazes how so many buy this guys garbage.. As proved with the latest keynote... Apple finally seems to have "doubled down" on its plans....ie the Mac Pro... I think the only reason the mini won't get retina is because of cannibalizing the larger iPad...but ALL bets are off... I think Apples fall releases will surprise and knock some outta da park..

    I'm running iOS 7 on my Iphone 5... Real real curious what it work like on iPad.... And btw people - iOS 7 is a BETA. Remember that..

    I for one love it - huge improvement over iOS6.. Way way more functionality. Those beating on it are lame and haters -- par for Apple as almost all it's great ideas have been first panned one way or the other. iOS 7 is different. Way different -- don't believe the downplay going on.. I'm sure it will be further polished by release time with even more stuff to come.. Its dope :)
  • Reply 16 of 38


    If they make the next iPad Mini retina display, I'll make my next iPad purchase a mini despite swearing off the smaller screen when the mini was introduced. 

  • Reply 17 of 38
    It's always been more likely year 3, when do we think we will see all current apple devices with screens retina (includes iPods) say at least a few years
  • Reply 18 of 38
    paxmanpaxman Posts: 4,729member


    Gotta love the analysts. I'm just waiting for one to bet both ways to cover the odds. He'd be as wrong as he'd be right but I'm sure one of them one day will figure that's better than being just wrong and quite stupid.

  • Reply 19 of 38


    IGZO again. It's a fairy tale parents tell their hardware geeks.

  • Reply 20 of 38
    abazigalabazigal Posts: 114member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post





    There were two non-retina iPad generations. *shrug* Nearly everyone (myself included) thought initially the iPad 2 would be retina since the iPhone 4 was, but cooler heads (read: the guys who went ahead and said, 'hey, 2048x1536 displays just don't exist yet," and the engineers who knew it would be a travesty driving and powering them) prevailed.



    Granted, there's the power to drive such a display now, but is there a battery capable of doing it in such a small package? I think that's the question.


    I am inclined to agree. Even the ipad3 is somewhat seen as a stopgap measure, since the A5X chip turned out to be insufficient to fully power that retina display. The ipad4 turned out to be everything the iPad3 should have been. 


     


    The retina display technically already exists for the mini (at 326 PPI, isn't that essentially the current iphone displays?). I think the main issue is power consumption, and procuring those displays in sufficient quantities and price. 

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