Rumor: LG to ship Retina displays for next-gen iPad mini ahead of October debut
Adding to the mounting pile of iPad mini rumors, a report from the Far East on Friday claims Apple supplier LG is preparing to ship millions of panels bound for a rumored Retina display version of the device, suggesting the tablet may see a fourth quarter launch.
Flip-flopping on a report from Monday, the hit-or-miss DigiTimes now expects Apple to launch a Retina display-toting iPad mini in 2013, citing industry insiders who claim LG is "making new headway" in producing the high-resolution panels for the tablet. LG is reportedly looking to ship two to three million units per month ahead of an October release, these people said.
Adding to the report, the South Korean company's display arm is supposedly planning to ship 2.5 to 3 million 9.7-inch panels a month for the iPad, with 1 to 2 million earmarked for a next-gen version of Apple's full-size tablet. Further, sources claim the fifth-generation iPad is to be thinner and lighter than existing versions, and will use a single LED backlight bar, rather than the existing two-module configuration.
The latest rumblings over the Pad mini come just four days after the publication cited other supply chain sources in a report claiming the device would merely see a redesign for 2013, with a Retina model to come sometime in 2014. A separate report from China's Economic Daily News last week seconded the rumor, contradicting various reports indicating Apple was pushing for a fall release.
Flip-flopping on a report from Monday, the hit-or-miss DigiTimes now expects Apple to launch a Retina display-toting iPad mini in 2013, citing industry insiders who claim LG is "making new headway" in producing the high-resolution panels for the tablet. LG is reportedly looking to ship two to three million units per month ahead of an October release, these people said.
Adding to the report, the South Korean company's display arm is supposedly planning to ship 2.5 to 3 million 9.7-inch panels a month for the iPad, with 1 to 2 million earmarked for a next-gen version of Apple's full-size tablet. Further, sources claim the fifth-generation iPad is to be thinner and lighter than existing versions, and will use a single LED backlight bar, rather than the existing two-module configuration.
The latest rumblings over the Pad mini come just four days after the publication cited other supply chain sources in a report claiming the device would merely see a redesign for 2013, with a Retina model to come sometime in 2014. A separate report from China's Economic Daily News last week seconded the rumor, contradicting various reports indicating Apple was pushing for a fall release.
Comments
Quote:
Originally Posted by Harry Wild
If iPad Mini Retina comes out in October then need to announce it before Google's Nexus 7 2 comes out! That will hold me and other loyal Apple customers from buying the Nexus 7 2 which will have HD screen resolution.
Uh, no they don't.
1. Noone gives a shit about the Nexus 7, nor it's successor.
2. Apple is not going to announce the next iPad mini 2 months ahead of time. That would be mind-numbingly idiotic, and you should be able to realize that. It will be announced days before availability. Just go ahead and buy your Nexus with "HD screen resolution" if you so desperately need one, Apple is not going to schedule it's announcements and release dates around that failure of a product.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Harry Wild
If iPad Mini Retina comes out in October then need to announce it before Google's Nexus 7 2 comes out! That will hold me and other loyal Apple customers from buying the Nexus 7 2 which will have HD screen resolution.
You obviously don't have a clue about how Apple markets their products as Apple typically doesn't announce products before they are close to shipping. Loyal Apple customers, which your comment proves you aren't one of, don't really care what Nexus product is announced.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Slurpy
Uh, no they don't.
1. Noone gives a shit about the Nexus 7, nor it's successor.
2. Apple is not going to announce the next iPad mini 2 months ahead of time. That would be mind-numbingly idiotic, and you should be able to realize that. It will be announced days before availability. Just go ahead and buy your Nexus with "HD screen resolution" if you so desperately need one, Apple is not going to schedule it's announcements and release dates around that failure of a product.
exactly, i don't think any other tablet except the iPad does matter now. and i don't mean it personally for myself, the way tablet market is reacting its clear that iPad rocks.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Harry Wild
If iPad Mini Retina comes out in October then need to announce it before Google's Nexus 7 2 comes out! That will hold me and other loyal Apple customers from buying the Nexus 7 2 which will have HD screen resolution.
No. All that's needed is a few FUD leaks like this one.
Apple will kill late 2013 early 2014 with their product line-up.
Quote:
Originally Posted by leavingthebigG
If Apple sticks with "tradition" and drops the price of the 16GB iPad mini by $100 the iPad mini will cost $229, which will place it in the ballpark of the price of the new Nexus 7 2 device. Yes, the less expensive iPad mini will be a year-old device competing with a new device, but will it really matter to a customer who is looking to spend less money while looking to be supported for two or more years with OS upgrades? Not having Retina display has not killed the sales of the iPad mini. No analyst or competitor can honestly say that the non-Retina display caused customers to delay purchasing the iPad mini. With the less expensive iPad mini, Apple will continue to earn money while Google will not.
good points but i don't see last year's iPad mini price going down, atleast not that much. even if they reduce the price i think they will price it around $279 or something like that.
Digitimes? I think I'll wait and see what really happens.
Yeah if they dropped the price $100 that would kill the resale value of the Mini.
I think $50 would be more reasonable considering the Mini already has low margins.
They might even just drop it below the 300$ mark, say 299.
The mini has cannibalized iPad sales to some degree.
The arrival of retina on the mini may come at a price increase, putting it even closer to the 16GB iPad.
I could therefore imagine that the iPad 5 won't start before 32GB.
I could see Apple bumping the entry level iPad 5 to 32GB.
That would make the full size iPad even more attractive compared to the Mini.
As far as the Mini I hope Apple doesn't increase the starting price for retina but we'll see.
It's a good thing when a supplier can deliver a part before Apple begins to sell it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Harry Wild
If iPad Mini Retina comes out in October then need to announce it before Google's Nexus 7 2 comes out! That will hold me and other loyal Apple customers from buying the Nexus 7 2 which will have HD screen resolution.
Hilarious how android users are always talking about how great android is GOING to be, verses how Apple products are NOW. Yet even though they're hyping some fantasized future, they constantly clam that Apple is in real trouble of losing customers cause just around the corner will be an android product that won't suck.
This has been going on for FOUR YEARS.
Telll us, how have every previous Nexus product sold? Got yourself a nexus Q? Nexus is a joke.
Come back when it isn't and you won't look so completely silly.
PS -- you don't seem to realize that "HD resolution" is lower than current Retina iPad resolution - and that's at 1920x1080, also known as "Full HD", while many anrdroid products (like the kindle fire) have been advertised at "HD resolution" of 1280x720 or even LESS.
Quote:
Originally Posted by cutykamu
good points but i don't see last year's iPad mini price going down, atleast not that much. even if they reduce the price i think they will price it around $279 or something like that.
Here's what the line-up will probably look like:
iPad Mini Retina - $330
iPad Mini (2012 edition) - $230
Both of those base models with base memory, and then add $100 for each memory doubling and $129 for Cellular modem.
Then again, it may be that the Retina adds so much in horsepower & battery requirements that they do something like this:
iPad Mini 2013 Retina - $399
iPad Mini 2013 non-retina - $299
iPad Mini 2012 non-retina - $229
Either way, I do think that the $330 price was made with an eye to the future, so that Apple would have some pricing flexibility given the challenges of bringing Apple's top of the line technologies to a market segment usually filled with plastic crap full of cheap components like the Nexus and galaxy tab.
For some segment of the population, they seem to be unable to tell the difference between quality and crap, and don't know why things would cost different.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Harry Wild
If iPad Mini Retina comes out in October then need to announce it before Google's Nexus 7 2 comes out! That will hold me and other loyal Apple customers from buying the Nexus 7 2 which will have HD screen resolution.
piling on previous correctors.
a) you disqualify yourself as a 'loyal' apple customer if you feel a android device is better long term than the next Apple device.
b) you should really preface your statement with this 'if' : "If THIS RUMOR IS TRUE, AND THE IPAD MINI RETINA COMES OUT IN OCTOBER" and finish with
"I'LL BE VERY HAPPY"
c) do you understand the concept of the Osborne Effect?
d) HD screen resolution is great, but really, at 18" does it matter. What really matters is quality of display. The color levels, brightness, contrast, response rate, etc. And an 1900x1080 ratio is goofy for a pocket portable computer.
e) I give this a 50-50 ratio of a 'controlled leak' Either Apple and/or LG is flushing out rats.
Quote:
Originally Posted by blackbook
Yeah if they dropped the price $100 that would kill the resale value of the Mini.
I think $50 would be more reasonable considering the Mini already has low margins.
my guess is $249 ($80). 249 is a pretty solid price point... The goal is to get rid of the iPad 1&3 (old chips, connectors), and retire the iPad 2. (which, for developers is pretty much an iPad Mini in the visuals, if you want to make your users sharpen their fingers.). The old Ipad form factor will be around for at least 1 more upgrade cycle (see below).
Its about connectors and 'consumer/entry level' products.
It's the same reason I hold out hope for a iPhone 5s and and iPhone 5x (low cost iphone). Stop selling the 4 and 4s (Why all the trade ins? for parts), support the 4/4s in iOS 7 but terminates in iOS 8 (except for security and bug fixes). Push(beat/pummel) developers to support the new interfaces, which are gonna be tuned for the next aXx chip sets, and all of a sudden you have
- a fleet of LTE 802.11ac airplay enabled devices.
- Apple TV evolving into a iPad based tool with Apple and it's partners delivering content on demand (DVR in the cloud)
- Business fleet of iPads
- Retina Macbook pros updated to .ac faster SSD, and/or fusion drives (move to PCI connections), longer battery life
- Tighter iOS OSX integration
- icloud icloud icloud
Couple with all the US carriers allowing people to 'buy' 6 month upgrades ...
We start to see this possibility: 2 product paths at all levels
ipad Mini classic / iPad Mini Retina, iPad (4,5,7)
iphone 5x(6x) / iPhone 5s (6)
macbook airs/ Macbook Pro/RD
mac mini/iMacs /Mac pros.
... and I'm seeing a bifurcated delivery schedule low end iphones and iPads in fall, high end in the late spring.
Spring releases for prosumer stuff, WWDC for the Pro levels (corp budgets)
Fall for the consumer stuff (Holiday shopping) (with the 'back to school' sales to clear inventories).
just sayin'... apple doesn't release something without a long product plan... and doesn't allow it's partners to sell its stuff in a funky way unless it aligns with the plan.
Long game people... think long game.
Digitimes is covering every base so they can say they got it right, totally ignoring the 99 they got wrong on the route to lucking a good guess.
If IGZO, then revolutionary, not to say magical.
Headline:
Rumor: LG to ship Retina displays for next-gen iPad mini ahead of October debut
Yeah, right... of course. They damn-well can't ship the displays AFTER the debut.