CNET reports that Paul Semenza, an analyst at market research firm DisplaySearch, says an iPad mini with Retina display could hit the market in the third or fourth quarter of 2013.
“We’re seeing potential in the third quarter of panel production for a higher-resolution iPad Mini,” DisplaySearch analyst Paul Semenza told CNET today.
“When would the Mini be available? Could be third quarter or fourth quarter,” he said, adding that the speculation is DisplaySearch’s best guess based on supply chain data.
Semenza says his data points to a resolution of 2048 x 1536 pixels for the Retina display iPad mini, giving it the same number of pixels as the full-size iPad but at a higher density of 324 pixels per inch. He notes that Apple may need to increase the thickness of the iPad mini to allow using the Retina display with the mini, just as it did with the full-sized iPad when it was upgraded to a Retina display.
The report aligns with what KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted in mid-January, and Kuo has had a high rate of accuracy in the past with his Apple product predictions.
