DigiTimes, a questionable source at best, is reporting that a thinner and lighter second-generation iPad mini will launch later this year, while a Retina display model may not see the light of day until early 2014.
…Its latest details, sourced as usual to unnamed people in Apple’s supply chain, suggest a new iPad mini with a thinner and lighter design will launch in the second half of 2013.
That model, though, would be something of a minor refresh, the report said, while a major upgrade with a 2,048-by-1,536-pixel Retina display could come later. Supply chain sources allegedly indicated that the Retina iPad mini isn’t likely to go into production until late this year, which would set it on track for a 2014 debut.
The report also says the Retina model would have a new design, with “an almost bezel-free look.”
This report follows one from a few days ago that also claimed the iPad mini would not see a Retina model release until early 2014. Technical problems leading to a shortage of high-resolution Retina displays are being blamed for the alleged delays.
Monday’s DigiTimes report also includes details of an alleged fifth-generation model of the full-sized iPad, and suggest the new device will use “thin-film touch screen technology” that will reduce its weight by up to 30%. It is also reported to have a thinner bezel design.
