FollowIt is hard to predict Apple’s plans as evident from a recent report, which says that the company is delaying the release of iPad Mini 2 to Q4 2013. Digitimes, a Taiwanese blog, brings the report with some interesting theories for the delay.
While the iPad Mini 2 will be delayed, the iPad 5 release will be as scheduled. So, Apple is probably setting apart their launch dates to favor the sales of the iPad 5, its much-touted 9.7-inch iPad. Recollecting past happenings, the iPad 4 sales were hurt by the iPad Mini in 2010, when both were released together.
Another possible reason relates to supply chain issues due to difficulties in meeting the production schedule. Apple’s Asian partners will start mass production of iPad 5 by August, so that its arrival schedule will be on track. On the other hand, the iPad Mini 2 will enter the manufacturing phase only in November, and start shipping ahead of Christmas.
Among the interesting features of iPad Mini 2, the device will have a 7.9-inch display with a screen-resolution of 2048 x 1536 pixels, four times that of its predecessor and equal to that of iPad 4. The thickness of the device will be minimized by applying Sharp’s IGZO technology in the screen. The displays are expected to come from AU Optronics. Powered by a dual-core A7 processor, the iPad Mini 2 will feature a FaceTime HD camera and iSight camera with HD video recording.
The iPad 5 is expected to feature a “thin-film” touch panel, lowering its weight by nearly 30 percent relative to its predecessor. Apple’s next iOS launch is expected in September and a line of new devices are likely to hit stores in October. Apple watchers are expecting the iPad Mini 2 by the end of this year, but there has been no official word from Apple.
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