Rumours claimed that iPad Mini 2 is speculated for release in June with almost the same price as other cheaper tablets.

The successor of the popular iPad Mini is rumoured to be released after the launch of Google's Nexus 7.7 in May. Thus, release date points to June. The iPad Mini was released at a price point to compete with the Nexus 7 and Amazon Kindle Fire range of tablets. It was slightly more expensive than both of those, with a starting price of $329 for the 16GB, $429 for a 32GB and $529 for a 64GB.

The starting price of the iPad Mini is slightly steeper than other tablets but rumours claimed that Apple is trying to change its pricing strategy in order to make its devices more competitive.

However, recent reports indicate the iPad Mini 2 will be an attempt to bring the iPad Mini design up to a premium standard alongside its larger counterpart with a Retina display and a processor upgrade, so we would expect the price to be relatively high accordingly.

Other reports said that iPad Mini 2 could be released at an earlier date due to the high demand on the product and expectations of the consumers.

It is most likely that tech giant Apple will capitalize on the success of iPad Mini, which is built with the same internal hardware as Apple's iPad 2. Despite being in the market for a short time, the iPad Mini sparked interest. Thus, it is most likely that we will see the iPad Mini 2 before it turns one this year with greater specs and features.

This is contradicted by previous reports which claimed that the iPad 5 and iPad Mini 2 release dates are delayed by shortages on one of the key components of the devices.

According to reports, iPad Mini 2 will feature a screen with a resolution of 2048 x 1536. This is almost four times the resolution of the present iPad Mini and is equal to the fourth generation iPad which was released along with the iPad Mini last year. AU Optronics has been rumoured to be making displays for the iPad Mini 2.

Other specs include a more powerful dual core A7 processor and a 7.9 inch screen. It will also feature a 10-hour battery life, a FaceTime HD camera, and an iSight camera with 1080 pixels HD video recording. Apple is also trying to reduce the thickness of the iPad Mini 2 by using the Sharp's IGZO (indium gallium zinc oxide) technology in its screens.

However, Apple remained tight lipped on its plans this year and the details of its upcoming devices.